UPDATED 16:03 EDT / MAY 29 2013

HP Announces Comprehensive App Development Solution & Service Set for Enterprises

Under the rubric of “Modern Apps for the New Style of IT”, HP today announced a comprehensive set of platforms, products, and services designed to facilitate the creation of compelling end-user apps, what HP calls “systems of engagement” as opposed to background “systems of record”, terms it attributes to Consultant & Author Geoffrey Moore, founder of Geoffrey Moore Consulting. Dr. Moore was one of several presenters in the live webcast of the announcement.

Today apps are one face, in some cases the face, of many companies for their customers and employees. These apps need to be compelling, fun to use, and at the same time provide the information and services those users need with the high performance, reliability, and security they and the organization expect. They need to work cross-platform, not just on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, but on laptops and desktops as well, which is why HP eschews the term “mobile apps”. They need to be tightly integrated into background systems of record such as ERP, product ordering systems, and CRM, to provide the fast response times users demand. That is not an easy thing to do, says Dr. Moore, because it requires bridging two very different kinds of software designed to do different things. And they must have the right level of security, including single sign-on, role-based access for employees, and the ability to alter that access and, if the device is lost or stolen, deactivate and remove them remotely, without creating barriers to legitimate use by the intended individuals.

To do that HP has announced new and upgraded products backed by integrated services, apparently based in large part on HP consultants’ experience helping clients deal with the issues of developing effective applications for the new user platforms and supporting BYOD both for growing populations of internal users and customers. HP’s approach is differentiated by its heavy emphasis on application development support, whereas IBM has focused more on device and app level management across mobile platforms, and Microsoft, of course, is focused tightly on Windows 8. VCE, the EMC/VMware/Cisco coalition, has not as yet offered any direct end-user device management support. HP says it focuses on:

Design for great user experience,

Development of apps across devices,

Deployment of end-to-end solutions.

HP’s package starts with a major upgrade to the HP Anywhere app development platform, based on Eclipse, which is built on JavaScript and HTML5. Along with that, it announced the Developer Zone, an online social site for developers that provides access to develop, with tools, aids including the full set of mobile device APIs and instructional videos, and a social platform that allows developers to communicate, discuss techniques, and answer each others’ questions.

To meet the challenge of integrating those front-end systems-of-engagement with multiple back-end systems-of-record, it announced a new service covering Application Development for the Cloud. This focuses on developing apps that exploit the “information-rich hybrid cloud environment”. This provides an elastic infrastructure that responds to unexpected demand gracefully at lower cost than traditional architectures.

HP also announced major enhancements to its Application Performance Management software portfolio, including HP Real User Monitoring v 9.22 and advanced monitoring capabilities for HP Performance Anywhere 1.1. These monitor how, where, and by whom the apps are used in detail and provide analysis back to the developers that shows what users want to do and where improvements should be made in the next version of the apps.

To support that and provide security both for the app and user and for the background systems-of-record, HP uses a container approach. All the apps developed on the HP platform are isolated from the rest of the environment on the end-user devices in a container. That protects them from issues with the user’s private apps, malware infections, and other problems. It also supports single-sign-on & access control and, in the event it is required, remote deactivation and deletion.

All the new tools and services will be demonstrated and available for developers to try at HP Discover June 11-13 in Las Vegas. The webcast recording is available here.


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU