The Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE) trade body has come under fire for agreeing to a $22m deal with Microsoft to drop its long-standing anti-trust complaint. This deal includes an MoU that promises Microsoft will enhance its Azure Stack HCI offering for European cloud providers within nine months to provide the same functionality as Microsoft users. CISPE believes this collaboration will meet the demand for sovereign cloud solutions and address disruption following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware. In exchange for withdrawing its complaint, CISPE will establish an independent European Cloud Observatory to monitor Microsoft’s progress. The deal does not include Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform. Despite claims of benefits for European cloud providers, the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing (CFSL) criticizes the agreement for not meeting certain standards. CISPE has been urged to provide more transparency on the deal to ensure fairness for all cloud users and providers. CEO Mark Boost also expressed concerns that the deal seems to favor CISPE members and Microsoft, while neglecting fundamental changes needed in the cloud market to benefit all customers.
Controversy Surrounds Microsoft and CISPE’s Settlement in Ongoing Cloud Antitrust Dispute
