Versatile HP
HP
is moving in many directions at once.
Now that it’s the second largest computer systems company,
it requires growth in many directions to meet its goals.
We catch up on its hectic last few weeks:
HP
Focuses On The Consumer Market
In New York recently, the emphasis by HP was on the breadth
of its new consumer offerings, with 158 products ranging from
digital photography to digital home entertainment.
The goal here is simplicity, ease of use, and an enjoyable
experience. HP intends
to keep its winning market share in the consumer imaging market –
and that may get harder with more competitors, thinner margins, and
the movement of Dell to a new printer partner (Lexmark), after HP
turned them down last year for a private label deal.
HP will
woo and keep customers loyal to HP not just with the dazzling range
of products, but also by a strong emphasis on products that work
well together, and by the provision of excellent service and
support, such as HP Total Care, a comprehensive consumer program
that includes 24/7 toll-free phone support in multiple languages and
same-day local PC repair.
HP will
offer innovative new 8-ink color printers targeted at the photo
market as well as devices designed to manage music, video, photos
and other digital content.
HP
plans to reach consumers through dedicated centers in existing
retail chains such as Circuit City, J&R ComputerWorld, Micro
Center, and CompUSA, with specially trained staff, workshops, and
demonstrations.
Additional
information, pricing and availability details are available http://www.hp.com/go/consumerstrategy
or at http://www.hpshopping.com.
HP
Enlarges Its Services Business
In a
move that at once enlarges its services business and delights
partner Microsoft, HP acquire a .NET consulting specialty firm,
Atlanta-based Extreme Logic. The
Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specialized in .NET technology and
business process consulting. This
will help HP extend its services organization as well as its
Adaptive Enterprises strategy.
The
acquisition of Extreme Logic will expand HP’s presence in a number
of vertical markets as well as in the eastern and southern U.S.
HP At LinuxWorld
At
LinuxWorld, HP came at the market from yet another direction,
focusing on enterprise management and clustering technologies. It also announced solutions for a number of vertical markets,
and added to its partner offerings.
This includes Linux editions for OpenView Network Node
Manager and GlancePlus, HP High Performance Clusters for Linux.
HP also announced new Linux-based partnerships with BEA, SAP,
and Lotus.
HP And The Enterprise
In
the meantime, financial and industry analysts noted that in
quarterly results on HP today HP’s Enterprise Systems group,
headed by Executive Vice President Peter Blackmore, Enterprise
Systems is still in the red (by $70 million). Enterprise needs to
achieve profits -- the fourth of the four groups of the post-merger
HP/Compaq to achieve that goal, but Blackmore still has another
quarter, according to an article in today’s Wall Street Journal,
to make the numbers. HP
has been working hard to cut costs, further integrate its merged
product line, and better leverage hardware and services.
With an emphasis on HP’s Adaptive Enterprise initiative and
growing reports of customer satisfaction, we’d guess that this is
only a matter of time.
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