Update: Japan Still In The Cloud
We promised TalkinCloud would be back with an update on how the cloud computing market in Japan was dealing with the aftermath of the terrible earthquake, tsunami and potential nuclear crisis. Needless to say, the nuclear power plant issues are ongoing. But if there’s one meek ray of sunshine to all this human tragedy, it’s that Japan’s cloud infrastructure seems largely unaffected by the ongoing catastrophe. I reached out to a few cloud service providers doing business in the region for the details.
Here’s the update from each of them:
- Cloud.com, developers of the CloudStack private and public cloud platform, had a personal stake in the events in Japan according to a company representative – CEO Sheng Liang happened to leave the country on the day of the quake. Afterwards, Cloud.com checked in with all their partners and customers in the region and got the all-clear. Business, they say, hasn’t been affected at all.
- RightScale, which develops and sells their namesake cloud management solution by way of a recently-opened Tokyo branch office, is also reporting no problems.
- Amazon Web Services is reporting that while their service is up in the Asia Pacific/Tokyo region, scheduled blackouts for repairs on the part of Tokyo Electric may result in service interruptions. That said, AWS also says that they’re ramping up emergency back-up power efforts.
- Cloud management provider Abiquo, which also does business in Japan, respectfully declined TalkinCloud’s request for comment. But we’re going to assume that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, no news is good news.
From a consumer standpoint, The VAR Guy reports that Apple Stores in Japan were being used as safe havens in the aftermath of the earthquake. And the Talkin’ Cloud Stock Index only showed a minor decline following last week’s earthquake, though shares have continued to fall for most of this week. (We’ll update the index again after markets U.S. close today, March 18).
But while IT and cloud services weren’t affected as badly as they could have been, repair and rescue efforts in Japan remain ongoing. And TalkinCloud invites you to explore various relief and aid efforts.
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A quick update: TELEHOUSE America, a global hosted service provider with facilities in Japan, sent out the following letter with lots of valuable info and perspective:
Dear Friend of TELEHOUSE,
TELEHOUSE America and KDDI are deeply saddened by the recent events in Japan. Our thoughts are with our colleagues, friends, clients and partners during this difficult time.
As of March 17, 2011, all 21 of our data centers located in Japan remain operational, including TELEHOUSE Sendai, which is located in the most severely affected area in Japan.
As you may have heard, the earthquake and resulting tsunami, that occurred in the Pacific Ocean near Northeastern Japan, have caused damage to the power infrastructure resulting in a major effort to conserve electrical power throughout the country. Tohoku-Electric Power and Tokyo Electric Power are implementing scheduled planned power outages. We want to re-assure our community that all TELEHOUSE facilities affected by the 3-hour commercial energy conservation mandate will implement routine self-generating power procedures. All facilities have a minimum 24-hour fuel supply plus regularly scheduled refueling (natural gas and/or diesel) and are expected to continue normal operations.
We value your business and will continue to provide you with updates on the status of our facilities in Japan. In the meantime, for up to the minute details please visit our website, http://www.TELEHOUSE.com.
If you wish to support the relief efforts in Japan, please visit the Japanese Red Cross
Sincerely,
TELEHOUSE America
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Have TELEHOUSE facilities in Japan been affected from recent earthquake and tsunami events?
A: Up to today, they remain operational with no unplanned outages.
Q: How will TELEHOUSE facilities in Japan be affected by planned commercial power outages?
A: All TELEHOUSE facilities affected by the planned energy conserving 3-hour commercial power outages, will implement routine, self-generating power procedures. All facilities have a minimum 24-hour fuel supply plus regular refueling and accordingly are expected to continue normal operations.
Pete,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. We certainly understand Abiquo’s decision not to offer a comment initially.
-jp
Joe Panettieri
Editorial Director
Talkin’ Cloud and Nine Lives Media Inc.