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Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

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31–40 of 410 posts

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#31

> “It shouldn’t be a big surprise that there are cases in which we’d prefer our most sensitive data isn’t sitting on a competitor’s platform,” Ok sounds reasonable from an information security standpoint > Snowflake Computing Inc., a data-warehousing service, was approached by a Wal-Mart client about handling its business from the retailer, Chief Executive Bob Muglia said. The catch: Snowflake had to run those servic…

Microsoft is not a competitor, Amazon is - I fail to see the implied hypocrisy?

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#33
Wal-mart has expected vendors to bow to its methods and policies for years, no matter how unreasonable or inconvenient. The carrot dangled in front of vendors: The possibility of massive nationwide sales.

Now they are dealing with a much more nimble and capable competitor. Yes, Amazon has its own unreasonable policies that squeeze vendors, but at least they have reasonable tech in place and they move fast when it comes to support and service. Case in point: Applying to be a third-party seller on Amazon takes days, Wal-mart Marketplace takes 6 weeks.

I am not sure if this latest Walmart policy reflects incompetence, misguided policy, dirty tricks, or a combination of the three, but it serves to push vendors away from Walmart and into Amazon's tight embrace.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#34
post #2

I wonder if this is restraint of trade and illegal. It's as if they are telling retailers they can't sell to Walmart and Target.

There's nothing that says a company couldn't run their service on both AWS or another provider as long as they can guarantee that Wal-Mart's confidential data is not stored on AWS. Honestly, it's not an unreasonable request from a corporate security standpoint.

aws does not have access to that data, so it does not make sense. walmart are trusting third party with that data, but are somehow afraid that amazon would break in its own system to look at your data, something that would kill aws. i dont think that data is of that value, if it where it would be inhouse.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#35

This is stupid! Walmart is loosing it. Generally happens when you are getting ready to lose, you start becoming erratic. Everybody forgets how WalMart single handedly destroyed the mom and pop shops of America putting them out of jobs.

You're letting personal feelings about Walmart get in the way of rational thought.

Remember: If not them, Amazon certainly would have done the same.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#36

> “Tactics like this are bad for business and customers,” Because Amazon's tactics aren't bad for business or consumers?

Great source of reviews, incredible convenience, massive selection of goods, huge value for membership (Amazon Instant Video included), free 2-day delivery, reasonable pricing, consumer-friendly customer service, yes, it's a nightmare? This is one of those things where you are going to have to explain to consumers why they should be outraged in order for them to realize how awful it is. By most measures, Amazon is on…

>Great source of reviews

This has not been the case for a long time, most Amazon products are filled to the brim with fake reviews and they do not appear to care at all.

They've also been having massive problems with fake chinese goods being sold as the real thing, which is compounded by said fake reviews on those products.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#37
post #21

Is this because they actively want to discourage any revenue going Amazon's way from Wal-Mart related business activities, or because they don't trust Amazon not to look at the data hosted on their platform? If the latter, then I think that's just extreme paranoia. If there was ANY evidence of Amazon doing that it would destroy everyones trust in AWS and I suspect people wouldn't be able to move away fast enough (Whi…

It's the first option. They are pretty intent on making sure their spending doesn't make its way back to their biggest competitor.

Don't discount the latter option, corporate espionage is a very real thing that goes on far more often than people realize.

Of course im about to be shouted down by a bunch of posts with [citation needed], well guess what, the goal of business like this is to ensure that nobody can ever make such a citation.

There is a reason Google, Intel and Apple are extremely paranoid about their internal data, and Walmart too. Its no coincidence this goes hand in hand with being very successful and leaders in their field.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#38

This is stupid! Walmart is loosing it. Generally happens when you are getting ready to lose, you start becoming erratic. Everybody forgets how WalMart single handedly destroyed the mom and pop shops of America putting them out of jobs.

But they keep prices low. People can go shop at their mom and pop store, but a large majority of people want low prices.

They sell 1/2 a trillion worth of stuff. They have a bigger economic impact on America than google, Facebook,Apple etc.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#39
Years ago I read The Wal-Mart Effect. Basically it was a whole slew of industries that Walmart had dramatically affected. Things like forcing vendors to manufacture in China and building a crazy infrastructure to get 'fresh' Salmon imported from Chile.

I got the impression they would turn the screws on industries to get cost savings via scale. This move seems odd.

Re: Wal-Mart is telling some vendors they can’t run applications on AWS

#40

Is this because they actively want to discourage any revenue going Amazon's way from Wal-Mart related business activities, or because they don't trust Amazon not to look at the data hosted on their platform? If the latter, then I think that's just extreme paranoia. If there was ANY evidence of Amazon doing that it would destroy everyones trust in AWS and I suspect people wouldn't be able to move away fast enough (Whi…

> If the latter, then I think that's just extreme paranoia.

Why? Everyone knows that metadata count these days. Which AWS/Amazon has plenty of.

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