Microsoft:
http://rcpmag.com/articles/2010/09/01/microsofts-cloud-in-a-box.aspxHP:
http://cloudcomputing.sys-con.com/node/1520802&urlhash=Z-rX&goback=.gde_1962058_news_189445044I think there's lots of money to be made in this space and at the same time, there's probably more snake oil being sold than simplicity. The cloud-in-a-box will undoubtedly come with a hefty contract-in-a-box or at least some
support plan than winds up being essentially required to effectively use and maintain the hardware:
Just what is the Windows Azure Platform Appliance? It will initially consist of Windows Azure, SQL Azure and a Microsoft-specified configuration of servers, storage and networking gear. The emphasis is on
Microsoft-specified. While OEMs Dell Inc., Fujitsu Ltd. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are the first partners that will be offering the Appliance as part of their managed services offerings, Microsoft determines the specs of those Appliances. Not only that, Microsoft
remotely manages the Appliances (
), including providing platform software updates. Owners of the Appliances still can develop and deploy applications that run atop those Appliances.
A cloud-in-a-box could literally be a single server with a specific configuration just waiting for someone who knew how to build a cloud to make it a functioning cloud. Come to think of it, a
web server in-a-box is far simpler to mass-produce and I don't think we've seen much success in this department.
