Cloud Computing interoperability and data portability
By: Mark Lange , Senior Policy Counsel
Tags: cloud computing, interoperability, open source
11 December 2009
For all the buzz about cloud computing, the potential benefits are real: cost savings as well as the exciting possibilities for small European entrepreneurs to reach global audiences with a minimum of upfront IT costs. Yet the adoption of cloud computing services will depend a great deal on how industry addresses the fundamental interests of users in security, privacy and interoperability, interests about which the IT industry has learned a lot since the Internet emerged.
The practical work of addressing those fundamentals will be continuous and involve many of us. As part of this discussion, on 1 December, Microsoft hosted a Roundtable discussion on “Cloud Computing: Interoperability and data portability issues”, gathering representatives from the three European Institutions with industry stakeholders and other interested participants. The speakers included Joao da Silva, recently retired Director of Network and Communication technologies in the European Commission whose presentation focused on the enormous expansion of connectivity and the economic and social benefits that cloud computing can bring. Tim Cowen, Director of the Open Computing Alliance, also emphasized the potential seismic shift with cloud computing, citing some staggering economic data.
Andreas Ebert, Regional Technology Officer at Microsoft, gave a practical demonstration of interoperability in the cloud through the EyeOnEarth application which is a collaboration with the European Environmental Agency, enabling citizens to get real-time data about water and air quality all across Europe. Gregg Brown, Microsoft’s Senior Director in the Interoperability Group, gave an overview of the standards used in Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform as well as explaining how data portability can be achieved. He also described how Microsoft works together with open source technologies, developers and communities in rolling out Azure. Prof. Ignacio Llorente, co-leader of the OpenNebula project, discussed the approach taken by this EC-funded Open Source cloud infrastructure project. Interesting how he described a “federated” and “hybrid” approach that anticipates the need to work with other, non-open source technologies. It’s a mixed source world, after all.
This was a very constructive event that underscored the value of open dialog about interoperability and also pointed to the desire for deeper information about various aspects of cloud computing.