Google and Amazon have criticized Microsoft’s cloud computing changes commenting they limit competition and discourage customers from switching to rival cloud service providers.
The US giant on Monday announced amended licensing deals and other changes that will take effect on Oct. 1. Microsoft said that they would make it easier for cloud service providers to compete. Amazon, Google, Alibaba, and Microsoft’s cloud services are excluded from the deals.
Microsoft’s move comes after smaller European Union (EU) competitors took their complaints about its cloud service practices to EU antitrust regulators, which, as a result, questioned market players on the issue and the impact they have experienced. Amazon, trailed by Microsoft and Google, was scathing in its critiques.
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A spokesperson for Microsoft cloud service unit AWS said that Microsoft is now doubling-down on the same disruptive practices by implementing even more restrictions in an unfair attempt to limit the competition it faces rather than listening to its customers and restoring fair software licensing in the cloud for everyone.
Marcus Jadotte, Google’s vice president for government affairs and policy, was equally critical. He said in a tweet that the promise of the cloud is flexible, elastic computing without contractual lock-ins.
He added that customers should be able to move freely across platforms and choose the best technology for them rather than what works best for Microsoft.
