Unisys is unveiling a managed cloud computing initiative, ClearPath Cloud Solutions, which will give businesses access to its ClearPath mainframes. The first offering, available later in the quarter, will focus on development and test environments.
Unisys is creating a managed cloud computing lineup based on its ClearPath
line of mainframes.
Unisys officials introduced the first offering July 22, the
ClearPath Cloud Development and Test Solution, aimed at businesses looking to
develop and test applications for ClearPath systems.
The goal of the ClearPath Cloud Solutions initiative is to give
businesses access to the mainframe's computing capacity without them having to
invest in new systems or worry about managing them, according to Bill Maclean,
vice president of ClearPath portfolio management for Unisys.
Giving businesses access to the type of computing capacity
offered in the ClearPath systems is a key differentiator from other cloud
computing packages, Maclean said in an interview with eWEEK.
"It really is an enterprise-class kind of offering,"
he said.
The ClearPath Cloud Solutions initiative is only the latest
effort Unisys has pursued in the cloud computing space. The company in 2009 unveiled
its
Secure
Cloud Solution, which is designed to
bring greater security to cloud computing through the use of a Unisys-developed
security technology called Stealth.
The initial Secure Cloud Solution was a public cloud offering.
In November 2009, Unisys rolled out its
Secure
Private Cloud Solution, which presents all the features of the public version
as a prepackaged offering.
This next step is aimed at enterprises looking to access ClearPath
computing power without having to buy the systems, which Maclean said is
important given the current uncertain economic times.
The ClearPath Cloud Development and Test Solution will be
available later this quarter. That will be followed by cloud solutions for
production environments, data replication, and disaster and recovery, and for
select application-as-a-service offerings for customers' specific industry
requirements, Maclean said. Unisys currently offers such an application, the
Unisys Logistics Management System, to help airlines manage air cargo.
The other cloud PAAS
(platform as a service) solutions will be introduced later this year and in
2011, he said.
With ClearPath Cloud Development and Test Solution, businesses
will be able to license time on ClearPath systems in Unisys' Eagan,
Minn., data center in three-month blocks.
Developers who need extra capacity or computing power will be able to license
what they need from Unisys, including an SDK (software development kit) for the
latest MCP or OS 2200 operating environments, virtual CPU, memory, storage and
networking resources, maintenance and support, and software enhancement
releases.
The cloud offering will "add a burst of capacity" for
developers when they need it, Maclean said.
Unisys has been using these cloud computing capabilities
in-house for a couple of years, he said. After improving some of features, such
as the human interface, management capabilities and onboarding process, officials
decided to make the capabilities available outside of the company.
"We've been doing this for a couple of years, and we know
it works," Maclean said.
Like other tech vendors, Unisys has been hearing from customers
about their interest in moving to a cloud environment to some degree. IT
departments are under pressure to bring costs down while improving productivity
and efficiency, and are looking for alternatives to traditional data center
business models, Maclean said.
In a recent online poll, 46 percent of respondents said development
and test environments would be the first ones they'd move to the cloud.
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