Former Microsoftie Sam Ramji Lands at Cloud Startup

by Sam Dean - Sep. 30, 2009Comments (1)

Earlier this month, we spoke with Sam Ramji, who had been Microsoft's open source chief and is interim president of the newly launched open source-focused CodePlex Foundation.┬а Ramji announced his departure from Microsoft in early September, and told us that he was headed for a "similar position at a cloud infrastructure startup in Silicon Valley." As Information Week notes, Ramji, one of open source's most widely followed pundits, has landed at Sonoa Systems, a startup concentrating on "visibility, management, and governance required to make Cloud services and APIs as robust, compliant, and scalable as internal on-premise applications."

In announcing the move, Sonoa Systems' CEO Chet Kapoor said:

"We are thrilled to have attracted a heavy hitter like Sam Ramji, and this underscores our commitment to driving innovation in the evolving space of API management and cloud computing. We currently help API developers and enterprises -- from leaders in media to finance -- open and enforce cloud security policies."

Ramji also said:

"Sonoa is a leader in enabling companies to open their businesses to the cloud, and provides the essential tools to manage cloud APIs and services. The way companies do business is changing -- expanding and becoming more efficient through cloud services -- and Sonoa is positioned to shape the landscape of the cloud API economy. Additionally, I believe that open source and open standards will play a key role in enabling everyone to participate."

We've made that last point several times on OStatic--that open source solutions stand to play a key role in keeping cloud services from being dominated by a single vendor, and locking customers in. Sonoa has over 50 enterprise customers so far, including MTV Networks, MySpace and Guardian Life Insurance. Right out of the gate, Sam is likely to have a solid impact on open practices at these types of institutions, and we wish him well.