I find it difficult to get a handle on cloud services from reading vendor marketing materials. I want to learn how organizations set up cloud services, what they really think, and just how much they are willing to rely on them. Amazon Web Services’s recent 3-day disruption in service led to some soul searching by those affected. One was Doug Kaye of the Conversations Network. I admire Doug’s passion for and success at making conference talks available to a broad audience. I find him refreshingly candid. Doug gives a thorough assessment of what happened and what they learned from the experience. He also links to another straightforward analysis by SmugMug’s Don MacAskill. I think anyone considering web services will benefit from reading both of these posts.