The
data interoperability challenge for cloud computing
Cloud
computing won't have as much value unless we get the data-integration
mechanisms right
In a recent InfoWorld article by Paul Krill, Vint Cerf,
who is a co-designer of the Internet's TCP/IP standards and widely considered a
father of the Internet, spoke about the the need for data portability standards
for cloud computing. "There are different clouds from companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, and Google, but a lack of interoperability between
them," Cerf explained at a session of the Churchill Club business and
technology organization in Menlo Park, Calif.
Interoperability has not been a huge focus around the
quickly emerging cloud computing space. Other than "we support
interoperability" statements from the larger cloud computing providers,
there is not a detailed plan to be seen. I've brought it up several times at
cloud user group meetings, with clients, and at vendor briefings, and I often
feel like I'm the kid in class who reminds the teacher to assign homework.
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Data interoperability is not that hard. You're dealing
with a few key concepts, such as semantic interoperability, or the way that
data is defined and stored on one cloud versus another. Also, you need to
consider the notions of transformation and translation, so the data appears
native when it arrives at the target cloud, or clouds, from the source cloud
(or clouds). Don't forget to add data governance and data security to the mix;
you'll need those as well.
There has been some talk of concepts such as the
Intercloud, or a data exchange system running between major cloud computing
providers. Also, a few cloud standards organizations, such as the Open Cloud
Consortium, are looking to drive some interoperability standards, including a
group working on standards and interoperability for "large data
clouds."
So how do we get down the path to data interoperability
for the clouds? Don't create yet another standards organization to look at this
by committee. They take too long, and this is something that's needed in 2010
to drive cloud computing adoption. Instead, the larger cloud computing
providers should focus on this behind the scenes and create a working standard
enabling technology to solve the data interoperability problem. If the larger
providers are all on the same page, believe me, the smaller providers will
quickly follow.
This article, "The data interoperability challenge
for cloud computing," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow
the latest developments on cloud computing at InfoWorld.com.
cloud computing is here. Running applications on machines
in an Internet-accessible data center can bring plenty of advantages. Yet
wherever they run, applications are built on some kind of platform. For
on-premises applications, this platform usually includes an operating system,
some way to store data, and perhaps more. Applications running in the cloud
need a similar foundation. The goal of Microsoft’s Windows Azure is to provide
this. Part of the larger Azure Services Platform, Windows Azure is a platform
for running Windows applications and storing data in the cloud.
cloud computing is a style of computing in which
dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service
over the Internet. To deploy a new solution, most of your time and energy is
spent on defining the right infrastructure, hardware and software, to put
together to create that solution, Cloud computing allows people to share
resources to solve new problems. cloud computing users can avoid capital
expenditure (CapEx) on hardware, software, and services when they pay a provider
only for what they use.
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