March 27th, 2009
Amazon Web Services: No Open Cloud Manifesto for us
Update: Amazon will join Microsoft as two big cloud computing players not signing on to the Open Cloud Manifesto.
The manifesto, which has raised a ruckus following a Microsoft blog post, is set to be released Monday with IBM as the ringleader. Given the hubbub it was only natural to wonder where Amazon Web Services, one of the premier cloud computing players stood. Here’s what an Amazon spokeswoman had to say:
We just recently heard about the manifesto document. Like other ideas on standards and practices, we’ll review this one, too. Ideas on openness and standards have been talked about for years in web services. And, we do believe standards will continue to evolve in the cloud computing space. But, what we’ve heard from customers thus far, customers who are really committed to using the cloud, is that the best way to illustrate openness and customer flexibility is by what you actually provide and deliver for them. Over the past 3 years, we’ve made AWS available via multiple platforms, multiple programming languages and multiple operating systems – because that’s what customers have told us matters the most to them. We’ll continue to pursue an approach of providing customers with maximum flexibility as the standards discussion unfolds.
In any event, we do believe that standards will continue to evolve and that establishing the right ones, based on a better understanding of what is needed, will best serve customers.
Translation: It’s a bit early to be tossing a manifesto around about cloud computing standards. This should be a fun conversation.
Also see: Cloud computing and the return of the platform wars
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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