outsource issue 31 - (Page 73)

FEATURE COMPETITION Comparing Clouds What happens when some of the finest cloud providers around compete to give the very best 150-word pitch? Fireworks, that’s what… I n March, Outsource’s good friends at comparethecloud.net ran a competition – ‘Tell Me Why I Should Use Your Cloud’ – aimed at flushing out the very best cloud provider pitches: suppliers were asked to post 150-word pitches on the comparethecloud blog and a number of industry observers – including Outsource editor Jamie Liddell – were invited to pick a winner each. At Outsource, we decided to put some marketing where our collective mouth was, by offering our chosen winner a full-page display ad in the magazine and the chance to showcase his or her pitch. After an incredibly high-quality portfolio of pitches, the editor nominated Mark McAndrew of Charity Engine as his chosen winner, for the effort below. ❛The charitable element of this offering is of course a wonderful concept and a very laudable one, and it would have been tempting anyway to make this a winner for purely sentimental reasons – but that’s not why I’ve chosen it ❜ WINNER Mark McAndrew of Charity Engine “For your head: As seen on BBC News, the Charity Engine grid offers 90,000 CPU cores and 30,000 GPUs for approximately 10x less cost than Amazon, Microsoft or Google – as low as one penny per core/hr. “For your heart: Not only is this the world’s cheapest on-demand computing, it’s also one of the most energyefficient and socially responsible. We only use recycled CPU time from machines that already exist and are switched on anyway, but are mostly idle. Furthermore, half our profits go to nine international charity partners including Oxfam, CARE and MSF.” Jamie Liddell commented: “Wow. This was tough. TOUGH. I’m really impressed, both with the standard of pitches and the depth (and humour) of the accompanying conversations. Firstly, congrats to the comparethecloud.net team for what’s been a thoroughly worthwhile and illuminating exercise: nice work as always, guys. I always knew picking a winner was going to be difficult but hadn’t anticipated just how difficult. There are a whole host of great pitches here and it’s a pleasure to see the passion and belief at play in this space. If you guys put as much into delivery as you do into pitching – and I’m sure you put much more than that, of course – then cloud customers are going to be more than satisfied with performance levels. So, secondly, congrats to you all; you’ve done yourselves proud. “However, a winner is required and by golly a winner we shall have. So biggest congratulations of all to Mark McAndrew at the Charity Engine.The charitable element of this offering is of course a wonderful concept and a very laudable one, and it would have been tempting anyway to make this a winner for purely sentimental reasons – but that’s not why I’ve chosen it. The killer blow was dealt by this little beauty: ‘the world’s cheapest on-demand computing’. It’s really, really hard to argue with that. So I won’t. Well done, Mark. We’re delighted to be able to help with a bit of marketing for such a compelling proposition.” You can see Charity Engine’s ad on the facing page – and don’t forget to check out the other winners, and all the other pitches, at the relevant comparethecloud.net blog entry at http://bit.ly/Y9LhFd Consendre mod eugait alit luptati sisisisit augait num iusti facidunt ipsumsan el eraestrud exerat ad onulla cor ing eumsandre ex elit “The charity that is a trifle to us can be precious to others.” – Homer atetue tet ulla feu feum niamconEm ea commodiam ad tem dolortio Utat lum quisim et, quissi.Volobore m iurero dolobore. www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk p73 CHARITY ENGINE APP.indd 73 ● ● ● 73 22/3/13 11:34:40 http://www.comparethecloud.net http://www.comparethecloud.net http://www.comparethecloud.net http://www.bit.ly/Y9LhFd http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of outsource issue 31

Upwardly Mobile
Keys to Driving Supply Chain Outsourcing Success
Biography of a Carve-Out
Culture and Values
Redefining the Law Firm Delivery Model
Sharing the Glory
Norn Ironman
Breaking the Outsourcing Conundrum
NOA Round-Up
Back from the Summit
Losing the Race Before You Put On Your Trainers
Innovate to Accelerate
Comparing Clouds
People Power
Making an Impact
Home or Away?
Dead and Buried?
So What Now?
The Legal View
Top Ten
NelsonHall Round-Up
Sourcing Sage
Online Round-Up
The Deal Doctor
Inside Source
The Last Word

outsource issue 31