What is the cloud all about? Does it offer different kinds of technology-based services? Is it different than enterprise computing? Is it the next big thing?

The answer to all those questions is a resounding “yes!” The cloud brings together all these things and more to create new services to solve business problems unsolved by traditional approaches.

The cloud provides a rich, new source for bringing technology-enabled services to the business. Massively scalable services no longer need to be delivered by internal or outsourced data centers. Instead, they can be delivered by cloud service providers via their vast computing resources.

Bringing value to the business
Cloud computing shifts the focus from how an IT service is implemented or hosted, to what business value it delivers. And that’s the very essence of what a service-centric IT strategy is all about – linking services to specific business outcomes. Moving forward, we believe you’ll be asked to choose from a mix of service delivery platforms. These may include traditional in-house, managed or outsourced, and new cloud platforms. Your job will be to source, deliver and govern each service, making sure it provides the desired business outcome.

With expertise across all these environments, HP helps you cut through the confusion. We enable you to capture the business results you want and capitalize on the new opportunities the cloud offers.

Managing a hybrid services environment
Since each service delivery option brings different value to your business, you won’t need to start from scratch. It’s a matter of turning traditional models into more business-ready services and leveraging the service readiness of the cloud model.

Enhancing in-house services
Many services you provide to the business simply can’t be accessed via the cloud at this time. The security, regulatory, availability and data integrity issues may make internal platforms the best fit for your mission-critical services.

But there are ways to make your infrastructures more business-ready and more responsive to the business. For example, virtualization enables you to pool and share the servers, storage and other systems that support service delivery. You flexibly dial up capacity to keep service levels high, and dial it down during non-peak periods. This is similar to what cloud service providers do.

You may recognize this as utility computing, and we believe it’s the most efficient way to build a business-ready infrastructure.

Leveraging outsourced services
With outsourced service delivery, you gain many of the advantages of utility computing, without incurring in-house data center resource costs. You don’t own, manage or support the outsourced infrastructure or the enterprise-class applications it runs. Instead you access the services they provide via the Internet. Typically, service contracts extend one to five years or more.

Here’s where your “mixed” services strategy can start. You decide which services to outsource based on the needs of your business. The service provider then puts strict service level agreements (SLAs) around their delivery.

Scaling with cloud services
Cloud computing builds on the shoulders of utility computing. It allows cloud services to scale and flex on an exponential basis, enabled by dynamic and automated infrastructure provisioning.

Here, enterprise-class applications give way to global-class services. These deliver cloud services that support an undetermined number of users over the Internet. This helps make new types of access, capabilities and connections possible. For example, scalable software-as-a-service offerings are now available via the cloud. Further, platform-as-a-service offerings let developers access what they need to build and run applications via the cloud.

Again, you can expect to have to weigh this “elastic” service model against others in your mix. Outside the walls of an in-house or outsourced data center, security issues may be a concern. And many cloud service providers don’t yet have the iron-clad SLAs of traditional outsourcers. But it’s all about matching the right service to the right business outcome.

New access, new capabilities, new connections
With expertise in utility and high performance computing, HP reduces the complexity of sourcing, managing and governing hybrid service environments. By aligning the right technology-enabled services with the business outcomes you want, you can be business-ready and future-ready.

Here are some things to consider when choosing Cisco SMB Solutions that enable you and your colleagues to work from anywhere.

Adding a VPN and firewall enables the security you need. The technology behind remote access is called a “virtual private network,” or “VPN,” and it establishes a private, secure network connection over a public network, such as the Internet.

VPNs use secure firewalls and well-tested security measures at every network point of entry, to help stop worms, spyware, or hackers from attempting to disrupt your business network or steal sensitive information. (more…)

Do you remember wondering as a kid how a magician could put one scarf in a hat and then pull out ten? And wishing you could do the same, maybe with a candy bar instead of a scarf? Well, magic might seem in short supply these days, but thanks to virtualization, your childhood wish just might be possible.

Okay, full disclosure: Virtualization won’t work on candy bars. But it can turn one server into many, and since servers cost a heck of a lot more than Snickers, that’s a pretty neat trick.

Consider those servers sitting in the backroom. Without virtualization, each of these physical boxes is functioning as a dedicated server, meaning it is dedicated to running a particular set of applications and “client devices” (that’s IT-speak for PCs and peripherals, like printers, fax machines, and scanners). With virtualization software, one physical server can become multiple “virtual” servers, each capable of independently handling its own set of applications, devices, and users. (more…)

Midsized companies are moving toward an infrastructure that is optimized and responsive to help them meet new business demands. This article in our series looks at the short- and long-term benefits of cloud computing and how midsized companies can start integrating some cloud services into their existing IT environments.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the number of interactions among devices and systems is growing rapidly. As these connections multiply, businesses need to meet the demands of employees, partners and customers for greater access to systems and information. This environment places more pressure on midsized businesses and their IT resources. (more…)

To save money on equipment and time on system maintenance, more and more businesses are deploying virtual servers. Reduced overhead and simplified management can free up resources that can be applied toward innovation and other valuable projects that sharpen the business’ competitive edge.

But virtualization does have its pitfalls. Creating new virtual servers haphazardly can easily lead to out-of-control server sprawl. Stacking too many applications on one host can leave them competing for resources. And managing your virtual resources among your physical machines can get complicated, especially for IT staff accustomed to managing only one application per physical server.

Realizing the benefits of virtualization hinges on good planning, properly balancing your resources and employing the right skills and experience. Here are a few tips to help you avoid some of the more common challenges of virtualization. (more…)

Server virtualization is a great way for your IT organization to battle today’s economic challenges. You can reduce costs through server consolidation—which in turn increases ROI as you run multiple workloads on a single server. Plus, the ability to deploy new applications—and scale them up or down—boosts business agility.

But be mindful of pitfalls that can undermine these advantages. As companies large and small have learned the hard way, you can negate the cost-saving benefits of server virtualization by choosing an inefficient SAN storage solution that does not properly support the advanced requirements of virtualized environments. (more…)

Most articles about virtualization discuss the technology in the context of “big” business. They are glowing about the potential for “data center consolidation” or “reduced system maintenance expenses.” Or they rave about the prospects for a better disaster recovery plan, better security and extra flexibility for employees.

What about small business? The good news is if you are a small business owner, there are plenty of short- and long-term benefits from virtualization-and you don’t need a big budget. (That makes virtualization attractive in a brutal economic climate.) (more…)