Oracle Cloud Blocks MSP Monitoring Tools? In Some Cases: Yes

Oracle's (NASDAQ: ORCL) public cloud has a

Joe Panettieri, Former Editorial Director

December 18, 2012

2 Min Read
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Oracle‘s (NASDAQ: ORCL) public cloud has a policy that, in many cases, apparently won’t allow customers to use third-party cloud monitoring tools. That’s a key development as MSPs seek to extend their monitoring services from on-premises networks to public clouds. If more cloud service providers (CSPs) follow Oracle’s lead, perhaps it could become more difficult for MSPs to gain a deep, unbiased look at how specific clouds are functioning. Is it time to get worried?

First, a few caveats. Oracle hasn’t publicly commented on the policy. Perhaps there’s more flexibility here than what first meets the eye. Also, Oracle isn’t blocking all third-party monitoring tools. For instance, the policy allows customers (and I assume, their MSPs) to monitor Oracle Database Cloud Service and Oracle Java Cloud Service. But for the most part, Oracle appears to be telling customers they can’t use their own monitoring or testing tools because the tools may adversely impact cloud performance.

How’s that for ironic: MSPs increasingly adopt cloud monitoring tools to improve customers’ application performance, but Oracle is worried about those tools undermining cloud performance.

In some ways I’m worried about that policy. In recent weeks, we’ve blogged about Boundary — a cloud-based tool that spotted cloud performance issues at Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Windows Azure before the issues became widely known. I believe in the cloud industry, we need checks and balances to help ensure customers are getting maximum value. Third-party monitoring tools can provide those insights.

But perhaps Oracle has a point here: To keep a public cloud running in an optimized manner, should Oracle have the right to block third-party monitoring tools? And if so, what steps can MSPs take to gain deeper visibility into Oracle’s cloud?

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About the Author

Joe Panettieri

Former Editorial Director, Nine Lives Media, a division of Penton Media

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