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Computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard is pushing systems management software delivered as an on-demand service, as it looks to add momentum to its growing software portfolio.

Providing its systems management tools as a service is likely to enhance HP tools’ to a wider audience, particularly small and medium businesses. Moreover, as the example of Salesforce.com demonstrates, plenty of enterprise buyers like the cost-effective and predictable model of software-as-a-service (SaaS).

The SaaS move was hardly unexpected, given HP’s recent acquisition strategy, but nevertheless presenting a consistent and coherent mixture of on-demand and on-premise software requires some planning. Initially HP is to offer a limited subset of its systems management tools – Business Availability Centre, Quality Centre, Performance Centre and Project and Portfolio Management Centre – as on-demand services, with others expected to follow.

“HP SaaS enables customers to immediately gain the benefit of our software without significant start-up costs and training. With our BTO software offering, customers can focus on their critical IT business initiatives while HP focuses on enabling their IT organization to operate more efficiently, “ said Marc Olesen, vice president, software-as-a-service, HP in a statement.

Growing its software business has become a priority ever since Mark Hurd took over as HP’s CEO in 2005

First, it beefed up its server management tools with the $2 billion acquisition of software management maker Mercury Interactive last year. Subsequent acquisitions of Opsware and Neoware have further strengthened its portfolio.

The Mercury buy also landed HP with a long-standing tradition of offering software-as-a-service tools, and it is expected that Mercury’s service-oriented architecture governance tools will be offered via a SaaS model in the future.

Further reading

HP's sixth sense

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