Open Cloud Initiative Launches to Drive Open Standards in Cloud Computing

July 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Today the Open Cloud Initiative (OCI), a non-profit organization established to advocate open standards in cloud computing, announced its official launch at the OSCON 2011 Open Source Convention. Its purpose is to provide a legal framework within which the greater cloud computing community of users and providers can reach consensus on a set of requirements for Open Cloud, as described in the Open Cloud Principles (OCP) document, and then apply those requirements to cloud computing products and services, again by way of community consensus.

The Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) has launched its official website at http://www.opencloudinitiative.org/ and commenced a 30-day final comment period on the Open Cloud Principles (OCP), which are designed to ensure user freedoms without impeding the ability of providers to do business. They are focused on interoperability, avoiding barriers to entry or exit, ensuring technological neutrality and forbidding discrimination. They define the specific requirements for Open Standards and mandate their use for formats and interfaces, calling for “multiple full, faithful and interoperable implementations”, at least one of which being Open Source. Full text of the Principles can be found at http://www.opencloudinitiative.org/principles.

“The primary purpose of the Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) is to define “Open Cloud” by way of community consensus and advocate for universal adoption of Open Standard formats and interfaces” said Sam Johnston, founder and president. “Inspired by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), we aim to find a balance between protecting important user freedoms and enabling providers to build successful businesses.”

The Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) is governed by a Board of Directors comprising leaders from the cloud computing and Open Source industries, including Rick Clark, Marc Fleischmann, Sam Johnston, Shanley Kane, Noirin Plunkett, Evan Prodromou, Sam Ramji, Thomas Uhl, John Mark Walker and Simon Wardley.

The Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) is being founded as a California public benefit corporation (non-profit) and intends to obtain federal tax exemption by way of 501(c)(3) educational and scientific charity status in due course.

For more information, including the Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) Articles of Association, Bylaws, Open Cloud Principles (OCP), or to participate in the community, please visit http://www.opencloudinitiative.org.

Legal Name: Open Cloud Initiative

Slogan: A non-profit advocate of open cloud computing

Vision: A global cloud of clouds (“Intercloud”), interconnected by open standard interfaces exchanging open standard formats (“Open Cloud”).

Mission: To find a balance between cloud computing users and providers by deriving a community consensus “Open Cloud” definition and advocating its universal adoption.

Objectives:
- Educate the public about open cloud [cloud computing products & services that comply with open standards];
- Develop and maintain a set of open cloud principles by way of an open community consensus process;
- Encourage the computing industry to participate in development of open cloud products & services;
- Persuade organizations and vendors to comply with the open cloud principles;
- Provide resources for sharing information about open cloud products & services;
- Manage a certification program to allow use of one or more certification marks in association with open cloud products & services that satisfy the open cloud principles, as determined by way of an open community consensus process; and
- Advocate for open cloud principles.
- Values: The core values of the Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) are integrity, equality, community engagement, transparency and accountability.

# # #

The Open Cloud Initiative (OCI) is a California public benefit corporation (non-profit) run by a group of likeminded individuals to advocate open cloud computing. Initiated in March 2009 in response to confusion over the meaning of the term "Open Cloud", the organisation was formalised as a legal entity and officially launched at OSCON in July 2011. It maintains a set of Open Cloud Principles (OCP) and uses them to determine whether a given product or service is compliant and therefore "Open Cloud", both by way of community consensus.