HP, Microsoft team on cloud services initiative

Peter Dinham
Friday, 09 December 2011 15:35

HP and Microsoft have launched a global, four-year initiative to deliver Microsoft's communications and collaboration applications via private and public cloud services.

HP and Microsoft engineering resources are collaborating to deploy, support and enhance the new solutions, which are initially available in Australia this month and in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Under the agreement, HP and Microsoft are offering private and public cloud solutions which the two companies say are designed to help organisations rapidly scale new users, shift IT resources from maintenance to innovation and change IT from a capital to operating expense. The solutions include:

'¢    Private cloud: HP Enterprise Cloud Services-Messaging, HP Enterprise Cloud Services-Collaboration and HP Enterprise Cloud Services-Real-Time Collaboration deliver Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2010 productivity applications as a service from HP data centres around the world.

'¢    Public cloud: Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft's Office collaboration and productivity tools, will be delivered by Microsoft through the cloud.

'¢    Hybrid solution: HP will resell Microsoft Office 365 with HP Enterprise Cloud Services-Messaging, HP Enterprise Cloud Services-Collaboration and HP Enterprise Cloud Services-Real-Time Collaboration.

According to David Fox, director, APJ Sales - Emerging Services, HP Enterprise Services,  large organisations, particularly those in regulated industries like financial services and public sector, 'have demanding functionality and service level requirements.' 'HP and Microsoft help meet these needs with a flexible range of global, cost-efficient, cloud-based productivity solutions running on the latest technology.'

'Microsoft is committed to putting the unique and ever-evolving needs of customers at the core of cloud innovation," said Mark Hill, vice president, Enterprise Partner Group, Microsoft. 'This alliance with HP not only broadens Microsoft's geographic reach, it gives customers maximum flexibility to choose a cloud computing solution that meets their organisation's specialised messaging and collaboration needs.'

HP and Microsoft say the new solutions enable organisations in their pursuit of an Instant-On-Enterprise. 'In a world of continuous connectivity, the Instant-On Enterprise embeds technology in everything it does to serve customers, employees, partners and citizens with whatever they need, instantly,' Hill said.