New usage models outline requirements for interoperability in the cloud, including PaaS and SaaS interoperability

BEAVERTON. Ore., Aug. 17 — The Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) today published two new interoperability-focused usage models focused at PaaS and SaaS accompanied by an foundational document on interoperability requirements for the cloud. These documents form a clear picture of customer demands for interoperable solutions regardless of type of service delivered through the cloud and join previously published usage models addressing interoperability of IaaS solutions. The documents detail expectations for market delivery to the organization's mission of open, industry standard cloud solution adoption, and discussions have already begun with providers to help accelerate delivery of solutions based on these new requirements. This suite of requirements was joined by a Best Practices document from National Australia Bank (NAB) outlining carbon footprint reductions in cloud computing. NAB's paper illustrates their leadership in innovative methods to report carbon emissions in the cloud and aligns their best practices to underlying Alliance requirements. All of these documents are available in the ODCA Documents Library.

Because cloud applications and services must co-exist and interact across service providers and enterprise deployments, it is increasingly important to define and implement requirements for interoperability. The new usage models, focusing on PaaS (Platform as a service) and SaaS (Software as a service) interoperability, ensure that applications and services operate seamlessly across clouds and providers.

The PaaS interoperability usage model outlines requirements for rapid application deployment, application scalability, application migration and business continuity. The SaaS interoperability usage model makes applications available on demand, and encourages consistent mechanisms, enabling cloud subscribers to efficiently consume SaaS via standard interactions. In concert with these usage models, the Alliance published the ODCA Guide to Interoperability, which describes proposed requirements for interoperability, portability and interconnectivity. The documents are designed to ensure that companies are able to move workloads across clouds.

The "National Australia Bank Carbon Neutral White Paper" outlines the bank's efforts, in line with ODCA usage models, to become carbon neutral. NAB's efforts in technology and environmental efficiency are seen by the company as essential business practices and keys to the company's success. The white paper examines the development of a new strategic data center, set to come online in 2013, and provides insight into how other organizations can follow NAB's lead to decrease carbon footprints.

These new publications join over 14 customer requirements for the cloud and come as the Alliance prepares for its first Solutions Summit, an event focused on accelerating POCs and deployments of cloud through facilitated networking between enterprises and solution providers. For more information about the Summit, Alliance membership, or to access usage model requirement documents published by the ODCA and its members, visit www.opendatacenteralliance.org.

About The Open Data Center Alliance

The Open Data Center Alliance is an independent IT consortium comprised of global IT leaders who have come together to provide a unified customer vision for long-term data center requirements. The Alliance is led by a twelve member steering committee which includes IT leaders BMW, Capgemini, China Unicom, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International, Inc., National Australia Bank, T-Systems, Terremark, Disney Technology Solutions and Services, and UBS. Intel serves as technical advisor to the Alliance.

In support of its mission, the Alliance has delivered the first customer requirements for cloud computing documented in eight Open Data Center Usage Models which identify member prioritized requirements to resolve the most pressing challenges facing cloud adoption. Find out more at www.opendatacenteralliance.org.

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Source: ODCA