Systems administration specialist Legent Corp, Vienna, Virginia is expanding its presence in Europe. Newly appointed chief executive Jerre Stead assisted Tuesday at the announcement in Paris of a strategic agreement with Hewlett-Packard Co and Compagnie des Machines Bull SA systems integration specialist Marben SA, aimed at providing a heterogeneous systems administration offering. Under terms of the agreement, Marben and Legent will market OpenProcess/XP, which will comprise Legent’s XPE and Marben GL’s Open Process technologies. Marben is a 20-year-old company of engineers always known for our technical knowledge and large profit margins – 5% to 8% after tax, quipped chief executive Christian Aubert. Over the last several years, it has expanded its activities into Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy and the US, growing to revenues of some $100m. I knew them when I was here before [as head of Honeywell Inc’s Europe, Middle East, Africa division in Brussels], Stead told Computergram. They are some of the best HP integrators I’ve seen and they are anxious to go global. He acknowledged that Marben was attractive to Legent because it needed Bull expertise for the French market, but that they have products that go way beyond Bull. The agreement does not create a separate company: the product’s marketing will be supported by Marben Management Systems, Groupe Marben’s systems integration specialist and Hewlett-Packard industrial partner. The agreement in France will not be Legent’s last; Stead told Computergram that he was off on a three-day tour of six countries, beginning with Spain, to conclude similar agreements.
