Microsoft accuses Google of creating a lobbying front called 'Open Cloud Coalition'

Microsoft has alleged that a new group of cloud providers and users is a front for Google – a notion the ads and search giant rejects.

Microsoft made the accusation in a Monday post penned by deputy general counsel Rima Alaily, who wrote "This week an astroturf group organized by Google is launching. It is designed to discredit Microsoft with competition authorities, and policymakers and mislead the public."

Alaily further claimed "Google has gone through great lengths to obfuscate its involvement, funding, and control, most notably by recruiting a handful of European cloud providers, to serve as the public face of the new organization."

The Register asked Google about Microsoft's accusation and a spokesperson told us a site for the Open Cloud Coalition had gone live – so we assume that's the group Microsoft is griping about.

The Coalition (OCC) has just ten members at the time of writing: Google Cloud, UK-based cloud operators Centerprise, Civo, Clairo AI, ControlPlane, DTP Group, Prolinx, Pulsant and Room 101, plus Spanish outfit Gigas.

OCC's site outlines a mission with the following three elements:

• Advocate for open standards and eliminate restrictive licensing and other barriers that stifle competition and innovation;
• Collaborate with policymakers to shape fair regulations and build a solid evidence base for a competitive cloud market;
• Ensure governments support diverse cloud providers, policies that improve security and reliability, and stimulate innovation.

Current members each have a seat on an Executive Council, which the org says operates "under the guidance" of senior advisor Nicky Stewart – former head of ICT strategy at the UK Cabinet Office and now a member of the Open Cloud for Research Environments Expert Advisory Board.

Microsoft has labelled the OCC an "astroturfing" operation – PR-speak for a fake grass roots organization – and attacked Stewart for having made submissions to a UK government inquiry in which she was critical of some Microsoft sales tactics.

Alaily also alleged "One of the companies approached [to join OCC], who ultimately declined, told us that the organization will be directed and largely funded by Google for the purpose of attacking Microsoft's cloud computing business in the European Union and the United Kingdom."

The Microsoft lawyer also alleged the group, and other Google activities, are designed to be a distraction.

"I suspect much has to do with the fact that Google is facing a reckoning," she argued, pointing out the ads and search giant's many anti-trust challenges. "It is disappointing that, with the foundation of their business facing jeopardy, they have sought to bolster their cloud computing service – Google Cloud Platform – by attacking ours."

Redmind's lawyer also made much of the settlement the software giant reached with another cloudy industry group, Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE). That deal was struck after CISPE members complained that Microsoft offers its own software at big discounts when customers also commit to its Azure cloud. CISPE members saw that as anti-competitive, and won some concessions.

• Microsoft's CISPE settlement includes a suspension of audits for members
• Microsoft could be about to write a fat check to stave off cloud antitrust complaint
• Euro-cloud consortium CISPE calls for investigation of Broadcom
• What exactly did Microsoft promise CISPE in its settlement?

But the deal CISPE won excluded AWS, Google Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud. Alaily argued those three clouds "are very differently situated in the marketplace" compared to CISPE members.

Google in September filed a complaint with the European Commission in which it alleged that Microsoft's licensing practices add millions to customers' bills if they want to run RedmondWare in clouds other than Azure. The search stupendo today pointed The Register to its rationale for that complaint.

Astroturfing is, sadly, not new, uncommon … or ineffective. Nor are strident blog posts accusing rivals of cynical behavior.

The Register suspects more of the latter will appear soon as OCC and Microsoft duke it out. ®