ODCA RFP Tool Advances Usage Models

On March 1 the Open Data Center Alliance updated five of the eight usage models that the organization released for the first time in June 2011. You can see my blog series about the models here. The updated usage models gained an RFP (Request for Proposal) tool that provides sample text that IT managers can use at no cost to simplify and accelerate the process of data center virtualization and cloud computing.

I spoke with Curt Aubley, the CTO of Cyber Security at Lockheed Martin and president of the ODCA about the changes. In a nutshell, the ODCA updated the Provider Assurance, Compliance Monitoring, VM Interoperability, IO Control, and Carbon Footprint useage guides so that organizations can more easily specify requirements when querying vendors for cloud-ready,data center products.

In the coming week, I’ll take a detailed look at each of the updated ODCA usage models. For now I can say that the simple RFP tool is a very handy addition to the models. The tool is freely available and simple to use.

IT managers who have cloud computing as a strategic goal should also keep an eye on Forecast 2012, the ODCA’s first membership gathering. Forecast 2012 will be held in conjunction with Cloud Expo and takes place June 12, 2012 at the Javits Center in New York City.