The OpenStack Foundation have released the results of its bi-annual study tracking the progress of OpenStack projects globally.
The results of the survey showed an even balance between large enterprises and emerging businesses using the open source cloud computing software, with 65% of projects harnessing it to build private clouds. Interestingly one of the biggest business drivers from using OpenStack was cost savings with over 66% of respondents highlighting it is a number one priority.
This survey represents a snapshot of 1,603 community members and 405 user deployments. OpenStack Foundation use the survey as a way to provide feedback to the broader community and to arm technical leaders and contributors with better data to make decisions regarding the roadmap and feature enhancements. They stress it is not a market survey and does not express all OpenStack deployments worldwide.
Respondents were also encouraged to provide feedback on what they liked and disliked about OpenStack with one user saying “I’ve been involved in the community for almost three years and the speed and agility of this technology is unparalleled.”
The OpenStack community is now 40,000 strong and the vast majority of live OpenStack projects are taking place in North America.
The foundation tied the publication of the study with the announcement that it will now offer it’s first Certified OpenStack Administrator exam, which will validate skills for cloud administrators and help employers identify qualified candidates. The performance-based exam will be delivered virtually–anywhere in the world–through the OpenStack Foundation and its training marketplace.
A Certified OpenStack Administrator typically has at least six months of OpenStack experience and has the skills required for day-to-day operations and management of an OpenStack cloud. Representatives from dozens of training companies around the world were involved in a community working group to help define the required skills and capabilities of a Certified OpenStack Administrator.
“Like any major technology shift, cloud computing has challenged companies to re-skill engineers and redefine culture and processes. The Certified OpenStack Administrator exam will help provide a target for cloud administrators who are in high demand as the number of organizations adopting OpenStack continues to grow,” said Jonathan Bryce, executive director, OpenStack Foundation.
“We’re excited about offering the first COA testing here at the Austin Summit as part of the new OpenStack Academy, through which we’re significantly increasing our investment in education and training, with more hands-on workshops for operators and application developers than ever before.”
