Big Blue has lost some friends in the clouds. This weekend, IBM was in the eye of a storm dealing with companies such as Google, Amazon.com, and Microsoft. The Internet search giant, the online retailer and the software behemoth all withdrew support for IBM’s effort to launch a cloud-computing initiative.

Members of the Cloud Computing Interoperability Forum (CCIF) also pulled their support.

The core issue behind the loss of support was IBM’s manifesto. Some companies weren’t happy about being invited late in the process, while others believe there are some political efforts under way.

Not an Open Process

The CCIF’s organizer, Reuven Cohen, said because the group represents members from various industries, it could not endorse just one document.

“I don’t think anyone had any issues with the document, that was hard to argue with and I’m an advocate for an open ecosystem for cloud computing,” Cohen said. “The issue is a lot of people in the community — small and big companies and individuals — believe cloud is an approachable technology.”

The CCIF could not endorse the manifesto because some of its members didn’t agree that it was an open and fair process. “They feared that it was overly political and may have agendas,” Cohen said.

“While Google isn’t party to the manifesto, we are a strong advocate of cloud computing, given the substantial benefits for consumers and businesses,” said Google’s Jon Murchinson. “We value industry dialog that results in more and better delivery of software and services via the Internet, and appreciate IBM’s leadership and commitment in this area. We continue to be open to interoperability with all vendors and any data.”

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