HP Unveils CloudAgile Program For VARs, Service Providers

CloudAgile applies to a wide range of service providers, from the Verizons of the world to traditional VARs that are looking to get into the cloud, said Steve Dietch, vice president of cloud solutions and infrastructure, in a press conference at HP Discover 2011 in Las Vegas. Service providers are a core cog in the cloud ecosystem, he said.

"Everyone is looking to deliver IT as a service, and they all have unique challenges," Dietch said.

With the CloudAgile program, HP is trying to tap into a global cloud services that will reach $143 billion by 2013, by HP's own estimate. HP knows it won't be able to achieve this without its partners, and so the company has added elements to the program that expand partners' sales reach.

"We're going to connect and collaborate between service providers, HP's direct sales force and channel partners. We're going to incent our sales teams to collaborate to do the right thing for customers, whether it's on premise or off premise," said Dietch.

HP is also enhancing CloudSystem with new dual bursting capability, which gives companies the ability to handle peak workload and deal with volatile demand for IT resources. This will allow customers to dynamically scale IT resources, bursting from external service providers or bursting internally in cases where it needs to happen within the firewall for compliance reasons, according to Dietch.

HP expects to see some CloudAgile partners signing up to be bursting partners as well. "It's pay as you go, moving capital expenditure to operational expenditure," said Dietch. "We'll give partners the option of hosting CloudSystem and providing bursting capability, and they'll also be able to deliver SaaS using HP's software portfolio."

HP is also giving partners the means to accelerate time to revenue with new financing options, as well as training and certifications, Dietch said. "It's one program across HP's entire enterprise business, encompassing server, storage, networking and services," he said.

HP's initial CloudAgile launch partners include Verizon, Datapipe, Navisite, Opsource, Axcient, SHI and Harris. The program has a global focus, and HP is in the process of expanding recruitment, Dietch said.