Fujitsu (News - Alert) has "launched its global cloud strategy, rooted in Fujitsu's view of cloud computing as having four modes of consumption: infrastructure, application, activity and content."

According to industry observer David Hamilton, "customers will be offered non-disruptive ways of joining any, some or all of the four modes."

The initial infrastructure-as-a-service, the company notes, is just the first stage in its view of the evolving cloud computing model.

According to its Thursday announcement, the company developed its four-part strategy through their "real experience in working with customers on cloud computing and delivery across the world."

In December 2009, Fujitsu America launched cloud services for end-to-end ICT products, which company officials at the time said were "particularly in the manufacturing, retail, healthcare, government, education, financial services and communications sectors."

Company officials say Fujitsu, which already offers cloud platforms regionally for the infrastructure mode, has deployed a global standardized cloud platform.

Provision of services from this platform will be offered on a trial basis starting May 2010 in Japan, followed by Australia, Singapore, North America and Europe over the upcoming year, and will be commercially available October 2010.

Fujitsu officials described the infrastructure mode and application mode as "an extension of the conventional services being offered locally and though the new global platform," while noting that the activity mode and content mode "represent a significant shift in the way the industry creates value and the emergence of new business models."

Fujitsu ICT services senior executive vice president Kazuo Ishida said 'Fujitsu has been developing its cloud computing technologies by looking at changes in society and how technology can help people cope with those changes - what we call a human-centric standpoint."

Ishida notes that in Japan "we have been successful in conducting trials involving ICT infrastructures in areas such as agriculture and healthcare. Through these offerings, we aim to become a leader in providing these types of services around the world.'