HP’s new CEO Leo Apotheker said it plans to build webOS into becoming a major cloud connectivity platform and as such plans to deliver 100m webOS-enabled devices a year into the market a year.
Apotheker said today the creation of a hybrid computing environment combines traditional IT with private and public clouds.
The company also revealed plans to increase dividends to shareholders to 12 cents per share the next time the board declares a dividend. It has been at 8 cents per share since 1998.
He said this will be the prevailing environment for many large enterprises long into the future.
Apotheker said the company intends to leverage its hardware and software strengths to meet the cloud needs of consumers and businesses.
“We see clearly a world in which the impact of cloud and connectivity is changing not only the user experience, but how individuals, small businesses and enterprises will consume, deploy and leverage information technology. HP is well positioned to be the trusted leader in addressing this opportunity,” said Apotheker.
“HP’s scalable, converged infrastructure forms the backbone of today’s cloud computing, and we expect our leadership in software, services, PCs and web-connected printers, as well as the strengths we’ve built and the investments we’ve made, to give us a huge advantage as we help define, deliver and run the truly connected world that spans cloud and connectivity, from the consumer through the enterprise.”
Apotheker’s four-point strategy
Apotheker outlined a four-point strategy for HP’s expanded market leadership by extending its leadership in managing and optimising today’s traditional environments; leveraging HP’s core strength in cloud to build and manage next-generation cloud-based architectures; being the trusted partner to customers by enabling the seamless transition to hybrid computing models; and by defining and delivering the connected world from the consumer to the enterprise.
Apotheker said HP intends to leverage its position as a leading provider of cloud technology to develop a portfolio of cloud services from infrastructure to platform services.
HP also signalled it plans to develop and run the industry’s first open cloud marketplace that will combine a secure, scalable and trusted consumer app store and an enterprise application and services catalogue.
Apotheker intends to build webOS into a leading connectivity platform. As the world’s largest maker of PCs and printers, he said HP has the potential to deliver 100m webOS-enabled devices a year into the marketplace, and HP plans to use that scale along with leading development tools to build a robust developer community that is eager to access every segment of the market and every corner of the globe.
HP demonstrated a new “big data” appliance, leveraging HP computing power mated with real-time, high-speed analytics from Vertica Systems, which HP recently announced its agreement to acquire.
HP expects to close the acquisition in its second fiscal quarter and have the HP-branded appliance ready for market immediately thereafter. The proposed HP Vertica solution will offer a choice of delivery options – from appliance, to software and in the cloud.
“The world has changed dramatically, and we increasingly live in a world where enterprise and personal IT experiences are blurring,” said Crawford Del Prete, chief research officer, IDC.
“More and more, it’s about enabling customers to seamlessly and securely interact with the ‘right’ information for a multitude of contexts.
“The technology and delivery models required to enable this change are significant. HP’s strategy lays a foundation for the company to move from delivering world-class information technology, to world-class information experiences,” Del Prete said.
