HP initiatives confirm that it means business about software

Sceptics unsure of Hewlett-Packard's commitment to the software business were shaken last week when the firm announced the Asian debut of a global Electronic Business Software Organisation along with a new software technology for electronic business.

The step comes about six months after HP announced formation of a software and service group and underscores the company's commitment to its new software strategy.

HP has been in and out the software business for many years, spinning off some products and using others to enhance hardware, prompting IT observers to wonder how seriously HP was committed to the software industry.

This time, HP has shown consistency, and said it intended to become one of the top three players in the area of e-business.

Any rival, who knows how HP took the PC market by storm and made it to the top in less than four years, will know the threat is to be taken seriously.

Further underscoring HP's commitment is its recent acquisition of several organisations, including Verifone and Symantec Networking, and its strategic partnership with Netscape around software for the Internet.

Central to HP's e-business strategy is HP Changengine, a technology that enables dynamic changes of business processes used in electronic business.