Startups

Real cloud services for developers

Len Weincier wants proper local cloud services. So he’s building some.

01 June 2012

If you ask a local provider for cloud services, nine times out of ten you’ll get offered something that it says is cloud but is really just hosting: one of many machines rented on a month-to-month basis in a datacentre somewhere. Len Weincier wants to challenge that and he’s putting his money where his mouth is by launching a startup that will provide true cloud services, firstly to developers, but later to anyone who wants them. Weincier left his job at specialist developer GuruHut on March 1 and with two other people, a systems administrator and an additional developer, started Cloud Africa. They hope to be up and running by mid-year.

“What we’re trying to build is infrastructure as a service,” Weincier says. “Everything is virtualised and the main constraint we have is RAM. There will be no over-committing of RAM in virtual environments. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. So if you order 8GB, you will get 8GB.” The other constraint is the cost of power. He’s just moved datacentres because of the ‘crazy’ cost of electricity, especially with server density the way it is.

ITWeb Premium

Get 3 months of unlimited access
No credit card. No obligation.

Already a subscriber Log in