Open Data Center Alliance publishes IT user requirements for cloud services

The Open Data Center Alliance has published its first set of IT user requirements for cloud computing in a bid to accelerate adoption.

The Open Sata Center Alliance (ODCA) was formed by 70 business members, including BMW, Shell, UBS and Deutsche Bank in October 2010. The membership has now grown to over 280 companies with a collective annual IT spend of over $100bn.

"The finalisation of the initial Open Data Center publication represents an inflection point for the cloud computing industry and end users," said Sean Kelley, CIO of platform services group at Deutsche Bank.

Richard Dicketts, global head of infrastructure management at Capgemini, said OCDA's eight usage models are the first documented customer requirements for the cloud that outline the most urgent issues preventing cloud adoption.

User issues and requirements include the need for consistent service level agreements (SLAs) as well as frameworks and standards for secure federation, automation, policy management and services transparency.

Richard Dicketts added that a lack of consistent cloud SLAs, the inability to easily manage compliance and a lack of a standard framework for the comparison of cloud services comprised key issues for the IT industry.

Curt Aubley, vice-president and CTO of cyber security at Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions, added: "The Alliance enthusiastically endorses use of the usage models for immediate use for member planning for cloud implementations."

Click here to access the ODCA's document.