In this post we continue our interview series with Steve Fenton, Head of Marketing of OnApp.  OnApp recently released Cloud.net, an exciting new cloud platform – read on for more details!  You also might enjoy reading our recent interview with OnApp’s CEO Ditlev Bredahl.  In this interview, Steve gives us a behind-the-scenes look at OnApp and their technology.  Without further ado…

Where in the world do you live?

Hi! I live in the UK, near Cambridge.

How does one get to be the Head of Marketing for OnApp?

That is a secret :)

Cloud.net has been launched!  For people who might look at it as “yet another cloud service,” what do you think is new and revolutionary about Cloud.net?

It has! But the first thing I’d say is, it isn’t a cloud service – it’s a cloud platform. It isn’t for end users looking to buy a VPS or a VM: it’s for cloud providers who use it to sell VPS or VMs.

What’s new and revolutionary? From one point of view Cloud.net does nothing new: it’s the same codebase you get with the OnApp cloud platform, it gives you the tools you need to design, sell and manage cloud services. Everyone reading this knows that there are already a ton of ways you can do the same kind of thing.

From another point of view… it is revolutionary in terms of how you use a cloud platform, how you engage with it, and who can use it commercially. It’s a SaaS cloud platform based on OnApp, but like all SaaS, it moves away from the nuts & bolts so you can focus on actually using the software. You get your own OnApp cloud environment, deployed automatically in about 30 minutes, from $50 per month.

Let me see if I understand Cloud.net: you’re providing a management and capabilities layer.  I can use Cloud.net to plug in my own servers/VMs, or if I don’t own what I need, I can either go rent some (e.g., from providers we all know in public datacenters), or buy resources on your marketplace.  Meanwhile my entire cloud is on one “pane of glass” so to speak – one interface, one API, etc. to rule them all.  Is that the main value you’re bringing or is there some other big component I’m missing?

Cloud.net is a new way to sell cloud without owning or leasing any hardware at all – there are plenty of regions where hardware is a pain to get hold of, or just prohibitively expensive. With Cloud.net you can use our compute marketplace, and get up and running almost instantly. At the same time, you can also use your own servers and remove most of the set-up and configuration headache: Cloud.net automates server onboarding, user creation and your billing plan structure, so it’s super-fast..

You asked about the main value: it’s that combination of speed, simplicity and removing CAPEX from the equation.  In demos we’ve done to some very well-known names in the industry, the feedback has been, wow… people who know how much hassle it is to do this with OpenStack or Virtuozzo or even with “classic” OnApp… they get the point immediately.

30 minutes to your own public cloud, 30 minutes from a customer’s order to their own personal private cloud, 30 minutes and you’ve bought no hardware at all… it’s all automated, and you can get started from 50 bucks a month. That is really powerful. I should also mention that we’re bringing these new automation features to our “full” OnApp cloud clients in our next release.

Cloud.net seems to have a very mature on-prem bring-your-own-hardware model, which is not that common.  Most cloud providers are more interested in selling their hosting VMs and services than enabling you to use your own.  Do you find customers are mixing on-prem/owned servers with your marketplace, or are they predominantly signing up to use one or the other?  What are use cases where people are using both their own metal and yours?

I’m not sure I quite understand that distinction – when we say bring your own hardware, we mean hosts can bring their own hardware – or use our marketplace instead. For the hosts here at LEB, adding your own hardware is probably the natural starting point, the approach you’re used to –  but we’re already seeing a lot of interest in the marketplace as a way to expand on demand when your end customers need it, or to avoid hardware costs in the first place.

Who is the typical Cloud.net customer?  Is it large or mid-sized enterprises who want to manage their own compute and other resources for their businesses, or hosting providers who want to use your products to make reselling systems easier, or…?

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