IEEE Launches Cloud Computing Initiative

The IEEE standards body launched a new Cloud Computing Initiative aimed at helping engineers get off the ground with cloud computing efforts.

The IEEE standards body has launched a new cloud computing initiative starting with two new draft standards to lay the foundation for future cloud development.

The IEEE, also known as the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, announced the new initiative to serve as the catalyst for innovation in the cloud computing arena. The two new standards efforts are: IEEE P2301, Draft Guide for Cloud Portability and Interoperability Profiles, and IEEE P2302, Draft Standard for Inter-cloud Interoperability and Federation, IEEE officials said.

"Cloud computing will change everything. It is one of the three aspects of the 'perfect storm' of technology waves currently sweeping across humanity, the other two being massive deployment of very smart mobile devices, and ubiquitous high-speed connectivity," said David Bernstein, IEEE P2301 and IEEE P2302 working group chair, and managing director of Cloud Strategy Partners, in a statement. "The cloud will tie all of these coming advancements together. We're truly embarking on a new age of innovation."

IEEE P2301 will provide profiles of existing and in-progress cloud computing standards in critical areas such as application, portability, management, and interoperability interfaces, as well as file formats and operation conventions, IEEE officials said. With capabilities logically grouped so that it addresses different cloud audiences and personalities, IEEE P2301 will provide an intuitive roadmap for cloud vendors, service providers, and other key stakeholders. When completed, the standard will aid users in procuring, developing, building, and using standards-based cloud computing products and services, enabling better portability, increased commonality, and greater interoperability across the industry.

Meanwhile, IEEE P2302 defines essential topology, protocols, functionality, and governance required for reliable cloud-to-cloud interoperability and federation, the IEEE said. The standard will help build an economy of scale among cloud product and service providers that remains transparent to users and applications. With a dynamic infrastructure that supports evolving cloud business models, IEEE P2302 is an ideal platform for fostering growth and improving competitiveness. It will also address fundamental, transparent interoperability and federation much in the way Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) did for the global telephony system, and naming and routing protocols did for the Internet, the IEEE said.

"Since its inception, the Internet has gone through radical changes driven by the twin engines of continued technology advancement and evolving user expectations," said Steve Diamond, chair of the IEEE Cloud Computing Initiative, in a statement. "Cloud computing today is very much akin to the nascent Internet - a disruptive technology and business model that is primed for explosive growth and rapid transformation. But without a flexible, common framework for interoperability, innovation could become stifled, leaving us with a siloed ecosystem. By leveraging its uniquely deep and broad technological resources and expertise, IEEE is helping to minimize fragmentation and ensure that cloud computing realizes its full potential."

"IEEE is in a uniquely powerful position to impact and shape the face of the burgeoning cloud computing revolution. Driven by a membership dedicated to technology innovation, IEEE continues to set the pace and methodology for contemporary standards development," said Judith Gorman, managing director of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), in a statement. "These newest standards will not only follow the consensus-based process championed by IEEE, but will also leverage the latest in technology development best practices, such as live global test beds and open source references. Cloud computing will showcase our ability to deliver exceptional, universally relevant standards created with these leading edge methodologies."