HP, IBM and SAP Ease Web Services Publication with UDDI and Java; Industry Leaders Promote Web Services Adoption with UDDI Technology Upgrade for Java Developers

Business Wire, Dec 20, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif., SOMERS, N.Y. & WALLDORF, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 2001--Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP), IBM (NYSE:IBM) and SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) today announced that they have committed to support UDDI4J, an open-source Java(R) class library that supplies an application-programming interface (API) for interacting with Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registries.

UDDI4J benefits Java developers by providing them a common API for programmatically registering services as well as for querying and accessing information in UDDI-based registries. Agreement on UDDI4J also benefits the Web services industry as a whole by reducing hurdles associated with creating Web services tools.

IBM originally made UDDI4J available as open source in January 2001. HP played an active role with IBM in UDDI4J by enhancing the original UDDI4J API to meet the new UDDI V2 specifications. SAP has contributed its experience and resources in deploying business-driven APIs to ensure rapid adoption of UDDI4J in the business community.

"As an advocate of both the UDDI and the open source movement, supporting UDDI4J makes sense for HP," said Jack Walicki, chief technology officer, HP Middleware Division. "Industry agreement on a common Java API for UDDI registries is critical for the success of service-centric computing. HP's contributions to UDDI4J further demonstrate our commitment to our customers as well as to the Java and Web services communities."

"UDDI4J is an excellent example of how the open source process can be used to create high-quality Java libraries to simplify application development around industry standards," said Bob Sutor, director of e-business standards strategy, IBM. "While IBM started the UDDI4J effort, we are very pleased to be working with HP and SAP to further evolve this important resource for Web services developers. UDDI4J will help the industry-strategic UDDI registry technology reach its full potential for the publishing and discovery of Web services descriptions both inside and outside enterprises."

"Web services and UDDI provide essential building blocks to facilitate business on a global level through the Web. Easy development, publication and deployment driven out of heterogeneous environments are crucial for the success of Web services," said Willi Therre, senior vice president application integration, SAP AG. "SAP is focused to overcome the technical constraints and obstacles that challenge global e-business today and is pleased to work with IBM and HP to provide the foundation for open, standard-based, high-quality Web services."

UDDI Business Registries Now Available

This announcement follows UDDI.org's Nov. 19 announcement that HP, IBM, Microsoft and SAP launched beta versions of public UDDI Business Registries that allow businesses to easily search, discover, and integrate Web services. The UDDI Business Registry provides a standards-based protocol for cataloging services at design time and for discovering services at run time.

Additional information regarding UDDI4J can be found at the UDDI4J Web site: http://www.uddi4j.org.

About IBM

IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM software offers the widest range of infrastructure software for all types of computing platforms, allowing customers to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. The fastest way to get more information about IBM software is through the IBM home page at http://www.ibm.com/software.> About SAP AG

SAP is the world's leading provider of e-business software solutions. Through the mySAP.com(R) e-business platform, people in businesses around the globe are improving relationships with customers and partners, streamlining operations, and achieving significant efficiencies throughout their supply chains. Today, more than 17,000 companies in over 120 countries run more than 44,500 installations of SAP(R) software. With subsidiaries in over 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." Additional information is available at http://www.sap.com.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue of $45.2 billion in its 2001 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.

Java is a U.S. trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including any projections of earnings, revenues, or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning proposed new products, services, or developments; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; statements of belief and any statement of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions referred to above include employee management issues; the timely development, production and acceptance of products and services and their feature sets; the challenge of managing asset levels, including inventory; the flow of products into third-party distribution channels; the difficulty of keeping expense growth at modest levels while increasing revenues; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP's Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Oct. 31, 2000, and subsequently filed reports. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.