What should you do when the cloud development service you’ve been using shuts down? PHPFog users are struggling to answer that question as the platform as a service (PaaS) officially ceased operation on January 25. PHPFog advised users to upgrade to its new AppFog platform and provided tools and guidance. But the migration process is tricky at best. One former PHPFog user noted, “Infrastructure moves are incredibly difficult and risky, and the upside is usually fairly slim.”
So what can developers do to protect themselves? Gartner distinguished analyst Yefim Natiz recommends, “You should put something in your provisions that if the company is acquired or goes away, you can get some money back — even if a company goes bankrupt there are assets left over. The best thing is to get your code in escrow so if the PaaS goes away you can run it on premises if you need to.”
