Amazon CTO Claims Cloud Must Be Focused On User Needs

User empowerment will accelerate cloud adoption in Europe, says Werner Vogels.

The Amazon CTO said how cloud users will benefit from a framework centred on their needs and rights, not those of the vendors.

In the past, customers have been constrained by long-term service contracts and pricey software licensing, Vogels argued in a Guardian guest blog, but a customer focus from the cloud provider frees up firms and democratises technology, so that anyone has access to crucial technology services on demand.

Vogels criticised calls to develop a cloud framework that would protect providers and disguise traditional IT as cloud. A member of the European Cloud Commission, he said how this goes against the body's ethos, and that cloud should serve the European public, not the companies that provide it.

Lowering the barrier of entry and cost of failure will lead to more experimentation. "More experimentation ultimately drives more innovation," he said.

Data protection, ownership, and control, should be in the hands of cloud users, he added. "It is essential that customers own and control their data at all times."

Amazon Web Services puts data in the hands of its customers and European customers can choose to keep their data in Europe. The company recently unveiled a professional grade examination to recognise the most proficient users around.  

A study by The Centre for Economic and Business Research calculated the cumulative economic effects of cloud between 2010 and 2015 in the five largest European economies alone to be around €763 billion (£623bn).

Cloud usage is found within varying organisations. From start-ups like Hailo, JustEat and WeTransfer, to multinationals like SAP and Unilever, to governments and education institutes, cloud technologies enable faster innovation processes and better customer service.