Do you see the pattern for what is next in AWS? I think I do

Someone asked me what Amazon Web Service is going to do next. For the past month, I've been thinking about this problem and what can you see from looking at the releases.  

I'll write a post over the next couple of weeks on what I think AWS is doing next.  Once you see it, it is hard not to think it has to be true.

Also, Netcraft has a report on AWS growth.  With a pretty good estimate of the server count.

Geographic distribution of computers per EC2 region in May 2013

Data Centre (EC2 - Web Facing Computers)	February 2013	March 2013	April 2013	May 2013	Growth (4 month)
Asia Pacific (Singapore)	6,576	6,805	6,998	7,290	10.9%
Asia Pacific (Sydney)	499	739	1,129	1,427	186%
Asia Pacific (Tokyo)	7,342	7,595	8,065	8,601	17.1%
EU West (Ireland)	23,778	24,635	25,326	25,942	9.1%
South America (Sao Paulo)	2,115	2,263	2,396	2,655	25.6%
US East (Northern Virginia)	87,094	88,543	92,426	93,537	7.4%
US West (Northern California)	9,325	9,478	9,715	9,695	4%
US West (Oregon)	5,217	5,573	5,965	7,051	35.2%
GovCloud (Oregon)	14	17	21	27	92.9%

Could Google's investment in South African Solar Project be an early indicator of future data centers?

Google has an office in Johannesburg.  And just announced a solar project investment in South Africa.

Investing in a South African solar project

Posted: Thursday, May 30, 2013

  

As we search for investments that can help speed up the adoption of renewable energy, we’ve been looking beyond the U.S. and Europe to parts of the world where our investments can have an even greater impact. We’ve just closed our first investment in Africa: $12 million USD (103 million Rand) investment in the Jasper Power Project, a 96 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Most of the renewable energy projects have had an association with a data center location. Which brings up the question will there be a data center in South Africa for Google?  Well maybe not one of their big ones that get reported when they are larger than 5MW (there are 14 of them), but maybe there is a smaller one.  In fact, there has to be a small one.  

Google does have peering sites in South Africa so there is some kind of presence there.

Teraco House Johannesburg JB1

15169

Johannesburg

ZA

NAP Africa	15169	2001:43F8:6D0::a	10000
NAP Africa	15169	196.46.25.166	10000

AWS's Sustainable Energy options - Oregon an GovCloud

Missed this one on AWS.  Don't know when it went up.  AWS makes a sustainable energy option statement.

AWS and Sustainable Energy

...

Both the Oregon and GovCloud Regions use 100% carbon-free power. AWS customers who want to operate in a Region that uses 100% carbon-free power can select one of these two Regions. We will continue to work hard on our own, and alongside our power providers all over the world, to offer our services in an environmentally friendly way in all of our Regions.

And, amazon adds that the cloud is greener than having your own data center.

Cloud computing is inherently more environmentally-friendly than traditional computing. Instead of each company having its own datacenter that serves just itself, AWS makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of organizations to consolidate their datacenter use into much smaller combined data center footprints in the AWS Cloud, resulting in much higher utilization rates and eliminating the waste that occurs when data centers don't operate near their capacity. Our cloud approach enables a combined smaller carbon footprint that significantly reduces overall consumption.

Are you ready for the future? Mary Meeker updates her Internet Trends 2013

Mary Meeker's Internet Trends presentation has become one of the most relevant presentations in the Internet industry.

Below is the presentation.  You can walk through it.  I did, and I feel good that the stuff I am focusing on aligns with her data.  It's great when you can stay ahead of what the analysts present. :-)

KPCB Internet Trends 2013 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Here is the video if you want to watch 

AWS is not the cloud, it is the IT Superstore, selection, convenience, easy to buy and pricing transparency

Cloud is such an over used term it is hard for many to understand what exactly is the cloud.  Amazon Web Services is many times equated to the cloud.  But, that doesn't really help to explain what AWS is.

I was looking a presentation on amazon.com and here is a slide of Jeff Bezos's vision.

When Amazon.com started it sold books.  Who in their right mind would build a business selling books?  What Jeff did build was a bigger selection at a better price point and more convenient than his competition.

What is AWS? a bigger selection of IT services at a better price point (consume as you use vs. a license) and convenient to add into Amazon's infrastructure.  With Amazon Prime, two day shipping is free.  With AWS you pay for shipping , the transportation of bits into and out of AWS.  

I think it is much easier to say AWS is the IT superstore.

AWS is building on amazon.com's business model.

And amazon.com's passion to innovate the customer experience is what is being used in AWS.  How many IT vendors have a passion for customer service?

Consider what AWS is thinking up to fulfill this vision.