back to article Walmart tells developers to stay away from AWS

Retail giant Walmart says it doesn't want its developer partners using Amazon Web Services to host their cloud apps. Following reports that it was asking technology partners who develop for or sell products at its stores not to patronize the Amazon-owned cloud service, Walmart issued a statement explaining its stance. "Our …

  1. elDog

    Can't wait until google gets into the supply chain...

    Oh, wait - they're already there. (Jeez - can't we just have one spelling for ther?)

    So google&co already service a very high percentage of searches for things like "where can I buy the cheapest wipes near me?".

    Do we think g&c are going to send these pairs of eyeball$ to Amazon or Azure (or whatever Leroy Ellison is promoting?) Maybe there's a reason to become a Fanboi!

    Let's think of some good mashups between the search engine and huge retailers.

    - GoogleJoes (used to be Traders)

    - GoogleAldi (already a mashup)

    - GoogleHomeDep

    - GoogleIRS (the US gummint is salivating at privatizing tax collection!)

    Now I realize these are somewhat US-centric. Isn't everything? Aren't we the biggest, stupidest, greatest? I'm sure other countries (I can't remember who they are) will have some other good candidates.

    So reaching for your google interface device (phone,tablet,laptop) that runs a google OS, and will mainly force you to use a google browser which will direct you to a google search engine which will report successful search results from WHERE?

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Can't wait until google gets into the supply chain...

      "Now I realize these are somewhat US-centric."

      There's quite few Aldi shops in the UK. There may even be one or two in their home country of Germany.

      And your mashups of GoogleJoes and GoogleAldi may be more closely related than you think

    2. Named coward

      Re: Can't wait until google gets into the supply chain...

      (Jeez - can't we just have one spelling for ther?)

      Theiyrè ?

    3. eldakka

      Re: Can't wait until google gets into the supply chain...

      (Jeez - can't we just have one spelling for ther?)

      Since they are different words that have different meanings, why would we want them all spelled the same?

      One way to help simplify it if you really must is to stop using the contraction "they're" and use the full 2 words it represents, "they are".

  2. PushF12
    Holmes

    Walmart understands the basics

    Most executives couldn't tell you why Walmart is doing the right thing here. Seriously.

    1. Nate Amsden

      Re: Walmart understands the basics

      Yeah. Quite shocking to me netflix is among them. Though 99% of netflix's bandwidth is served through their CDNs(many of which of course are on site at ISPs).

      (Haven't been netflix customer since their first price hike, they lacked content I was interested in and I've read it's only gotten worse as they shift to in house content (from what I've seen not a single one of which is interesting to me.)) But same goes for hbo, showtime etc etc not 1 show of interest. (I did really love 'Strike back ' on cinemax but tgat series is over now.

      I miss showtime's 'sci friday' from the 90s - combo stargate sg1 and the outer limits. Really miss stargate franchise too though did not enjoy the original movie.

    2. asdf

      Re: Walmart understands the basics

      >Walmart understands the basics

      Sadly people started wising up to their business model of not only using taxpayer money to feed its workforce (food stamps) but to pay for their loss prevention as well (local police).

      1. Wensleydale Cheese
        Unhappy

        Re: Walmart understands the basics

        "Sadly people started wising up to their business model of not only using taxpayer money to feed its workforce (food stamps) but to pay for their loss prevention as well (local police)."

        Unfortunately, that also applies to Local Authority outsourcing. What they save by outsourcing will come back and bite them in the form of housing benefit claims from the very people they once employed.

        Still, it's off that particular budget, so who cares, eh?

        1. asdf

          Re: Walmart understands the basics

          >Unfortunately, that also applies to Local Authority outsourcing.

          Oh don't get me wrong plenty of other business love to put their head in the public trough (big pharma using public universities to do their drug studies, Boeing delivering an invisible fence to Uncle Sam that didn't work and don't get me started on sports teams) but Walmart was just more obvious about it than most. They were doing decent during the great recession but since market forces nudged them away from that business model its been tougher the last few years.

  3. DaveN007

    There are alternatives

    Is it irrational to partner with a company that seeks to put you out of business? I think an increasing number of companies will come to the conclusion that supporting Amazon directly and indirectly is counterproductive. Full disclosure: I work for Oracle and have a decidedly biased point of view. Need cloud, but have misgivings about Amazon? Talk to us about what we offer today and what's right around the corner. You have alternatives and your choices are getting richer every day.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: There are alternatives

      A bit like the Amazon delivery lockers appearing in supermarkets around the UK? Order cheaper from Amazon and have it delivered, for you convenience, directly to the shop where you may have purchased the item from anyway.

      It'd be an interesting exercise to match items delivered to, eg Morrisons supermarkets which could have purchased directly from the shop and how many people actually collect their Amazon parcel from the lockers but don't shop there. Do Amazon pay rent for the space and does it increase or decrease Morrisons sales?

      1. tiggity Silver badge

        Re: There are alternatives

        I get occasional groceries from Morrisons (pass by one on commute, so ideal for any small "basic" items that have nearly run e.g. toothpaste, teabags etc.) - cannot envisage any overlap between those type of purchases & anything I may get from Amazon.

        The lockers are in store, only accessible when store open, so assume they hope for chance of someone making impulse purchase when doing Amazon collection.

        The thing that I find odd is many Morrisons branches have other lockers outside the store (so accessible 24/7), and bar whatever "rent" they get, little benefit as users of those do not need to enter the store to collect their orders.

    2. Donn Bly

      Re: There are alternatives

      My condolences on your employment situation.

      1. DaveN007

        Re: There are alternatives

        "My condolences on your employment situation."

        Oh my, please don't waste them on me. I have been blessed beyond any of my wildest dreams by just about any measure. I appreciate the kind intent behind your words, but seriously...my life exceeded my expectations a long time ago, and my current gig is a dream come true. Warm regards, and thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Happy

          Re: There are alternatives

          DaveN007 == Larry Ellison?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: There are alternatives

      "You have alternatives..."

      And let's face it every single one of them is better than what Oracle are offering.

    4. asdf

      Re: There are alternatives

      >Is it irrational to partner with a company that seeks to put you out of business?

      Well considering the largest fruity company on Earth (market cap anyway) had rival Samsung making an awful lot of its parts for the longest time (edit: still to this day look like) I would say sometimes its necessary.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: There are alternatives

        >Is it irrational to partner with a company that seeks to put you out of business?

        I don't know, but I would ask another question. Is it irrational to store commercially sensitive business data systems that your rivals control?

    5. Captain DaFt

      Re: There are alternatives

      "You have alternatives and your choices are getting richer every day."

      Is that another dig at Oracle's pricing? And you work for them? Brave!

    6. Lusty

      Re: There are alternatives

      Oracle have more of a wisp than a cloud, a little puff that they'd like their customers to fund the growth of. Gartner slammed them the other day, and Specsavers press statement can't have helped. It'll be a miracle if Oracle manage to grow in this space without strongarming existing customers onto the platform.

      1. DaveN007

        Re: There are alternatives

        "Oracle have more of a wisp than a cloud, a little puff that they'd like their customers to fund the growth of. Gartner slammed them the other day, and Specsavers press statement can't have helped. It'll be a miracle if Oracle manage to grow in this space without strongarming existing customers onto the platform."

        Specsavers is a great Oracle customer. We appreciate their ERP business and the fact that they are rolling out on OCH globally. I don't believe that the world of IT is moving in the direction of a single cloud provider, nor do I believe that AWS is the first company in the history of IT to be immune to disruption. Customers will make decisions about where they feel various workloads will be best served. Based on our financial results that were released today, many customers are making the choice to leverage our SaaS and PaaS offerings. Those have always dragged a measure of our IaaS, but the area to watch this year is our relatively new IaaS offering. Personally, I enjoy being underestimated, and welcome the challenge of out-innovating incumbents. Time will tell if our strategy is sound. So far it is looking very, very good.

        1. EyePeaSea
          FAIL

          Re: There are alternatives

          >> Time will tell if our strategy is sound. So far it is looking very, very good.

          Oh please, just stop now.

          Having 'insiders' comment on the Reg can sometimes provide valuable insight into what is going on - but you're using the comments as nothing more than free advertising. It would probably have been ok, if you stopped after your first comment.

          In my experience, Oracle DBS is generally regarded as a good ("incredibly", "very" or "not very" - delete as applicable) database platform. However, the number of people who rate the 'company' highly is a lot smaller. As I say - my experience.

          So you're on a hiding to nothing, trying to promote Oracle - your posts will irritate far, far, far more people than it enlightens or pleases.

          It's also not what the comments section of the Reg is for - again, my opinion.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: There are alternatives

          "Specsavers is a great Oracle customer"

          Not sure I'd say "great customer" after what they recently said about you - "too risky, too expensive and not up to scratch". Sure, they continue to use some best of breed products, but they really didn't talk nicely about Oracle and the cloud offering...

          https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/13/specsavers_says_no_to_oracle_cloud/

          Oracle might be able to catch up if they spend $100Bn in the next year on scaling out, but even then quite a large portion of the industry dislike them as a company so would still choose AWS and Azure. Even if Oracle were somehow able to fix the scale problem, the regional problem, the maturity problem, the case study problem, the breadth of services problem, the crazy licensing nazi problem, the pricing and the interface they still just aren't a loved company. AWS is seen as cool and MS is seen as a crazy aunt that just keeps turning up for tea. Oracle is that uncle you won't leave alone with your kids...

          1. Nuff Said

            Re: There are alternatives

            "crazy licensing nazi" - great name for a band.

      2. Kiwi

        Re: There are alternatives

        they'd like their customers to fund the growth of

        Just out of interest, how many companies do you imagine don't want their customers to fund growth? :)

    7. Doctor Huh?

      Re: There are alternatives

      "Need cloud, but have misgivings about Amazon? Talk to us about what we offer today and what's right around the corner. You have alternatives and your choices are getting richer every day." --

      Yes, you can decide whether you want your cloud vendor to squeeze your testicles with the left hand, the right hand, or with a vice. You have alternatives!

      Thank goodness for an aging prostate, otherwise the notion that Oracle and/or IBM are going to come in and save us all from the predatory pricing practices of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google would cause me to laugh hard enough to piss myself.

      How did that Brit geezer put it? Oh yeah, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

    8. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: There are alternatives

      "Is it irrational to partner with a company that seeks to put you out of business?"

      Agree that more and more companies will move away from AWS because of competitive issues... or Amazon potentially moving into their industry in coming years. Those people will move to Azure or Google though.

    9. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: There are alternatives

      If I was trying to compete with an online behemoth I would want to ensure that I am using a platform that is at least as good as the one they are using. Azure is close but not quite there yet. Refusing to use AWS would be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

  4. a_yank_lurker

    Wally World and Slurp

    Now we know why Wally World has not done squat on the web. They can not judge competence if it slapped them upside the head. Another reason to avoid Slurp, they are probably in bed with Wally World about data sharing. Or sleaze is in bed with slime.

  5. DonL

    Here is an idea

    Why not just put your most valuable data on your own servers and be in full control?

    Personally I don't understand the obsession of some companies to put everything in the cloud and have a huge problem everytime a vendor messes up, changes plans, declares a product end of life, increases profit by decreasing support, goes bankrupt etc.

    You then have all of your IT people shouting at the sideline hoping someone else fixes it.

    1. Justin Case
      Facepalm

      Re: Here is an idea

      Me too. It's not as if it's hard to connect a server to the internet and have it accessible from everywhere.

      1. EyePeaSea
        Holmes

        Re: Here is an idea

        > Me too. It's not as if it's hard to connect a server to the internet and have it accessible from everywhere.

        To be fair, I don't think most companies (with IT staff) use Cloud Services because their own staff can't connect a server safely to the Internet.

        A more common reason is that they see it as a way of controlling costs and, just as importantly, having more flexibility to up/down scale. It's a bit like outsourcing staff or populating your IT department with Contractors - it's easier to cut costs at short notice.

        Those approaches have the same failings; if you want to take services back in-house from the Cloud / Outsourcer or if you let go 50% of your IT department (the contractors), then you have a huge skills and knowledge gap.

        Decisions like this need to be supported by long term planning, not just having a focus on short term costs ahead of yearly financial reporting to the market.

        1. Lusty

          Re: Here is an idea

          I agree, cloud is very rarely adopted for technology reasons. Most comments on here are from technical people who rarely see or fully understand the business reasoning behind a move to public cloud.

          That said, there are many good technical reasons too. One of them being that it doesn't take a year to set up the cloud platform to allow repeatable automation and accounting of build, deployment and testing in a DevOps workflow. It's all in the platform so you can just start doing actual work and adding business value from day one.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Here is an idea

            >That said, there are many good technical reasons too.

            The reasons why we are going in that direction is purely financial. We have the staff onsite to manage the servers, but our capital budget has shrunk to a tiny faction of its previous self. So, if one of our servers does go pop, we don't have the budget to replace it and have to push that feature into a VM in da clood..

            No technical assessment was done before deciding this and those of us advocating caution were ignored or made redundant.

            1. Lusty

              Re: Here is an idea

              "No technical assessment was done before deciding this"

              Usually this is because the business doesn't want to wait a year for a "Don't do it" with no solid justification aside from "because I know best".

              Sadly, IT departments have an image of usually saying no, delivering late, and tutting loudly at change. If our industry was a little more professional we would be invited to the table more often.

              I feel sorry for you and your colleagues, but I see this happen all the time from both sides of the fence and usually forcing the issue is justified and works.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Here is an idea

                "Sadly, IT departments have an image of usually saying no, delivering late, and tutting loudly at change." -- Lusty

                They do have that image... Especially amongst non technical managers who'd rather hear a yes than the truth; who prefer to set arbitrary deadlines than go with expert estimates; and who expect change to be accommodated without budget and/or justification.

    2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: Here is an idea

      Why not just put your most valuable data on your own servers and be in full control?

      Or, at the very least, go for IaaS and manage everything from the OS upwards yourself. Bonus points for selecting a vendor that lets you encrypt your VMs so that the vendor staff don't get to snoop on them[1]..

      [1] Is there such a beast?

  6. Richard Wharram

    Headline

    Is slightly misleading. Had to read a few sentences to realise.

    Walmart has banned it's own teams, or partners developing software that it will own on completion, from deploying on AWS (or more pertinently S3) since forever.

    Presumably this is guidance for partners offering SaaS / PaaS that if you only deploy on AWS you'll probably not get past initial review on RFP.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    OY

    This is just Walmart smarting from the Amazon/Whole Foods purchase and getting a bit insecure about what appears to be Amazon coming after them, directly. I shop at Walmart for things I can buy there. I shop on Amazon for things no Walmart ever carries. Not choosing one over the other. Both have their place. Since there is no Whole Foods anywhere near where I live, but there is a Walmart, Walmart won't lose my patronage for food products or other things that I buy there. A Walmart sale won't convince me to not shop on Amazon for things that Walmart doesn't carry. Both have their place and both can relax. Neither is ever going to outdo the other.

  8. John Sanders
    Windows

    I love it

    All these corporate types who despise IT, when they realize IT will kill them.

    It is too good. What a time to be alive. :'-D

    I'm not going to make a lengthy post, the two or three people lurking here with some spare IQ power understand this well enough.

  9. IGnatius T Foobar
    FAIL

    Anyone but Amazon

    AWS is too much power concentrated in one space. We don't like monopolies. We don't like companies that become so big and central that they become an existential threat to everyone else. It took decades to get out from under Microsoft's thumb. Now Amazon? Please, run your software literally anywhere else. How about a smaller cloud provider who will actually answer the phone when you need help?

  10. Herby

    Business opportunity??

    Let's see... ACME Cloud services. Setup a server in my closet, and go from there. Even better if you conveniently "co-locate" on your clients premisses (as step two). What a way to go. Allow self administration as well. What a deal.

    Just remember: "Cloud" means "Somebody else's computer that you have no control over".

  11. Sporkinum

    limited use

    Right now Walmart is used by us for only prescription drugs and cat litter. Anything else is either Aldi or Amazon. They need to step up their game.

  12. Alistair
    Windows

    intermesting

    Over leftpond north, the delivery lockups (WackyMart) - > inside

    (PC Superstore (loblaws) ) -> outside, cameras present

    Metro (Formerly A&P) -> outside the store but in a bricked in shelter with zero sightlines and as far as I can see, no cameras.

    Lowes (?? what thats a hardware mall) -> outside, in shelter, with cameras, and *cough* the security guard hut. (they have a large chanlink fenced area with 'spensive stuffs in it)

    Not that I'm one for online shopping to start with and I'm sure as hell more likely to hit the farmers market for fresh stuff. I suppose one could do drygoods and canned stuff. However, *everything* I've looked at up here .... delivers to your house on a schedule for things like that.

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