BMC Software and HP To Manage High-Availability ERP Environments; Companies to Build On Current Integrated and Certified Solutions.

HOUSTON and PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1998-- BMC Software Inc. (Nasdaq:BMCS), the leader in providing Application Service Assurance (ASA(TM)), and Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP), the leader in UNIX(R) system computers, today announce a joint initiative to integrate, certify and deliver management solutions for high-availability, mission-critical enterprise resource planning (ERP) application environments.

With today's announcement, HP is supporting BMC Software's ASA strategy, which ensures that business-critical applications are available, perform optimally, and can be quickly and completely recovered when necessary. The strategy focuses on optimizing the service levels delivered to customers, maximizing return on investment and adapting to changing business requirements.

Today, many customers running ERP applications rely on HP's MC/ServiceGuard coupled with BMC Software's PATROL((R)) products that are certified as MC/ServiceGuard compliant. BMC Software's PATROL Knowledge Modules(TM) specifically support all the major ERP applications from SAP, Baan, PeopleSoft and Oracle(R) to ensure high availability of customers' mission-critical ERP applications. The PATROL product suite also integrates into HP solutions through BMC Software's PATROLVIEW(TM) product. This level of integration also extends between HP Omniback and BMC Software's SQL-BackTrack(TM) product to provide comprehensive application back-up and recovery solutions for continuous application availability.

"BMC Software's ASA initiative is a major advance in addressing the rigorous requirements of the mission-critical applications market," said Janice Chaffin, general manager of HP's High Performance Systems Division. "The combination of BMC Software's PATROL with HP MC/ServiceGuard, and other HP high-availability products provides our customers with the highest available computing environment in the industry for major ERP applications."

Working with HP, BMC Software will extend its PATROL products to provide end-to-end ERP application management on the HP-UX(1) platform.

"Our collaboration with HP to deliver high-availability solutions is significant because we share the same goal of guaranteeing service levels to customers running mission-critical applications," said Debra Tummins, vice president of Global Alliances at BMC Software. "HP's Mission Critical Server Suite offering, 5nines:5minutes vision and IA-64 computing strategy are highly complementary with BMC Software's ASA strategy and combine to give our customers the utmost in application availability, performance and recovery."

HP's 5nines:5minutes vision aims to deliver 99.999 percent uptime in pre-defined, pre-tested customer environments. This industry-leading vision for high availability promises no more than five minutes of downtime per year and builds upon HP's existing Mission Critical Server Suite platform offering, which guarantees 99.95 percent uptime today. About H-P

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing, Internet and intranet solutions, services, communications products and measurement solutions, all of which are recognized for excellence in quality and support. It is the second-largest computer supplier in the world, with computer-related revenue in excess of $35.4 billion in its 1997 fiscal year. HP has 127,200 employees and had revenue of $42.9 billion in its 1997 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at www.hp.com or www.hp.com/go/ha. About BMC Software

BMC Software Inc. is an industry leader in delivering Application Service Assurance (ASA(TM)) solutions -- enterprise-level software and support that improves the availability, performance and recovery of critical applications and data in complex computing environments. BMC Software is the world's 11th largest independent software vendor and a Forbes 500 company, with revenues exceeding $730 million in fiscal 1998. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices worldwide. For more information, please call 800/841-2031 or 713/918-8800 or visit BMC Software on the Web at www.bmc.com. (1) HP-UX Release 10.20 and later and HP-UX Release 11.00 and later (in both 32 and 64-bit configurations) on all HP 9000 computers are Open Group UNIX 95 branded products. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

BMC Software is an Equal Opportunity Employer. BMC Software, the BMC Software logos and all other product or service names are registered trademarks of BMC Software Inc. in the USA and in other select countries. (R) and (TM) indicate USA registration or USA trademark. Other third-party logos and product/trade names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.