Both OCCI and CDMI are standards working toward interoperable cloud computing and cloud storage. The standards are being co-ordinated through an alliance between the OGF and the SNIA, as well as through a cross-SDO cloud standards collaboration group described subsequently. OCCI will take advantage of the storage that CDMI has provisioned and configured.

Since both interfaces use similar principles and technologies, it is likely that a single client could manage both the computing and storage needs of an application, scaling both to meet the demands placed on them.

15.1.8  SDOs and their Involvement with Clouds

2009 was a significant year for the development of standards efforts in cloud computing. In July 2009, the Object Management Group OMG™ announced a collaboration with leading technology SDOs to coordinate and communicate standards for Cloud computing and storage. Organizations that participate in this round-table style collaboration include the DMTF, OGF, SNIA, Open Cloud Consortium (OCC), and Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). Most SDOs already have many one-to-one liaison relationships, which are effective and productive for handling specific issues. This round-table-style collaboration provides a “bird’s eye view” of this broad and complicated technical area, further helping the work already underway between these leading standards bodies. This is the main reason for the establishment of a Cloud Standards Coordination working group. The group has a goal to create a landscape of cloud standards work, including common terminology.

To support this collaboration, a public working group has been established, and anyone with relevant technical skills, interest, and commitment can participate. Participation by enterprise and government IT leaders is encouraged to ensure that their critical standards needs are being addressed. The work is an outgrowth of the already existing Standards Development Organization Collaboration on Networked Resources Management (SCRM) working group that has coordinated management standards in general [9]. The organizations involved have created a wiki to describe each organization’s standards and efforts in this space.

15.1.9  An Example of Cloud Computing Interoperability

at Microsoft

Interoperability at Microsoft is important, and in recent years the interoperability team has been working actively to make Windows the best platform to run PHP applications [10]. The PHP Toolkit for ADO.NET Data Services, ADO.NET Data Services, is shipped as a part of .NET 3.5 SP1 and provides a RESTful interface in data services and an efficient way to surface your data to the web. The data are then

responsibility and openness to innovation. Cloud computing offers a number of benefits to government and public authorities, such as simplifying acquisition, budgeting, policy planning, and architecture along with the technological benefits, such as increased storage, automation, flexibility, mobility, and a shift in IT focus. As economies continue to struggle, governments need to take a deeper look at their expenses and make smarter, cost-effective decisions. In both London and Washington, the definition (as well as possibly the development of a government cloud, nicknamed G-Cloud) is constantly discussed. Therefore, open-source software is certainly losing momentum and political appeal, while cloud computing is gaining press coverage and executive interest according to a recent Gartner report [14].

The US Government has been one of the leaders in outlining concrete plans to implement cloud-like technologies in areas such as desktop management (i.e. remote help desk) and secure provisioning, portals and collaboration, content and records management, workflow management, business intelligence, a Software-as-a-Service, as well as a data center that calls for government-to-government, government-to- contractor, and contractor-to-contractor modes of service delivery.

A few barriers exist in that government’s sensitive and secret data must continue to be maintained in government-owned, government-operated facilities. In May 2009, the EU launched a broad consultation on whether it should consider revising the 1995 data protection directive. Cloud computing and new business models are challenging government systems. Currently, around 90% of organizations in the EU do not engage in transfers of data outside the region, but cloud computing is very likely to change that. There are in fact a few examples of governments starting to take advantage of the emerging technology.

15.1.12  Future Market Drivers and Challenges

As the current landscape of cloud computing has been described, it is important to understand where it is going in the future. Ultimately, the market will drive the overall adoption, but it is equally important to outline what it will take to prove it as a fully viable solution.

Just a short time ago, there was an issue with a lack of referenceable successes, with few large players offering clouds. Amazon were leading the field, (with EC2, S3, SimpleDB, CloudFront, and SQS), but with every passing month, larger IT players have been unveiling their new cloud solutions, such as IBM BlueCloud, Microsoft Azure, etc.

It is important, however, to define what are the catalysts for cloud computing in terms of the provider, the user, the technology itself, and available business models. The catalyst for business is to leverage clouds to get to market with new business models as well as the generation of Web 2.0 startups, to receive a better reliability through service-level contracts, availability of open standards to reduce lock-in, and concrete solutions to data-security issues. Finally, the technology itself needs to be