By William Fellows
Hewlett-Packard Co’s is making longtime HP 3000 system partner Telemonics Inc’s telephone call accounting software available through its ‘apps on tap’ model where it hosts the server and software and charges customers on a per usage basis. HP says it automatically lowers the entry point for users. The apps on tap program is one way that HP hopes to re-engage ISVs for its proprietary MPE/ix-based 3000 servers. It admits that it has ignored them for a long time, but now that it is extending the life of the 3000 series by moving MPE/ix on to IA-64, it wants them back. It’s creating teams to encourage cross-platform porting between HP platforms. Customers have reportedly been dissatisfied that HP didn’t help in the porting or Oracle 8 to the 3000 and that the 3000 is losing out to HP’s Unix and NT ambitions.
HP says it has started working on some pieces of the task of porting MPE/ix to and IA-64 simulator using engineering resources gradually being freed up from the HP-UX-on-IA-64 effort. It claims the 3000 business is growing and effectively mirrors the rest of the server operations at HP in terms of revenue. 3000 server revenue was strong in Europe and Asia Pacific last quarter but down in North America; it says it expects North America to pull up some during the fourth quarter. However it also says the installed base is around 70,000 machines. And that’s what it told us last quarter. It has new systems lined up for the fall and for next spring. The new N-Class implemented as a 3000 system isn’t due until the end of next year.
Apps on tap was the key theme of HP SVP and chief marketing officer Nick Earle’s main theme at the HP World show in San Francisco this week, followed by the opportunities for next- generation portal business and dynamic brokering, which is what HP’s E-speak is all about; exchanging products and data. Although many customers responding to a survey by Interex, the HP user organization reportedly questioned the substance behind HP’s e-services campaign, Wall Street technology analysts at Merrill Lynch & Co believe few are seeing the benefits yet because only 55% if customers use HP Consulting. HP’s deal with BEA Systems Inc, its supply chain and ERP efforts and technical consultant hiring initiatives will help. Upgrading its US and German distribution centers means it can now turn around orders for high-end systems in 14 days; five days for mid-range and low-end configurations.
