There have been various rumors recently indicating that Google plans to build an Infrastructure as a service cloud computing platform. According to a new report from GigaOM, however, the search giant could launch this service as soon as this week, at this year's Google I/O developers' conference (June 27-29) in San Francisco.
"Google is very likely to launch a cloud services platform at its annual developer conference, Google I/O next week in San Francisco," reported GigaOM. "It was one of the topics of discussion in the hallways of our Structure 2012 conference. We have since confirmed with multiple sources who are familiar with Google's plans which include a more comprehensive offering that its current app engine and storage offerings."
Back in early May, GigaOM's Derrick Harris broke the news that Google and Microsoft were planning to launch services to rival Amazon later this year. According to the site's source, Google is keen on offering a cloud computing service that will directly compete with Amazon's popular EC2 cloud. Meanwhile, other sources have told GigaOM that Microsoft is also working on its own Infrastructure as a Service platform, and the company's cloud will be unveiled, if not ready altogether, before Google's. "According to my sources, Google should roll out its service for renting virtual server instances by the end of the year, while Microsoft is slating its big announcement for a June 7 event in San Francisco," Derrick wrote back in May.
Both Google and Microsoft already have software suites in the cloud - Apps for Business and Office 365, respectively. A plunge into Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) would make sense for both companies, as it could drive a significant financial boost.
On the other hand, sources now tell GigaOM that Google's real target is in fact not Amazon, but Microsoft and its developer community. According to experts, corporate markets offer wider opportunities, although Amazon seems to have hit the jackpot with startups and new cloud companies. Meanwhile, Amazon is now reportedly trying to get into the enterprise market, one of Microsoft's biggest strengths. Google plans to rival both in the enterprise developer community.
In an effort to appeal to enterprise developers, Google has signed partnerships with third parties to make it easier to write, deploy and manage applications on its platform. Companies that have signed deals with Google as part of this effort reportedly include Opscode and Rightscale.
