A new report from 451 Research predicts that the OpenStack cloud platform will generate $600 million in revenue this year and more than $1 billion in 2015. OpenStack is an open source cloud computing platform founded by Rackspace and NASA that is now supported by a wide variety of vendors, including IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP and AT&T. Vendors make money off the platform by providing related services, distributions of the platform or hardware that incorporates it.
While the report is generally optimistic about OpenStack’s prospects, it does sound some notes of caution. “The OpenStack platform has an impressive roster of industry supporters and a vibrant community of developers, but it has a long way to go before it unseats Amazon Web Services in terms of customers, or revenue,” says 451 Research’s Al Sadowski.
