This time of year is turning into a Cloud Battle, a war between Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to deliver bits as a service from data centers. iPhone vs. Android is a battle of mobile bits. OS X vs. Windows 7/8/10 is a battle of desktop bits. The Cloud is a battle to deliver bits as a service from data centers.
Microsoft had their cloud, and Google just finished theirs. Next week is AWS Reinvent. The media covers the battles.
Google's Newest Attack On Amazon
When I read so many of the media articles though I think they are focused on how big fleet is or the latest technology. Huh? Like this article makes the point of measuring the naval power by the tonnage of the fleet misses the point.
Measuring Naval Power: Bigger Ain’t Always Better
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Navies were largely symmetrical in those thrilling days of yesteryear. That simplified matters. Size was a decent proxy for fighting power when battle fleets made up largely of capital ships bearing big guns squared off. That was before the era — an era that persists to this day — when small craft could carry armament comparable to that of capital ships. A destroyer couldn’t tote big guns back then. A lowly missile boat or sub can fire munitions comparable to those of a capital ship today — and to the same deadly effect.
I have got a chance to close hand see how executives at Google (Urs Hoelzle), Amazon (Werner Vogel), and Microsoft (Scott Guthrie) perform at Gigaom Structure on stage and behind. It’s kind of like seeing the Generals/Admirals of the military.
This is not a simple battle where more servers and more MW of data center capacity win the war. How well your team operates using the technology which in the case of the bits (software) was created by other team members is so important.
I think I could write a whole book on the battles between between Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. In fact, I am sure there is someone who has already made a book proposal for this. Unfortunately or fortunately, I am too busy working on other things to document things in an entertaining way to sell a book. What I can do is watch as an observer to see strategies being played.
The Cloud Battle may be one of the most interesting technology wars fought with billions of dollars of data centers and IT equipment and 10,000s of development staff, reaching around the world.
Below is Google’s Points of Presence.
Oh, one point I do want to make that I forgot is. Just like Sun Tzu the Art of War Point 18. “All warfare is based on deception” The good know how to deceive the enemy and they can use the media to spread the deception. Don’t believe everything you read.
18. All warfare is based on deception.