Hewlett-Packard (HP) is throwing the full weight of its seven-week-old merger with Compaq Computer behind expanding its network, systems and services management software business.
Senior officials have confirmed plans to increase research, development and marketing investments in HP's flagship management software suite, OpenView.
That announcement, however, fell short of drawing up a comprehensive software strategy for the new and bigger HP organisation worldwide. The officials also failed to reveal the company's financial commitment.
In her opening keynote address at HP's 10th annual software forum in the United States, Nora Denzel, HP senior vice-president and head of its software global business unit, scarcely mentioned the Netaction middleware stack.
Last year, HP launched a two-pronged enterprise software strategy that was anchored on its OpenView brand for systems management and Netaction brand for all software used to glue together computer networks and e-business programmes.
It has been widely speculated that HP will discontinue production of software under its Netaction suite after Peter Blackmore, executive vice-president of HP's enterprise systems group, revealed last week that the company would 'retire' its middleware offerings.
Peter van der Fluit, vice-president for sales and marketing at HP's global software business unit, played down this apparent house-cleaning of software products. 'We are simply trying to sharpen our focus on products and services that our customers need today,' he said.