Fujitsu starts ‘personal cloud’ tests

Fujitsu has unveiled its Fujitsu Personal Cloud concept, which it says is designed to make “substantial savings” in comparison to other managed workplace systems.

Fujitsu is using its Global Cloud Platform to enable an internal pilot, which will give each user access to their own Fujitsu Personal Cloud. With all services running in a secure Fujitsu datacentre, users’ workplace and business applications will become accessible from almost any network-enabled device.

Fujitsu’s move to offer “personal clouds” to staff comes soon after a recent Ernst & Young report which said many CIOs and chief information security officers were “struggling to adapt security practices to a changing environment that includes cloud computing, social media and tablets”.

Depending on the results of the Fujitsu project, which begins internally later this year, Fujitsu will consider whether to introduce field tests for customers next year.

The company said the Fujitsu Personal Cloud offering is intended to “bridge the gap between legacy enterprise worlds and the growing trend of being able to access business information anywhere, anytime”.

Fujitsu said the concept would enable savings through reduced costs for device management and security, and lower overheads for administration and maintenance.

Craig Parker, head of product marketing at the Fujitsu UK & Ireland technology product group, said, “With these trials we are determining the business benefits of offering users the additional option of a workplace depending on their individual needs.”

Parker said the concept was intended to “future-proof current technology by making almost any device fit for the Personal Cloud”, while also ensuring that organisations are able to “cost-effectively extend their classical enterprise infrastructures into the cloud”.