Microsoft, Xerox, Cisco Launch The Humanitarian Cloud to Help Non-profits Benefit from Cloud Computing

The Humanitarian Cloud™ (THC) allows Non-Profit organizations to share hardware, applications, services and IT support using the power of Cloud Computing. This provides between 30%-50% cost-savings for capital expenditures, hardware, software and IT support while expanding data integration and infrastructure services says the initiative's website. With The Humanitarian Cloud™, donations from different technology firms are deployed at a cloud-based service provider, from which it can be shared amongst multiple non-profits in different locations. This reduces costs and the need for in-house technical skills, allowing non-profits to focus on their core mission. Combining these on-demand computing resources with cloud based software, (SAAS) services and databases of volunteers and consultants, further enhance the solution.Using THC would also give non-profits, the ability to securely access cloud applications from a variety of devices—desktops, laptops, mobile devices. CDW, Cisco, Commvault, HP, F5, Microsoft, NetApp, VMware and Xerox are the tech majors behind The Humanitarian Cloud.

THC governing board and partners will determine the selection criteria for non-profits to be eligible. NetHope, its members and select other pilot organization are the initial approved recipients and are intended to function as “pilot” members between the concept launch May 30th and the Holiday firm launch in late November 2012. The official launch of THC concept was held at the United Nations and is part of the Social Innovation Conference.

A cooperative aka “a community cloud” is built on VMware, to provide cloud services to NGO and non-profit organizations, who will collaboratively work together to maximize utilization and effectiveness of the services. NetHope and the Illini Cloud are partners of this initiative to promote THC concept. Cloud based services of the Humanitarian Cloud partners will be showcased and accessed via portals. Initially, THC plans to offer traditional cloud services such as disaster recovery, virtual servers, virtual storage and e-mail archiving. Following the concept launch, other community services such as MDM – managed Microsoft SharePoint services, access to Hp’s cloud in a box services and VMware's technology for cloud based solutions Horizon’s mobility offerings will provide a SSO portal with access to multiple SAAS services.

To find out more The Humanitarian Cloud and the membership click here.