HP Reaches Cloud Nine: Acquires Eucalyptus Systems

HP Reaches Cloud Nine: Acquires Eucalyptus Systems

Cloud computing rivals Hewlett Packard and Amazon have always been competing for a bigger share of the pie. But this time, its HP which has stolen a march over its rival. HP has just purchased a cloud computing firm known as Eucalyptus Systems. While the financial details of the deal were not disclosed, what is apparent is that it This is a good chance for HP to jump on to the cloud computing bandwagon and try to garner more clients in the field.

This is because Eucalyptus makes software for private cloud computing. Companies use this technology to understand computers and their networks more effectively within data centres. What is special about the private software cloud created by Eucalyptus is that it is similar to the one belonging to Amazon. In the words of one media report, one could build a miniature Amazon in a data centre using this technology and them move apps and data between your own data centre and that of Amazon's cloud. So users can then tap into Amazon's vast computing power in what is known as hybrid computing.

Amazon now faces a new avatar of cloud computing technology-the hybrid. Prior to its massive contract with CIA, Amazon did not possess any private cloud technology. The deal was for specially contructed data centre costing to the tune of $600 million. Eucalyptus has not been short of Amazon's could computing star power and this is the reason it has attracted clients like F-Secure according to another media report.

Now HP gets into action using the hybrid cloud computing technology. These private clouds can work with Amazon and eventually enable HP to move into its own cloud. HP has been looking for the silver lining in the dark cloud for some time now. In May this year, it had invested $1 billion in the cloud business through a unit run by Martin Fink known as Helion. Fink himself was a man for all seasons- he ran the cloud business and is also the CTO(chief technology officer) and director of HP labs.

Following this acquisition, HP will make the CEO of Eucalyptus Systems Marten Mickos lead the cloud business and report to Whitman. With new moves afoot, HP will leverage the fact that Mickos is a giant in the open source world. He is none other than the author of the database start up called MySQL and he sold the business to Sun Microsystems for 1 billion dollars. MySQL is now under Oracle.

Whitman is ready to plunge right into cloud computing technology, judging by the recent acquisitions as per media reports. It was in May that HP reported its 1s year over year increase in revenue and now the company has the capital to expand.

Amazon itself is not content to rest on its laurels either. The company recently acquired Twitch and it is itching to get ahead. But with Eucalyptus Systems, HP may have well found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow which will take it to cloud nine.