Monday, March 30, 2009

Cloud Assure



HP Unveils “Cloud Assure” to Drive Business Adoption of Cloud Services
Also expands HP Software-as-a-Service partner program to help resellers better service customers

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 31, 2009 – HP today announced HP Cloud Assure, a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering designed to help businesses safely and effectively adopt cloud-based services.
HP also introduced updates to its HP SaaS reseller program that allow partners to provide added services and value to customers.
Cloud computing is a term used to describe services that can be delivered and used over the Internet through an “as-needed, pay-per-use” business model.
The promise of cloud computing is appealing because it can reduce business costs and provide greater flexibility and scalability of services throughout the enterprise. However, IT organizations unable to ensure the security, performance and availability of the cloud services they provide or consume may be putting their businesses at risk. This uncertainty can be an impediment to wider adoption of cloud services by enterprises.
“Whether providing or consuming cloud services, enterprises should be as ready to manage the risks as they are to reap the significant rewards of the cloud model,” said Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst, IDC. “HP’s new offering is aimed at addressing what IDC has identified as the top three concerns of cloud computing among enterprises – security, performance and availability.”

HP Cloud Assure consists of HP services and software, including HP Application Security Center, HP Performance Center and HP Business Availability Center, and is delivered to customers via HP SaaS. HP also provides customers with a team of expert engineers that performs security scans, executes performance tests and deploys availability monitoring.
HP Cloud Assure helps customers validate:
· Security – by scanning networks, operating systems, middleware layers and web applications. It also performs automated penetration testing to identify potential vulnerabilities. This provides customers with an accurate security-risk picture of cloud services to ensure that provider and consumer data are safe from unauthorized access.
· Performance – by making sure cloud services meet end-user bandwidth and connectivity requirements and provide insight into end-user experiences. This helps validate that service-level agreements are being met and can improve service quality, end-user satisfaction and loyalty with the cloud service.
· Availability – by monitoring cloud-based applications to isolate potential problems and identify root causes with end-user environments and business processes and to analyze performance issues. This allows for increased visibility, service uptime and performance.

“HP helps Akamai validate to our enterprise prospects and customers the performance and availability improvements we provide in the cloud,” said Willie M. Tejada, vice president, Application and Site Acceleration for Akamai Technologies, a Massachusetts-based service provider for accelerating content and applications online. “HP SaaS confirms the benefits of our dynamic Web acceleration services and will be important to us as we continue to introduce additional functionality that helps businesses effectively optimize the cloud.”
HP Cloud Assure provides control over the three types of cloud service environments:
· For Infrastructure as a Service, it helps ensure sufficient bandwidth ability and validates appropriate levels of network, operating system and middleware security to prevent intrusion and denial-of-service attacks.
· For Platform as a Service, it helps ensure customers who build applications using a cloud platform are able to test and verify that they have securely and effectively built applications that can scale and meet the business needs.
· For Software as a Service, it monitors end-user service levels on the cloud applications, loads tests from a business process perspective and tests for security penetration.

“There is no question that cloud computing is providing a new set of opportunities for businesses, but it presents new risks as well,” said Scott Kupor, vice president, Software as a Service, HP. “With over nine years of SaaS experience and a leading portfolio of solutions in security, performance and availability, HP is uniquely positioned to help assure our customers can leverage the promise of cloud while removing risk from the equation.”

HP Cloud Assure is available today. More information about the offering is available at http://www.hp.com/go/cloudassure.
HP Software-as-a-Service partner program updates
Building on a reseller option introduced to partners last year, the expanded HP SaaS partner program now includes a partner-led delivery option.
The new option allows partners to provide specialized services, based on their areas of expertise, on top of the HP SaaS portfolio. The option helps partners:
· deliver services more quickly by leveraging the already-deployed HP SaaS solutions;
· focus on delivering high-value, high-margin consulting services for customers; and
· strengthen partnerships with customers through ongoing service.



“Our customers’ reduced IT resources have necessitated them to do more with less, but especially now, there is more strain to accelerate business value,” said Jeff Jamieson, co-founder and vice president of sales at Whitlock Infrastructure Solutions. “HP SaaS Partner-Led Delivery allows partners to leverage areas of expertise to deliver value-added consulting services.”
The partner-led delivery option is available currently for HP SaaS for Business Availability Center, HP SaaS for Performance Center and HP SaaS for Quality Center. Expansion to include the rest of the SaaS Business Technology Optimization software portfolio is under development.
Register to attend a live webcast
HP Cloud Assure Offering & HP SaaS Partner-Led Delivery Option
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. PT
About HP
HP, the world’s largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.
Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2009 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.


© 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

News releaseEditorial contacts: Scott Pace, HP+1 650 534 7439 scott.pace@hp.com Erin MuhlhanBurson-Marsteller for HP+1 312 596 3529 erin.muhlhan@bm.com HP Media Hotline+1 866 266 7272 pr@hp.comwww.hp.com/go/newsroomHewlett-Packard Company3000 Hanover StreetPalo Alto, CA 94304www.hp.com


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