HP Works with Industry Leaders to Deliver Integrated Service-management Capabilities; Initiative to Deliver Solutions that Remove OSS Constraints from Business Growth - Company Business and Marketing

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, May 29, 2000

Hewlett-Packard Company Monday announced that ten of the industry's leading service-management players are working together under a new initiative to design and develop a seamless integrated service-management solution.

As part of TeleManagement Forum's (TMF) market-leading Catalyst Projects, the Integrated Multi-Service Management (IMSM) initiative will focus on the plug-and-play capabilities service providers need to effectively grow their businesses. Participating organizations include Active Software; Cambio Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Concord Communications; Information & Graphics Systems (IGS); Newbridge Networks; Nortel Networks Clarify eBusiness Applications; Portal Software; and Syndesis. The customer sponsor for the project is MediaOne Labs.

Service-provider profitability and market strength is strongly affected by a service provider's ability to quickly respond to customer-driven requests and dynamically provision voice, video and data services. The IMSM solution combines industry-leading next-generation network services to provide the flexible and extensible operations solutions needed in the service-provider market.

"The name of the game today is customer service, which means having a flexible management environment that can quickly adapt to changing market requirements," said Elizabeth K. Adams, president and chief executive officer of the TeleManagement Forum. "We are delighted that the Integrated Multi-Service Management Catalyst Project is addressing those challenges. As we move forward on our new-generation OSS initiative, it is important that we see support from leading companies for these key service-management concepts and principles."

Based on the plug-and-play architectural guidelines being developed by TMF, the IMSM initiative will give service providers the means to respond quickly to market trends and easily accommodate sudden changes due to mergers, acquisitions and new industry initiatives. Unlike other multivendor integrated service-management systems that suffer from high integration costs and inflexibility, the IMSM approach offers ease of integration, cost-effectiveness and flexibility. The IMSM initiative builds on an existing integrated service-management solution developed for Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and frame relay. The architectural framework uses a workflow-based process engine, a common information bus and a common information model.

"With its Catalyst Projects, the TeleManagement Forum has created a real opportunity for industry-leading providers to collaborate on leading-edge, open operations solutions," said Eric Buatois, general manager for HP's Communications Solutions Group. "HP's integrated service-management software suite, based on HP OpenView, HP Smart Internet Usage and HP Changengine process automation, are the foundation of our strong commitment to the competitive communications market."

TMF will showcase the IMSM capabilities through May 25 here at TeleManagement World, Catalyst booth No. 4. The demonstration will show flow-through automated provisioning, including circuit assignment and activation for an ATM circuit crossing Cisco and Newbridge network domains.

More information on the organizations involved in the IMSM project is available from their respective Web sites:

--  Active Software, Inc., NASDAQ: ASWX, www.activesoftware.com
--  Cambio, Inc., OTC:CAMB, www.cambio.com
--  Cisco Systems, Inc., NASDAQ: CSCO, www.cisco.com
--  Concord Communications, Inc., NASDAQ: CCRD, www.concord.com
--  Hewlett-Packard Company, NYSE: HWP, www.hp.com
--  Information & Graphics Systems, Inc. (IGS), www.igs.com
--  MediaOne, NYSE: UMG, www.mediaone.com
--  Newbridge Networks, NYSE: NN, TSE: NNC, www.newbridge.com
--  Nortel Networks Clarify eBusiness Applications, NYSE/TSE: NT,
www.clarify.com
--  Portal Software, Inc., NASDAQ: PRSF, www.portal.com
--  Syndesis, www.syndesis.com

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services and an Internet infrastructure that's always on.

Excluding Agilent Technologies, HP has 86,000 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.