OK, I was a skeptic of Ken Brill’s craziness accusing Microsoft and Google of being the data center enemy, but Mike Manos has a post referencing one of his staff was at the event where Ken spoke.

In disappointment, there is opportunity. . .

November 3, 2008 by mmanos

I was personally greatly disappointed with the news coming out of last week that the Uptime Institute had branded Microsoft and Google as the enemy to traditional data center operators. To be truthful, I did not give the reports much credit especially given our long and successful relationship with that organization. However, when our representatives to the event returned and corroborated the story, I have to admit that I felt more than a bit let down.

I am in the process of writing an interview of Sun’s Dean Nelson, and Dean specifically credits Microsoft and Google’s data center openness as being one of the best things for the industry. I bet most of you agree with Dean.

Does anyone agree with Ken Brill?

Mike took the high road and offered an Olive Branch of Peace.

Lets not Overreact, There is yet hope

While many people (external and internal) approached me about pulling out of the Uptime organization entirely or even suggesting that we create a true non-for-profit end user forum, motivated by technology and operations issues alone, I think its more important to stay the course. As an industry we have so much yet to accomplish. We are at the beginning of some pretty radical changes in both technology, operations, and software that will define our industry in the coming decades. Now is not the time to splinter but instead redouble our efforts to work together in the best interests of all involved.

Others are curious what is motivating Ken. Is he on drugs? Has he gone crazy? Accusing Microsoft and Google as being the enemy?

1: one that is antagonistic to another ; especially : one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent

2: something harmful or deadly <alcohol was his greatest enemy>

3 a: a military adversary b: a hostile unit or force

If Microsoft and Google are the enemy, if you believe in what Microsoft and Google’s methods of focusing on PUE are you too an enemy of Uptime Institute?

Is The Green Grid an enemy?

Is the EPA an enemy given their efforts to work with Microsoft and Google?

Uptime’s next Symposium is about Lean, Clean and Green.

SYMPOSIUM 2009: LEAN, CLEAN & GREEN

Grapple with the challenges of enterprise IT in the era of power grid shortages, escalating consumption, cost increases, and carbon footprint growth at the 4th Annual Institute Research Symposium: LEAN, CLEAN, and GREEN (April 13-16, 2009, Hilton New York Hotel).

Share knowledge on innovation in alternative energy, efficiency transformation, non-toxic recyclable electronics, and truly green data center operations.

Help the industry develop approaches to high-density data center computing that are more economically, operationally, and environmentally sustainable.

To be Lean, Clean & Green you think Microsoft and Google are your enemies. So, Microsoft and Google believe in fat, dirty, and brown?

All this illogical.

Sounds like Uptimes is practicing propaganda.

Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of thecognitive narrative of the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.

Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.

—Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion

It is sad, but I don’t think Ken will accept the Olive Branch and set a path of peace with Microsoft and Google.

NOTE: I used the war/energy analogy to show how silly this is to call Microsoft and Google an enemy.