Amazon Web Services adds workflow support for cloud applications
22.05.12
In fact, other
cloud vendors , including BMC Software Inc. and Hewlett Packard (HP), already support workflow
design and execution, according to one analyst.
"The ability to create workflows on the fly is key not only to design [ cloud
applications ] but also to handle problem management later on," said Robert Mahowald, research
vice president at IDC Corp., an IT market research firm.
An Amazon official declined to comment on competitors' offerings, but said the company is
continuously working to provide customers with "choice and flexibility." One benefit of Amazon SWF
is that developers can use familiar programming languages to coordinate their workflow
applications, said Reto Kramer, general manager of application connection services at AWS.
SWF differs from existing technologies, according to one long-time AWS user.
"SWF separates cleanly between the data being processed and the metadata about the status of the
processing, so it can be used to orchestrate workflows even of highly secure data and services,”
said Shlomo Swidler, CEO of Orchestratus Inc ., a cloud
computing consultancy with extensive experience with AWS. “And it is hosted by AWS and therefore
offers better reliability than most organizations can deliver themselves."
Source: SearchCloudComputing.com