Works with Intel, BT, Cambridge University, NEC and Others to Develop Standards and Protocols for Fluid Exchange of Compute, Storage and Bandwidth Resources across Locations, Platforms and Providers

LONDON – September 9, 2013 – OnApp has joined Intel, BT, Cambridge University, NEC and other field leaders on the EU-funded Trilogy 2 project. Trilogy 2 is a collaboration that aims to develop and promote new communication standards that will enable fluid access to compute, storage and bandwidth resources across geographically distributed clouds. By connecting pools of cloud infrastructure and promoting standards for interoperability in this way, the Trilogy 2 project will help evolve today’s disconnected cloud resources into a ‘liquid network’ that enables businesses to draw on the most appropriate resources for their needs, based on various metrics such as location, price and performance.

OnApp’s involvement draws heavily on its experience building one of the world’s largest networks of clouds, which connects service providers in more than 40 countries into a single global pool of capacity. As a key member of Trilogy 2, OnApp will help develop a framework to extend this further by improving the liquidity of IT resources, as well as improving interoperability between OnApp and other cloud platforms, such as OpenStack. OnApp's key contribution is to develop the project’s Information Model, which describes how different resources are defined and identified in this ‘liquid network.’

“The liquid network concept is really about flexibility and choice,” said Julian Chesterfield, who leads the virtualization and storage team at OnApp's Cambridge campus. “Cloud technology is maturing fast and we’re seeing more viable use cases emerge in every sector, from gaming to government – but the next leap in the way software, services and devices are designed and used will only take place if we create a standardized way to make them truly global – that is, enabling them to exploit connectivity, storage and compute power wherever it makes most sense to do so.

“When companies aren’t hindered by barriers between platforms or geographies, and instead can choose IT resources based on what matters to them and their users, that’s when we’ll see real innovation begin to emerge. This is a really important initiative, and we’re excited and privileged to be working on a crucial part of the future fabric of the Internet,” he added.

Trilogy 2 began in January 2013, and is a three-year project led by UC3M and funded by the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under Trilogy 2 project, grant agreement n°317756. It follows the successful first TRILOGY project, which developed new technologies to help manage Internet traffic congestion, including Multi-Path Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP), a new multipath routing algorithm for Internet routers, and CONEX, a system that enables Internet-connected devices to monitor and share information about network congestion. For more information, visit http://www.trilogy2.eu/.