HP Introduces e-serviceCenter, New Mission-critical Infrastructure for Web-enabled Applications and E-services - Company Business and Marketing

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Feb 7, 2000

Hewlett-Packard Company Monday outlined its plans for the e-serviceCenter, a Web-enabled server, network and storage infrastructure for mission-critical applications, Internet solutions and e-services. Targeting enterprises, dot coms and service providers, e-serviceCenter represents the evolution of the data center for companies doing business on the Internet, and encompasses five critical attributes: continuous e-service availability, capacity on demand, instant global connectivity, total security and flexible end-to-end management.

Building on its success with Web-based companies, HP is announcing several products and enhancements key to HP's e-serviceCenter:

* Manageability: * HP-UX(1) Workload Manager (WLM) * enhanced Process Resource Manager (PRM) * Scalability and capacity: * HP 9000 Enterprise Server V2600 and V2600 SCA (Scalable Computing Architecture) * instant capacity on demand (iCOD) availability * Connectivity: * HyperFabric 2000

"Our customers require an updated data center to handle the varying and critical demands of operating in a Web-transaction-intensive world," said Patrick Rogers, worldwide marketing manager for HP's Business Critical Computing Business Unit. "Unlike today's data centers, which were built to service internal users and applications developed for use only within the enterprise, e-serviceCenter is designed to support Internet-based business models where IT infrastructures must be accessible by customers, partners and suppliers, and where speed and availability become competitive differentiators."

New Capabilities Enhance Manageability, Connectivity and Capacity

Today's businesses require a new type of workload and system optimization tool that ensures a positive customer experience and reduces system complexity. HP's new HP-UX WLM is the first goal-based resource-management offering for UNIX system customers, and the new PRM enhancements will help systems administrators reduce network complexity.

* HP-UX WLM automatically allocates system resources according to business priorities. IT managers can define business objectives that determine CPU allocation, ensuring that end users experience consistent response time.

* PRM Analyze collects system accounting data and generates reports so that chargebacks can be calculated accurately. Internet and applications service providers can now use PRM to help automate Internet and hosted service billing.

In the e-services world, instant global connectivity is key because it offers access to any device, resource, information or service. "HP and Cisco have developed compelling linkages between the computing infrastructure and the intelligent network for optimized delivery of e-services," said Peter Alexander, vice president of Enterprise Marketing, Cisco Systems, Inc. "With Cisco Content Networking, based on our ContentFlow Architecture and Catalyst switches, users will be able to leverage our cooperation with HP in the areas of load balancing, high availability, QoS and security, and tap into e-services with optimal reliability and performance. Cisco is delighted to participate in HP's new e-serviceCenter initiative, and we strongly believe this collaboration will offer a leading environment for the growing Internet economy."

HP 9000 HyperPlex technology enables data-center flexibility and availability through an enhanced HyperFabric server clustering interconnect, called HyperFabric 2000. Customers can speed application performance and improve scalability and reliability beyond large SMP systems. HP HyperFabric 2000 connects up to 128 individual HP 9000 Enterprise Servers in highly available configurations.

The Internet and its new business models drive the need for higher performance and the demand for instant access to additional capacity. HP's new V2600 server features the PA-8600, the fastest shipping microprocessor available. Current V2500 customers can upgrade to V2600 with a simple CPU-board swap. The V2600 will also be available in SCA configurations, an extension offering the highest performance for business intelligence and compute-intensive applications.

HP's groundbreaking iCOD solution, announced last November, is now available to customers with dynamic-capacity needs. By activating iCOD CPUs, customers can capitalize on revenue opportunities they might miss due to inadequate processing power. Today's new V2600 server is included in the iCOD solution.

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.

HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000. Agilent consists of HP's test and measurement, semiconductor products, chemical analysis and healthcare solutions businesses, and has leading positions in multiple market segments.

HP has 83,200 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.