Seeking open standards for cloud computing, the IBM backed 'open' cloud computing strategy got a major setback, when several signatories decided to pull out after signing the Open Cloud Manifesto, scheduled to be presented today (Monday, March 30, 2009). The Open Cloud Manifesto was signed by group of 38 companies and academic groups.

The Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum (CCIF) pulled out after signing the Open Cloud Manifesto, over the weekend. In a post to the Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum, the group's original organizers including Reuven Cohen, Sam Charrington, Jesse Silver, and David Nielsen, announced that "the CCIF will no longer be a signatory of the controversial Open Cloud Manifesto".

The group's organizers wrote, "When the Open Cloud Manifesto is officially released on Monday, March 30, the CCIF's name will not appear as a signatory. This decision comes with great pain as we fully endorse the document's contents and its principals of a truly open cloud. However, this community has issued a mandate of openness and fair process, loudly and clearly, and so the CCIF can not in good faith endorse this document. Knowing what we know now, we certainly would have lobbied harder to open the document to the forum before this uproar ensued."

The other companies that pulled out include Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Google withdrew after signing up Open Cloud Manifesto, while Amazon said it wants to stay away from it. Microsoft dismissed the plan saying it was just given two days to sign up to a "secret" manifesto with no input. Microsoft said, "We had concerns about process and governance that led us to question IBM's intentions."

The Big Blue declined to comment on the decisions of Google, CCIF, Amazon, but stated that it hopes that Microsoft will review its decision and will get involved in the Open Cloud Manifesto at some stage. Karla Norsworthy IBM's vice president of Software Standards, said, "The aim was for this (Manifesto) to serve as a rallying cry to the industry to get focused around the importance of the cloud environment being open. We are pleased about the number of vendors who have signed up. As regards Microsoft, we are still hopeful about working together on giving customers the flexibility they have come to expect from technology that is open."

Some of the companies that still support 'open' cloud computing plan include Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Cisco Systems, EMC, IBM, Juniper, Sun Microsystems, AT&T, Red Hat, and SAP.

The Open Cloud Manifesto states, "Cloud providers must work together to ensure that the challenges to cloud adoption--security, integration, portability, interoperability, governance/management, metering/monitoring--are addressed through open collaboration and the appropriate use of standards. Cloud providers must not use their market position to lock customers into their particular platforms and limit their choice of providers."