Last month we announced that we’d partnered with software and cloud service providers in the creation of a new initiative: the Open Cloud Alliance.
The OCA has been formed in response to the current state of the cloud market; a market that is increasingly controlled by large providers, locking users in to closed ecosystems. This creates an imbalanced arena that is far from customer friendly. We aim to solve some key challenges in cloud computing and create a position where users are less dependent on large providers.
Since this news, the alliance has been welcomed in almost all corners ( e. g. DataCenterKnowledge, heise.de, Computerworld.ch); however some critics have raised some issues on the motives of those that have joined.
There is a commercial ulterior motive, but this motive is weighted towards the user – giving the customer the power to make the commercial decision that works best for them, and not their cloud vendor.
The cloud market isn’t really open and fair at the moment. Services are incompatible with one another, meaning that migration is difficult. Yes the alliance is about vendors but is also about the users, without whom we could not exist and so their satisfaction should be at the forefront of all business decisions. We are creating a level playing field to deliver the quality and surety that users expect.
Reliable cloud services can only be trusted when they are available from different providers and allow the frictionless migration of data through the use of open software. This philosophy is at the core of the Open Cloud Alliance, establishing trust between the providers and bringing them considerable benefits – and most importantly, delivering true added value to the customers.
Read about the Open Cloud Alliance here – www.Open-Cloud-Alliance.com – and make you your own mind.
