This week sees the formal launch of the new and independent OpenStack Foundation to oversee the OpenStack platform for both public and private clouds. Formed with the support of over 180 companies and more than 5,600 individual members, the foundation's openly stated mission is to become "the ubiquitous" cloud computing platform of choice.
The goal of the OpenStack Foundation is to serve developers, users, and the entire IT ecosystem by providing a "set of shared resources" to grow the footprint of public and private OpenStack clouds. The foundation also says that it seeks to enable technology vendors targeting the platform and assist developers in producing the best cloud software in the industry.
"The launch of the OpenStack Foundation is not only an important milestone for our community, but a defining moment for the open cloud movement," said Jonathan Bryce, executive director of the OpenStack Foundation. "When you look at what this community has done to innovate and make cloud technologies accessible, as well as make open source synonymous with cloud computing, you understand why huge technology industry leaders and users across the world are placing their bets on OpenStack. The opportunity for OpenStack to become the open source standard for cloud computing is real."
Like the software, membership within the OpenStack Foundation is free and accessible to anyone. Members are expected to participate in the OpenStack community through technical contributions or community-building efforts.
NOTE: Rackspace has been leading and investing in community management activities, but a year ago the company announced plans to establish an independent Foundation, recognizing the community was thriving and ready for a permanent home. Rackspace has now transitioned management activities and contributed the OpenStack trademark to the new Foundation, creating even greater opportunity for diverse contributors and a vibrant ecosystem necessary for long-term success.
"Since its inception, we knew a foundation was the ultimate goal for OpenStack," said Lew Moorman, President of Rackspace. "Today, we are proud to finalize the process by donating the assets, handing over community management, and giving the OpenStack trademark to the OpenStack Foundation."
The fully elected OpenStack Technical Committee — an evolution of the Project Policy Board — will steward the technical direction of OpenStack software development and includes elected Project Technical Leads from each of the core software projects.
