HP Uses the Cloud, Sparks Mixed Reviews

Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert) (HP) has announced its intention to offer cloud accounts to the public on May 10, following the private beta that was released last September.

Some reports carry a dubious tone over HP’s timeline and its ability to compete with Amazon’s cloud service. HP said it will still provide a limited-time only discount for the cloud service and Open Stack software upon its debut. In the meantime, HP’s latest acquisition, Autonomy, boasts a 50-petabyte system – the equivalent to “1 billion four-drawer file cabinets with text documents.”

Although some reports question whether the debut of HP’s public cloud service is arriving a little late in the game, the company’s VP Biri Singh doesn’t seem worried. He has indicated to the press that his timing will hit the second wave of cloud computing, and by then the public will have tired of Amazon’s services and opt for more “secure cloud” service. 

Most of Singh’s statements about timing are based on the future. Since hybrid cloud computing is the direction he predicts enterprises will take in the future, Singh hopes the hardened version of the Open Stack software will create an architecture that will make future hybrid cloud transitions smoother. And for additional incentive, HP’s services will have a limited-time offer for a 50 percent discount.

Among HP’s Converged Cloud System is Autonomy’s (News - Alert) private cloud. Autonomy is considered to run the world’s largest private cloud. Reporters who covered HP’s acquisition of Autonomy and defended the company's move against a baffled majority can theoretically pat themselves on the back for insightful business analysis.