I recently posited a question on Twitter to feel out the attitudes toward technology related to cloud bridges. As you might recall, IPSec VPN connectivity was cited by attendees (real people) as a major requirement for cloud bridges at Gartner DC. For some time now, SSL VPNs have been an effective alternative to IPSec VPN so I wondered why it was that IPSec remains the top choice.
Two answers (one from Steve Shah, the other from Hoff) in particular elicited an abstracted thought regarding standards in general.
As Hoff and Steve point out, there’s value in standards, particularly with respect to interoperability and the ability to leverage existing skills and infrastructure.