Why the Real OpenStack Action Hasn't Even Arrived Yet

In 2012, many momentous announcements arrived surrounding OpenStack, the open source cloud computing framework. As we reported, Rackspace, HP, Red Hat and many others either delivered OpenStack-based solutions or announced plans for them. And, OpenStack got its own foundation, populated by a veritable pantheon of tech industry leaders with big pockets and development resources. But the truth is we've only seen the beginning of the OpenStack story, and some heavy-hitting backers of the platform are actually just waiting for it to mature.

As IT World notes, Dell is waiting to deliver its OpenStack-based public cloud at the end of this year, allowing time for the platform to mature.  Originally, the company was going to deliver its OpenStack solution last year.

It's also no accident that Red Hat didn't race to deliver its OpenStack solution last year. Instead, the company--which knows a thing or two about supporting open source platforms in enterprises--delivered a preview edition, sought input from community members and proceeded with caution.

This is, of course, to be advised.  Major, complex, computing platforms can take several version to become viable, and we've made the point before that enterprises will demand top-notch support for OpenStack implementations. That takes time to craft. 

For all these reasons, don't be surprised to see late 2013 bring some of the most serious OpenStack action seen yet.