At the 5th Annual Telco Cloud World Forum, the Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) announced a collaboration with Intel® Corporation. Under the collaboration, the ODCA will integrate its usage models into the Intel® Cloud Finder Program, an online reference site that assists users with the selection of Cloud Service Providers (CSPs).

"ODCA members have stated a desire to easily identify cloud services meeting ODCA requirements, and Intel Cloud Finder provides an ideal tool to meet this requirement," said Mario Mueller, ODCA chairman and vice president of IT Infrastructure, BMW. "With enterprises ramping up cloud service usage based on ODCA usage models this year, the availability of this tool is perfectly timed for members' expected deployments." 

ODCA also announced the publication of Proof of Concept (PoC): Enterprise Cloud Service Quality, a white paper developed in collaboration with software provider Appnomic Systems, an ODCA Steering Group Member, and Intel Corporation.

"With Intel Cloud Finder, we are able to quickly find service providers that best meet our needs," said Correy Voo, ODCA president and chief technology officer at UBS.  "The tool is simple to use and enables a more efficient use of time and resources in our RFP process."

ODCA Proof of Concept (PoC): Enterprise Cloud Service Quality
ODCA's latest PoC provides a method for evaluating different Compute Infrastructure as a Service (CIaaS) providers — including internal enterprise operations. The framework shows how enterprises can compare multiple CIaaS providers to evaluate quality of service, deliver better end-user experiences, enhance overall cloud operations and increase their return on investment. This PoC also proposes the adoption of an industry-wide "Cloud Facts" label, similar in concept to the nutrition facts label in the food industry.

"We're very excited about this PoC with Appnomic Systems, Intel and the support of our Steering Group, as we contribute to the valuable body of ODCA work," said Cathy Spence, ODCA advisor and principal engineer, Intel. "Adding to the body of knowledge that the ODCA has created so far, this PoC will save enterprises time, money and resources, allowing IT departments to make informed decisions about how to architect and deploy data center services."

For more details about this PoC, a copy of the final publication is available at: www.opendatacenteralliance.org/docs/ODCA-PoC-Ent-Cloud-Service-Quality-Rev1-1-1.pdf

The ODCA Leadership Forum will be held in conjunction with the 5th Annual Telco Cloud World Forum, April 28-30, 2014 in Munich, Germany. ODCA speakers at the event include:

  • Reyk Bederke, vice president of IT Portfolio Architecture, T-Systems International and member of the Board, ODCA
  • Martin Heisig, senior vice president of HANA Enterprise Cloud Operations, SAP and member of the board, ODCA
  • Mario Mueller, vice president  IT Infrastructure, BMW and chairman and secretary, ODCA
  • Cathy Spence, principal engineer, Intel and technical coordination committee chair, ODCA
  • Ian Lamont, IT security specialist, BMW and co-chair of the ODCA security workgroup
  • Ryan Skipp, portfolio & solution development, DTAG/T-Systems and chair of ODCA manageability and services workgroup