Open source cloud computing generates more cloud services

The author of this article is Ignacio M. Llorente, co-founder and CEO of Opennebula, the Open-source cloud computing platform. In this article, he argues that open source cloud technology and the corresponding software play an important role in cloud computing services. They can reduce the threshold for later construction of private cloud services and promote the customization of cloud services, thus deriving more cloud services.

Why use open source code to build and design cloud computing services? Because open source technology and software provide a highly customizable capability, this allows cloud computing to be built according to the developer's assumptions and exempt from huge licensing fees. How do open-source tools like Eucalyptus, Cloudstack, OpenStack and Opennebula affect cloud technology?

Personally, their role is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Lower entry threshold

Most organizations use cloud technology to optimize their IT investments to improve existing services or support new business models. In this case, open source lowers the threshold for new organizations to build private cloud computing. Many organizations have adopted opennebula to build private cloud computing, some of which are small cloud services that connect dozens of of hosts, some of which are large infrastructure connected by several data centers. For most of these organizations, it is not very reliable to pay licensing fees for the use of commercial software, either by choosing open source cloud technology or by doing nothing.

Promote cloud service customization

Many organizations, with open source help, can tailor cloud services to the actual needs of their customers, which means that these organizations can build differentiated cloud services based on user needs. Two examples of the public sector are the Netherlands Supercomputing Center of Sara and its cloud facilities HPC, the other is the United States Fermi Laboratory's basic cloud facilities fermicloud. Hosting companies and telecoms companies use Open-source code to provide new cloud service patterns to specific market and region users. For those using Opennebula solutions, Alterway's made cloud and China Mobile's big cloud are good examples.

Open source Cloud services spawn more cloud services

Open source, as well as encourage, support and promote the innovation of cloud services products. We have seen a lot of information and communication technology personnel how to build cloud services at a lower cost. Cloudweavers's one-click Cloud Solution and Hederatech Cloud management software are good examples. We can also count the open source technology integrator mentioned earlier, through open source cloud services, they can innovate and customize according to their own needs.

User-Vendor collaboration creates better cloud technology

Collaboration between technology vendors and users is a huge advantage in the open source world. As a derivative of the EU's flagship cloud computing project, Opennebula is working closely with the cloud computing infrastructure and projects invested by the European Union to provide unique functionality for the most advanced cloud computing deployments. We are working on projects that build a pan-European multiple cloud infrastructure, such as Bonfire, EGi, Helix Nebula. The industry, standard institutions and researchers are working together to create an open cloud technology ecosystem, one of Europe's cloud-computing strategies.

Direct contact with users is the only way to achieve innovation. In the open source project, the project roadmap is actually directed by the user's needs. This means that the function is designed to meet the real needs of the end-user, not the vendor.

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)