Why the Amazon cloud outage helped cloud computing

The recent outage over at Amazon was actually a good thing for cloud computing. It was a call to action that brought to light the need for solid standards for cloud infrastructure and iron-clad contractual obligations between cloud providers and subscribers. Before Amazon's failure, no one was paying close attention to cloud providers as the industry expanded and solution providers began popping up all over the place. People could hang out a shingle and call themselves a cloud provider with little or no oversight into who they are or the extent of their capabilities.

You could get a couple servers and some storage in your garage and go into business because it's... 

A secure environment: yup, the garage is locked at nightClimate controlled: there's an AC unit installed in the windowProtected with redundant power: a power cord running to the backyard outlet

The Amazon outage woke up consumers and providers alike to take a closer look at the infrastructure cloud providers are really offering. And it created a sense of urgency within the TechAmerica Foundation Commission on the Leadership Opportunity in U.S. Deployment of the Cloud (CLOUD²), on which I serve as deputy commissioner along with other representatives of the high-tech industry.

Under its three-month mandate, the CLOUD2 commission will provide Federal CIO Vivek Kundra and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke with recommendations for how the government should deploy cloud technologies and for public policies that will help drive innovation in the cloud. This collection of 71 experts from industry and academia are studying all the issues - including those dramatically raised by the Amazon failure - and in the long run their conclusions will make all of our data more secure in the cloud and move the industry to improve. It's a win-win for everyone.

Thanks, Amazon! 

Christopher Poelker is the author of Storage Area Networks for Dummies, the vice president of enterprise solutions at FalconStor Software, and deputy commissioner of the TechAmerica Foundation Commission on the Leadership Opportunity in U.S. Deployment of the Cloud (CLOUD²).