Technology giant Intel has launched the AppUp Small Business Service,
an offering running on the company’s Hybrid Cloud platform that is
designed to enable server manufacturers, software vendors and service
providers to offer small businesses the advantages of cloud computing
with applications and data running on their own premises. Intel’s AppUp
Small Business Service represents a new business model for Intel.
The solution consists of a server, a catalog of prepackaged small
business applications from a broad range of software providers, and
Intel-developed software to securely manage and track use of the
application software. Small business customers access the solution
through service providers, paying on a monthly basis for the software
they use, just like in the cloud, but getting the responsiveness and
control of running their applications and data onsite.
"We developed the Intel AppUp Small Business Service to build a
foundation on which the industry can innovate and provide small business
customers with a more convenient, secure and high-performance
experience," said Bridget Karlin, general manager of Intel Hybrid Cloud.
"Small businesses are the ultimate beneficiaries because this service
gives them a compelling new option for improving their business results
through IT. This Intel-based solution comes ready to use, and doesn’t
require their own IT staff or the capital cost of a server."
Features include use of a subscription-based delivery model for software
applications. Intel-developed software activates, deactivates and then
tracks the customer’s usage of those applications on a platform that is
secured using Intel Trusted Execution Technology (Intel TXT) in Intel
Xeon processors. Each month, that server tracks software usage and sends
an encrypted report to an Intel data center. Intel invoices the small
business’s service provider, which bills the small business customer.
In addition, service providers can remotely manage their customers’
servers that employ this Intel Hybrid Cloud reference design by using a
Web portal hosted by Intel and secured by a Web application firewall and
HTTPS encrypted communication. Using Intel Active Management Technology
(Intel AMT), service providers can remotely troubleshoot, diagnose and
support the servers. The company’s Virtualization Technology (Intel VT)
and virtualization software enable delivery of "virtual appliances" to
the small business user, providing preintegrated operating systems and
small business software that can be turned on or off as needed, and
maintained by the service provider.
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For more, read the eWEEK article: Intel Offers AppUp Small Business Service on Hybrid Cloud.
