HP has plans to offer its own cloud server service that will be directed mainly for the business market. The New York Times reports that the service should be ready for launch sometime in the next two months.
HP has been working on this cloud server project for the past year and will have major server farms, running almost entirely on HP-made technology, on both coasts of the US. It will also have smaller server centers in other parts of the world.
HP will be competing with the likes of Microsoft"s own Windows Azure division along with Amazon Web Services for businesses that want a cloud computing service. However, it sounds like HP sees Amazon as its main rival in this business. Zorawar “Biri” Singh, the senior vice president and general manager of HP’s cloud services, says:
Amazon has the lead there. We have to build a platform layer, with a lot of third-party services. We won’t pull (Amazon’s) customers out by the horns, but we already have customers in beta who see us as a great alternative.
HP plans to offer more personalized service for its cloud business, as opposed to Amazon which is mostly a self-service business. There"s no word yet on how much HP"s cloud solution will cost.