The lattice part is that you can define policies, such as distribute this application and data
over three nodes in two different data centers, and it just happens. If an appliance fails, the alternatives can pick up where it left off and the application gets distributed to a new node to maintain the required policy. You can also define policies that say where data can reside. For example, you can have a policy that restricts data, down to the table level, to specific locations or geographic regions so that you cam maintain governance rules. They can even push an Amazon AMI so that you can use cloud services with little upfront work. While we didn't get into how this magic worked, the explanation seemed reasonable enough that, if you have mission-critical J2EE apps (TransLattice's target audience), then this is worth a look. I wouldn't be surprised if they started offering, either direct or through ISVs, J2EE applications in a box. I think if they can make good on their promise, they will make a good acquisition for some larger vendor.
Next I sat down with HP's VP of Enterprise Cloud Solutions, Patrick Harr, to discuss HP's plans. Again, I came away pretty impressed not only with HP's vision but also their ability to execute. It's not just hardware and networking. They also have that professional services arm acquired from EDS years ago that gives them a wide breadth of implementation experience to draw on. This allows HP to deliver simple cloud services like Cloud Start to custom-build public or private clouds. Their own Enterprise Cloud Service (ECS) is tailored for running critical applications in a hosted cloud service, and HP is prepared to provide the visibility and isolation needed to satisfy an organization's compliance and governance needs. I bet that kind of service comes at a premium, but if they can deliver better service with little impact on security and application delivery, ECS becomes a viable cloud player.
Less lofty ambitions include providing the software and hardware for private clouds. While HP admits they'd really like you to have an all HP data center, they are realistic in knowing that probably won't happen. At least not overnight. So they will manage anyone's hardware, including Cisco's, so that you can get the benefits of cloud computing with what you have. That's a fine strategy, and you can bet they will use a toehold to get further into your data center. Let's face it: There are upsides and downsides to a single-vendor data center. It isn't all bad, and HP is one of a few that can deliver it. IBM and, to a lesser extent, Cisco and Dell in the United States are the other players.
Finally, I met with Peder Ulander from Cloud.com, which makes cloud platform software. They integrate with existing hypervisors, such as VMware, Xen and KVM, and provide the automation, user portal and management framework to create an on-demand cloud experience. In a very real sense, they compete with the likes of Gale Technologies, but Cloud.com's software stack is open source without limitations. Yes, you can download the full suite for free. In the next version, 2.2, they are going to simplify down to a single archive with all of the functionality available. They are hoping that if you get a taste of Cloud.com's software and you want to get serious, you will pony up for an enterprise support license.
Tomorrow, I am meeting with a few more vendors, but I will be attending a couple of sessions and crawling the floor for interesting products.
