OpenStack doesn’t compete with AWS, Google, and Microsoft.

Public and private cloud markets are pretty much orthogonal at this point. At some point in the future they may begin to compete, but that is almost certainly years out. Having talked to both Google and Amazon recently, I can assure you this is how they see this world. Other proof points include the 451 reports showing how infrastructure spend is changing inside the enterprise, short story: private cloud is eating the spending on traditional infrastructure and public cloud usage is steadily increasing. The assertion that OpenStack is somehow at odds with the Big Three cloud players doesn’t really make sense, especially considering the focus by enterprises on hybrid cloud solutions.

I don’t really understand the assertions about lackluster installations either. OpenStack is seeing robust growth and continues to accelerate. In fact, although you mention the RightScale State of the Cloud Report, you didn’t mention one of the most interesting data points, namely that of all of the private cloud solutions, OpenStack was the only one seeing rising interest from 2013 to 2014. vSphere, vCD, CloudStack, etc. all declined in terms of interest. The momentum direction is fairly obvious to all, even the CIOs.

Comparing the growth of private cloud against public cloud is farcical. What happened here, Dave? Private cloud and it’s marketplace started *years* after public cloud. Why would it’s growth or size be on par? Again, you are comparing two markets that are not overlapping, that started at different times, and that while interrelated, many CIOs see as solving different problems. And rightfully so.

OpenStack is not a standard nor a strategy. It’s an enabling technology akin to the Linux kernel. Certainly Rackspace’s intentions at launch may have been to counteract AWS, but we’re way beyond that now. OpenStack has a life of it’s own and that life is related to AWS, but not opposed to it.

I was particularly appalled at your clear misreading of the RightScale State of the Cloud report, inferring that public cloud was dominant is a clear misunderstanding of that report, which I have read in-depth. Every mention of “hybrid cloud” means “public + private”. That means that when the report says that IT teams are 48% going to implement hybrid, 15% public, and 11% private, that the actual numbers are 63% public and 59% private, basically neck and neck. The *real* takeaway here is that hybrid cloud is seen as the de facto go forward model by almost 50% of respondents, which is what we currently see when engaging with enterprise customers. A hybrid cloud includes both public and private. And with the interest increasing in OpenStack so dramatically, it’s clear that companies see OpenStack as a path to hybrid cloud.

I’m sorry, but your article is overly cynical and smacks of the same kind of negativity that is rife in Apple-bashing screed so many indulge in these days. More importantly, you have egregious inaccuracies in your article that aren’t connected to the observable reality of the situation.

Respectfully,

—Randy