OpenStack might be most often deployed as an IaaS solution, but it is an open-source cloud computing platform.  OpenStack represents a worldwide collaboration of cloud computing professionals and developers to help come up with an open standard for private and public clouds.  Rackspace and NASA are the first ones to collaborate on the project, but it soon attracted other technology companies.  Today, OpenStack counts Red Hat, AT&T, Ericsson, Oracle, IBM, SUSE Linux, Yahoo!, VMware, Arista Networks, Avaya, Mellanox, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, AMD, EMC, NEC, Nexenta, Red Hat, Dell, NetApp, Go Daddy and Canonical, among others, as members.  OpenStack currently has more than 150 companies and 2,500 users as members.

The software is aimed at giving enterprises, companies, organizations and providers a way to turn their physical hardware into cloud deployments.  And because it is open-source and uses open standards, you do not have to worry about technology lock in.  OpenStack gives you more flexibility as well as a large developer community, much in the same way that Linux provided its users with more solutions and a bigger user community than those using Windows.  So if Linux is an alternative to Windows, then OpenStack would be an alternative to VMware.

Why use OpenStack?

It is with no doubt that you are dealing with big data, and wondering how you could manage the quick explosion of data that you need to handle, analyze and interpret.  You would also need to secure this data, as well as make sure that it is easily accessible.  And you need to do all these without spending a ridiculous sum of money.

OpenStack is the solution that you are looking for.

Companies would love how OpenStack has more than 2,000 developers working together to build a better software and platform.  This way, no matter what you need for your private and public cloud, you would always find it.

There is no lock in.  You do not get stuck with a single vendor or a single technology, and that applies to both software and hardware.  You get a standard interface even if it comes from several vendors.

Most importantly, however, OpenStack is a proven technology.  The technology behind the platform was first used by NASA for a variety of projects such as Google Mars, World Wide Telescope by Microsoft and the White House.

More than that, you get technology that is designed to be improved and added upon.  You can quickly change it when you need it.  Even as the pace of big data continues to increase, you would be able to handle new technology and trends better.  You will not be bogged down by aging infrastructure.

If you are thinking about getting onto the cloud, whether you are considering public or private cloud, then you simply must consider OpenStack.  Need help?  You can call Four Cornerstone at 817-377-1144 and get a team of Oracle experts to help you get OpenStack up and running in your business.

Photo courtesy of somik@nicira from Flickr.