January 17, 2013, 1:43 PM — Oracle's latest advancement of its cloud computing strategy is being called out as a "faux cloud" by a consultant and author, and as the latest example of cloud-washing, or the practice of vendors misusing the ubiquitous technology term.
BACKGROUND: Oracle launches line of on-premise IaaS systems
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This week Oracle announced the availability of a service it previewed last year at Oracle OpenWorld that allows customers to rent Oracle hardware equipment and store it on their own sites for a monthly fee. David Linthicum, CTO and co-founder of cloud and SOA consultancy Blue Mountain Labs, says that's not cloud computing.
"Oracle labels (it) 'infrastructure as a service' but it is not actually a cloud IaaS offering -- it's the usual Oracle data center gear," Linthicum wrote in his blog at Network World sister-site InfoWorld. "Just as Oracle IaaS is not a true cloud offering, neither is Oracle's new 'Iaas On Demand' selection of rental application servers."
The service does not include self-provisioning, auto provisioning, multi-tenancy or the ability to measure service usage on a granular level, all of which are key components to a service being technically considered a "cloud," Linthicum says. "They seem to be just providing their products using other compensation models, in this case rent," Linthicum says.
Through a public relations official who works with Oracle, the company declined to respond to the claims.
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As part of the service announced this week, customers rent the Oracle hardware for a monthly fee, although it requires a three-year contract. Linthicum points out that the fee does not include licensing for peak-usage though. Standard cloud computing offerings include a single fee that incorporates the entire service's cost. Instead, Oracle is "renting its stuff and calling it a cloud."
