HP steps up in cloud with $1bn investment

US computer giant Hewlett Packard unveiled an expanded offering of Internet "cloud" services on Wednesday, pledging to invest $1 billion over the next two years. The California tech giant said it was launching "HP Helion," described as "a portfolio of cloud products and services that enable organizations to build, manage and consume workloads in hybrid IT environments." "Customer challenges today extend beyond cloud. They include how to manage, control and scale applications in a hybrid environment that spans multiple technology approaches," said Martin Fink, HP's chief technology officer. "HP Helion provides the solutions and expertise customers need to select the right deployment model for their needs and obtain the greatest return for their investment." HP last week announced an alliance with Taiwan's Foxconn to produce servers optimized for the Internet cloud. The cloud is one of the areas of focus for HP chief executive Meg Whitman, who has led a major reorganization of the company amid a shift away from personal computers.