HP unveils Cloud Assure

HP has announced HP Cloud Assure, a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering designed to help businesses 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 provides control over the three types of cloud service environments, including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service.