IT cloud cast gets wider with HP, Zenith Infotech and Essar group announcing their big plans for cloud on Monday.
HP has said its beta version of its first public cloud services will be made available for Indian enterprises on May 10. These services will be offered through a pay-as-you-go model for customers. Within minutes, they can get access to both on-demand services and customised services to handle specific jobs.
Developers are looking for simple methods to accelerate their codes, while enterprises seek smooth flow of work in their IT environment. They are looking for ways to reduce investments on IT infrastructure, Mr Santanu Ghose, Country Head (Converged Infrastructure Services) of HP India.
Another US-based firm Zenith Infotech too came out with its big cloud plans for India. It announced launch of TigerCloud, particularly targeted small and medium businesses. This private cloud is a combination of server, storage and network virtualisation technology. “This allows customers to build their own private clouds at costs lower than public clouds,” Mr Akash Saraf, Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Infotech, said. Built on a latest Intel processor family, TigerCloud is a three-in-one product, combining private cloud, business continuity and back,” he said.
He claimed that TigerCloud will cost 70 per cent less than similar converged infrastructure products from major multinational companies. He said his company invested over Rs 200 crore on research and development to develop its private cloud products.
Essar on Azure
Signalling an increasing shift to cloud services in India, Essar group has embraced Windows Azure, Microsoft's cloud services platform, to deliver some of its applications.
The $17-billion business conglomerate with varied interests, Essar said this was as part of its effort to offer its customers Web-based applications with high performance and scalability while maintaining low infrastructure and management costs.
“Microsoft Services approached Essar with a cost-effective solution in Windows Azure that allowed the company to obtain the benefits of both public and private cloud computing while also reducing the level of IT maintenance required to manage the applications on-premises,” Mr Jayantha Prabhu, Chief Technology Officer of Essar, said.