Hewlett-Packard today announced its adaptive enterprise strategy, focusing on providing an integrated computing-on-demand blueprint.
It says it is talking to local telecommunications entities and financial services companies to provide them with pay-per-use computing.
The vendor scoffs at international reports that the announcement is a mere copy or response to initiatives by other tech giants to provide the much talked about computing model, saying it ties up all its on-demand solutions related to infrastructure, management and storage under one banner, some of which it has offered "for years".
Andrew Fletcher, HP SA server spokesman, quotes research house Gartner as saying HP has a leadership of up to 18 months over other companies jostling for elbowroom in this area.
"For instance, we have offered instant capacity on demand on the Alpha server range for some time now. On the PA Risc processors, we offered the next step up, a prepaid option, where the processor lies dormant until the customer needs it - it is simply activated in the HP-UX operating system."
Further improvements in this regard entail "switching" the processor on and off as required, Fletcher says.
Building blocks
"There are many building blocks," he says. "We provide the technology tools to offer different portfolios as it suits the customer. Some of them may need a consolidation process of up five years. It is not a box you put in, but a tailored solution, different for everyone."
Fletcher says the business principle served by this computing and business model is the much-vaunted concept of "return on IT".
"Customers want the best possible return on their infrastructure," he explains. Recent CIO complaints have centred on the complexity and heterogeneity of systems in current use. This makes it tough to deliver IT services seamlessly and easily to their customers, and nearly impossible to demonstrate savings.
A further step up in HP`s direction has been the coupling of solutions with different payment options through its financial services organisation. It offers a pay-per-use option, based on metered use of processors bought for a nominal fee, until activated and used.
"In most cases," Fletcher says, "when people buy new servers, they also buy a system to support it. Average use can be around 30%. Then they deploy another server, and in comes more hardware. The on-demand option irons out over-catering and under-utilisation."
On-demand architecture
On-demand computing encompasses infrastructure, its virtualisation into one logical computing pool (by virtually bypassing separate wiring and security needs in one loop), and the management, metering and provisioning of services available from this pool.
HP uses partners such as BEA Systems to tie solutions together and its own enterprise management tool, HP OpenView, to manage operation and provisioning.
Another solution type is HP`s Utility Data Centre, which makes provision for use of existing infrastructure. "We acknowledge other-vendor equipment," says Fletcher. "It`s all about standardisation, simplification, integration and modularity - those are the key design principles of the adaptive enterprise."
But in what ways will these solutions manifest, given the wide spread of vendors claiming on-demand offerings, ranging from subscription-based software, access on demand, storage on demand, imaging and printing solutions per page and others? Will the data centre reside on-site or be hosted by a service provider?
"That is really irrelevant," Fletcher says. "Due to virtualisation, it can be on- or off-site. The company that owns the data centre can sell off spare capacity. The application service provider can charge off-site for processor use."
And like-minded entities, such as breast cancer research hospitals, can share the same pool of resources.
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