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Cloud Computing Journal recently caught up with Pete Malcolm, CEO of cloud management innovators Abiquo - a major new player in the fast-emerging Cloud ecosystem and Platinum Plus Sponsor of 5th Cloud Expo held in New York April 19-21, 2010.

Malcolm keynoted personally at the event. His theme was what he called "The next chapter in the Virtualization story." As the CEO of one of Cloud computing fastest rising stars put it: "Virtualized or not, the infrastructure beast is becoming uncontrollable. But, as they say, big change is a-coming..."

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Abiquo was Platinum Plus Sponsor of the 5th International Cloud Expo held April 19-21, 2010 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City

Cloud Computing Journal: How would you define the difference between Private clouds and Public Clouds, and why is the distinction so important in the context of Cloud Computing?

Pete Malcolm: Actually, I think people get rather too hung up about this, confusing nomenclature with functionality. To my mind, a public cloud is simply one which has been exposed to external users, whereas a private one is for the exclusive use of the organization. The really interesting part is the service the cloud provides, and the benefits it brings – public or private.

Cloud Computing Journal: As the CEO of a major new player in the fast-emerging Cloud ecosystem, how do you see your company fitting in? You consider Cloud management to be the most important layer, presumably?

Malcolm: Well, clearly we think it’s the most important layer, but more seriously we believe there is a need to move beyond the hype and to set out a clear vision of how cloud computing evolves – practically as well as theoretically. This isn’t just about technology – its actually more about how the way IT organizations operate, and service their users, is going to fundamentally change over the next few years.

Cloud Computing Journal: There has been much talk lately of interoperability. Do you think that Cloud Computing is destined always to remain at the level of “just talk” or do you think there is genuinely a realistic prospect of the Cloud ecosystem being one day open and interoperable?

Malcolm: I believe interoperability is inevitable, but because user demand will force it, rather than major Cloud players truly initiating it. The reality is that the Cloud currently has a number of huge vested interests, and although those interests “talk interoperability”, the lock-in they currently enjoy is worth far more to them. When users have the means to easily break this lock-in, the currently hollow words will become truth.

Cloud Computing Journal: Who in your view are currently the Top Five Cloud Computing Companies?

Malcolm: Clearly the “fathers” of Cloud computing like VMware, Amazon and Salesforce, will continue to have great influence, but I think the really interesting question is who the Top Five Cloud Computing Companies will be in five years' time. This century has seen the birth of a new way, but we believe the real Cloud Computing revolution is yet to come.

Cloud Computing Journal: How about security issues, what’s your company’s take on Cloud Computing and security, from an enterprise-level perspective?

Malcolm: It’s really simple: until large enterprises are convinced that effective, standards-based security is integral, running applications on servers they don’t own will be limited to those with non-sensitive data. So, for example, hosting the public areas of your corporate Web site won’t be an issue, but the secure pages will continue to be hosted in-house.

Cloud Computing Journal: How will Abiquo charge for its services? Will it be on a usage basis?

Malcolm: Yes, the Cloud firmly established the “pay as you go” charging model, and we will follow this with fully elastic combined license and support fees. Pay only for what you need, for as long as you need it.

Cloud Computing Journal: Our 5th Cloud Expo has already mushroomed in size to the extent that we have moved it into the Jacob Javits Convention Center. As one of the world’s most successful serial entrepreneurs what was it in particular that led you to foresee that Cloud Computing would become so much the flavor of enterprise IT already by 2010?

Malcolm: The market has seen the tremendous growth in technologies like virtualization and in Cloud-based services. It has heard tantalizing stories of a Cloud nirvana ahead, and this fuels interest and speculation.But we need to be careful the hype frenzy is backed by a realistic vision which clearly articulates the benefits, and provides a credible roadmap. What excites me is the opportunity to translate the hype into reality – to provide technology solutions which allow customers to truly capitalize on the vision.

Cloud Computing Journal: Your keynote theme at 5th Cloud Expo in April 2010 was what you call “The next chapter in the Virtualization story.” What, in brief, dud you mean by that?

Malcolm: By any standards, virtualization has become a pretty successful technology, and for good reason, but in some ways it’s too successful. With physical datacenters, everything is tangible - you know here to find it, but in a rapidly expanding virtual world, things are not so clear cut. Coupled with that, the way our IT organizations provide services to their users has never fundamentally changed; virtualization is simply a tool employed to increase efficiency, scalability and resilience. But the ever increasing growth of applications is outgrowing the ability of IT organizations to manage the servers that support them. Virtualized or not, the infrastructure beast is becoming uncontrollable. But, as they say, big change is a-coming...

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