Apotheker reiterates HP's cloud ambitions

HP will "soon" launch a public cloud service, as the global hardware, software and services company seeks to integrate its various technologies with the cloud on every possible level, its chief executive has said.

Leo Apotheker, chief executive of the company, told attendees at the HP Discover conference in Las Vegas that "the cloud is the most disruptive force in technology since the advent of the personal computer."

Apotheker said HP would launch a public cloud service "very soon". In March, Apotheker had said HP's cloud would arrive "in the near future."

"Look at what the combination of connectivity and cloud has done to the music industry," he said. "Entire pieces of value chain are transformed and digitised — everything is delivered as a service."

Besides the public cloud, HP has heavy efforts in the private and hybrid cloud spaces and, additionally, is hoping to launch a variety of WebOS — its web-orientated operating system — devices "soon", Apotheker said.

"We intend to become the platform for cloud and connectivity," he said. "A device-aware HP cloud will configure and send the appropriate services to the device you are using ... all together, this complete ecosystem will deliver a seamless, secure context-aware experience."