Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service offerings can also provide quick, low-cost access to data center resources for software development and prototyping.
Netscape cofounder Marc Andreessen started a data-center management firm called Loudcloud in 1999, later selling the service business to concentrate on automation software.
Compaq Computer, meanwhile, will announce it is forming the Linux Program Center, a unit within the company dedicated to offering a range of different hardware, software, and service offerings, according to a source familiar with the company's plans.