The Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) announced that Microsoft has joined the organization as a contributor member. ODCA says that Microsoft, with its Windows Azure cloud computing platform and expertise in enterprise software and data center platform delivery, brings valuable perspective and is expected to contribute immediately to the organization's mission.
"The ODCA brings together leaders from across industries to work together towards a vision of open, industry-standard cloud solution delivery," comments Mario Mueller, BMW's vice president of IT infrastructure and chair of the Alliance. "In order to truly accelerate availability of cloud services, enterprise IT needs to work closely with cloud service and solution providers. Microsoft's participation is a valuable addition to the organization's mission, and we heartily welcome their membership."
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The ODCA's current global membership is comprised of hundreds of corporations working collaboratively toward shaping the future of the enterprise-ready cloud, based on industry-standard solutions. The organization aims to be a voice for enterprise IT in articulating the requirements for the transforming enterprise IT landscape, with focus on topics including open, interoperable delivery of computing infrastructure as a service, cloud security, and best practices for adoption of big data analytics.
According to a press release, the Microsoft announcement follows a series of "Master Usage Model" publications from the ODCA, focused on requirements for computing infrastructure as a service, a leading focus of enterprise adoption of cloud solutions in 2013. These usage models and other Alliance developments will be discussed at the organization's upcoming Forecast 2013 conference, scheduled for June 17-18 in San Francisco.
"In line with Windows Azure's commitment to openness and interoperability, we are pleased to join ODCA and work with industry leadership on standards for the cloud," says Bill Hilf , general manager, Windows Azure. "We are dedicated to serving the industry and customers by providing an open, reliable and global approach to the cloud, and we look forward to contributing to the ODCA's mission." To learn more, visit www.opendatacenteralliance.org.
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