With Google backing OpenStack tech, cloud competition heats up

The OpenStack Foundation – the not-for-profit body that promotes the development, distribution and adoption of the OpenStack cloud operating system – announced that Google is joining the organisation. The search engine giant, which has its own cloud technology, sees value in the OpenStack too, and thus signed on as the newest Corporate Sponsor of the OpenStack Foundation. Corporate Sponsor status is the Foundation’s third tier of supporter, below Platinum and Gold. The Foundation has got backing from HP, Intel, IBM, Rackspace, Dell, EMC, NetApp, VMware, SAP, Oracle, Fujitsu, Lenovo, The Linux Foundation, Citrix, and Accenture, among others. [caption id=“attachment_843817” align=“alignleft” width=“383” class=" “]  Image for representation only. Reuters.[/caption] “We’re excited to add our expertise in container-oriented computing to one of the most widely-adopted private cloud stacks, while improving interoperability between private and public clouds,” Craig McLuckie, product manager at Google, said in a blog post. Google will commit engineering resources to the project, focusing on Linux containers and integrating container management technologies like Kubernetes with projects such as OpenStack Magnum.

Containers and hybrid cloud

AWS and Google operate in ‘public cloud’ space, while Microsoft’s dominance in the hybrid cloud space is well known. From the blog, it’s quite evident that Google is gearing up for a major push around hybrid cloud infrastructure. “Few enterprises can move their entire infrastructure to the public cloud. For most, hybrid deployments will be the norm and OpenStack is emerging as a standard for the on-premises component of these deployments.”

“By joining forces with the OpenStack Foundation we hope to add container-native patterns to the toolbelt of enterprise developers, and improve interoperability between public and private clouds.  We will be working over the coming months with the community to integrate Kubernetes, as well as complementary container technologies, to create a stronger hybrid cloud,” McLuckie added.

By supporting OpenStack, the Google Cloud Platform has the potential to integrate more tightly with those private data centres, giving Google a big foot in the door with enterprises that otherwise might never consider it, according to a Business Insider report.

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In addition, Google bringing its expertise in software containers to OpenStack means that the Google will make it easier for users to move their apps between OpenStack and Google Cloud.

"Having a company with Google’s cloud-native chops backing OpenStack is huge, and we can’t wait to see what the future of open collaboration brings to cloud computing,” said Mark Collier, COO, OpenStack Foundation.