The CloudEthernet Forum (CEF) and Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) launch the Open Cloud Project, an open test and iterative standards development program for service providers, vendors and OTT cloud service providers.

To do so the project features a Silicon Valley-based proof of concept test laboratory providing ongoing testing and support for CEF CloudE 1.0 open cloud specification development, as well as future compliance and benchmark testing

Initial work will also focus on application performance management, cloud security and traffic load balancing.

The CloudEthernet Forum (CEF) starts work on defining the CloudE 1.0 standard, a reference architecture for cloud definitions based on an itial set of five fundamental criteria.

The five fundamentals according to the CEF are virtualisation, automation, security, programmability and analytics.

“This is vitally important work if we are to avoid cloud fragmentation” CEF President James Walker says. “The shift to cloud computing is as fundamental and far-reaching as the shift from mainframe to personal computer that did so much to boost business in the 80s. But initially what hindered the transition was the rapid fragmentation of the PC market into rival operating systems. The same could happen to cloud services under rival cloud providers.”

Nvidia and VMware announce the availability of Nvidia GRID technology on the VMware Horizon desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) platform, allowing cloud providers to push 3D graphics on enterprise virtual desktops.

Revealed at at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC), the deal provides virtual desktops for customers demanding visual-heavy applications of the Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk Design and Creation Suites variety.

Also announced at GTC is a joint Nvidia-VMware effort bringing GRID vGPU (virtual GPU) GPU sharing technology on virtual machines. The technology provisions up to 8 users per GPU, and assigns the right amount of memory to meet user requirements.

According to the two companies this will "deliver customers and service providers the highest performance for complex, graphics-intensive applications at the lowest possible cost."

Cisco announces what it claims is the biggest global cloud network at its Partner Summit conference-- a Cisco Intercloud promising to bridge multiple public clouds with private enterprise cloud services.

According to the company the $1 billion investment sees the creation of "a distributed network and security architecture designed for high-value application workloads, real-time analytics, “near infinite” scalability and full compliance with local data sovereignty laws."

The Intercloud is OpenStack-enabled and allows organisations to combine and move workloads (including data and applications) across public or private clouds while maintaining associated network and security policies. It uses Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) to optimise application performance and features fine-grained control and isolation at scale, making it suitable for both private and public cloud environments.