New Java PaaS for Private Clouds, Backed by Father of Java

Java Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) startup CumuLogic has released a public beta of its flagship offering with the same name that offers application infrastructure software for enterprises, cloud provider and ISVs building and managing Java PaaS in public, private and hybrid cloud environments. The CumuLogic solution is essentially a platform for developing and deploying Java applications in any type of cloud environment.

The CumuLogic PaaS software is designed to provide support for multiple clouds, which makes it possible to support clouds from different vendors at the same time. It currently supports EC2, Cloud.com, Eucalyptus and VMware. The company also expects to add OpenStack to that list soon. The PaaS software allows users to mix-and-match middleware components, which makes it possible to deploy modern applications, including consolidations of legacy Java applications to a single platform. The resulting standardized and optimized application infrastructures, the company says, "provides enterprises with the means to control their IT/application infrastructure, while enabling developers the capability to focus on rapidly developing quality applications."

Cupertino, Calif.-based CumuLogic was founded just a few months ago by former Sun Microsystems employees Rajesh Ramchandani and Laura Ventura. Ramchandani was senior manager of cloud and SaaS ISVs at Sun. Ventura was group marketing manager in Sun's Startup Essentials group. Two other notable Sun veterans, James Gosling, the creator of Java, and Bill Vass, former Sun CIO, are on the company's technical advisory board.

"Today's clouds are complex and all different," Gosling said in a statement about the release. "There is almost no interoperability between cloud providers and between public and private clouds. I'm enthusiastic about CumuLogic's PaaS cloud management solution, as it utilizes the higher levels of abstraction inherent in the PaaS model to reduce the complexity of cloud management, provides targeted facilities for both developers and management, and erases the distinctions between the various clouds enabling transparent interoperability."

CumuLogic is one of the first vendors to offer a full Java PaaS for the federated cloud. Federation connects different clouds and resources according to business and application requirements. The platform automates numerous tasks so that devs can focus on building and deploying applications. It comes with a developer and administration API designed to enables devs to push applications to the cloud and to "expect all the platform service to be available to run those applications." And, at its heart, it is a cloud services catalog -- a repository of infrastructure components (database software, Web servers, app servers, etc.) that have been pre-integrated into the CumuLogic platform. Developers and IT administrators select the components they need from the catalog, eliminating the need to build service images.

"Instead of rewriting applications to fit new platforms and essentially giving up standardized application components, we sought to create a product that would give users the flexibility to keep using those components, from application platforms to databases," Ramchandani said.

The CumuLogic PaaS is available now as beta software pre-installed on Amazon EC2, but it can also be installed on-premise in private clouds. Interested developers can register for the beta on the company's User Registration page here.

Posted by John K. Waters on August 10, 2011