HP announces new products and services to help IT organizations implement service-management strategies; New release of HP OpenView Enterprise Management Solution delivers on first phase of HP's IT service-management roadmap.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 1997--Delivering on its information technology (IT) service-management initiative, Hewlett-Packard Company today introduced major enhancements to its HP OpenView enterprise solution and new consulting services. Together, these products and services are designed to help IT departments develop and deploy services that better meet the requirements of their business users.

"IT managers today face ever-increasing demands for not only more, but higher levels of service," said Olivier Helleboid, general manager of HP's Network and System Management Division. "These demands can be better managed and expectations better met by deploying service-management strategies. Our new OpenView capabilities build on HP's core competencies in selective outsourcing and consulting services to help IT managers implement a complete service-management solution that ties together business users, IT departments and outsourcers."

MAKING IT EASY FOR CUSTOMERS TO DEPLOY IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT

HP's Professional Services Organization will provide a portfolio of new consulting, integration, education and training services that will enable customers to improve IT service management by making them more customer- and business-focused. HP professional-services consultants will work with customers to help them accomplish the following:

-- gain better control over the rapidly changing IT environment;

-- improve time-to-market and quality of new IT services;

-- improve alignment of IT and business processes; and

-- improve the cost-efficiency of provisioning IT service.

HP provides a flexible, continuous route to IT service-management improvement and focuses on delivering fast results with priorities and determines scope by using state-of-the-art methodologies. Working with HP, customers can begin by assessing their business objectives and defining IT service-management objectives. As necessary, HP can work with customers to help them translate these objectives into service-level agreements, identify skills requirements and gaps, optimize organizational structures, optimize and implement processes, and select and implement tools. HP's approach incorporates IT service-management assessment, planning and design, implementation and training services.

HP provides a flexible, continuous route to IT service-management improvement and focuses on delivering fast results using state-of-the-art methodologies, with priorities and scope determined by customer needs. Working with HP, customers can begin by aligning their business goals with their IT service-management objectives. As necessary, HP can work with customers to help them translate their objectives into service-level agreements, identify skills requirements and gaps, optimize organizational structures, optimize and implement processes, and select and implement tools. HP's approach incorporates IT service-management assessment, planning and design, implementation and training services.

IMPACT OF IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT ON ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT TOOLS

To implement service-management strategies, IT professionals require management tools that address three major areas: resources, expectations and information. HP is introducing enhancements to its HP OpenView enterprise solution that address these areas and deliver on the first phase of the HP IT service-management roadmap.

MANAGING RESOURCES

To build a solid IT service-management foundation, organizations must continually improve the manageability of systems, applications and network devices. From a tools perspective, new functionality must be added; new devices, such as applications and Web servers, must be managed; and infrastructure data in support of service-level objectives must be collected. Today HP is adding new capabilities to its HP OpenView enterprise solution that improve element manageability, including the following:

-- Web-server discovery and management. Any device that includes Web server software -- systems as well as network devices -- now can be discovered and identified automatically as such for an operator. Now, with a simple point-and-click mouse operation on the device's map symbol, operators can launch the management application for the device from their favorite Web browsers, extending their management reach to Web-enabled devices. In addition, IT can more effectively manage Internet services by optimizing the health and availability of Netscape, Microsoft(R), Apache and NCSA Web servers.

-- Extending management beyond Internet Protocol (IP) networks. In addition to Web servers, IP Exchange (IPX) and level 2 (Media Access Control layer) devices now can be discovered, mapped and managed. By taking advantage of additional information provided by a new Management Information Base (MIB), such as the bridge and repeater MIBs, users are presented with a more accurate and complete picture of their managed environments.

-- Management through firewalls. Organizations now can manage systems outside their firewall, such as an electronic-commerce server, securely. This capability enables companies to keep their public Web servers healthy, as well as enabling selective outsourcers with HP OpenView tools to manage an organization's internal systems through a firewall.

-- Improved management of Microsoft environments. Tight integration with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) enables administrators to monitor the availability of Microsoft Windows NT(R) and Microsoft Windows(R) clients and servers, launch critical SMS services and distribute software to SMS-managed systems from a central HP OpenView console.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

To better set expectations with their business customers, IT needs management tools that support the definition of service-level agreements and delivery according to service-level agreements. HP also is adding features that help IT more effectively align with customers to deliver required services at a pre-agreed-to level and cost. New tools for planning, managing and communicating service levels include the following:

-- A new World Wide Web interface, which provides access to event and performance information as well as device status. Operators can view information on systems, applications and networks -- anytime, anywhere. Operators can access network data to determine device status, view event messages or historical network-performance data and initiate actions or escalate events to resolve problems quickly.

-- For Your Information (FYI) events, which enable administrators to inform others of events that may impact their work. Using FYI and the HP OpenView Web interface, IT organizations now can provide greater visibility of management data to their business customers. For example, when a critical event occurs that impacts a service level, an automated message from IT notifies business users about the effect the event will have on their services.

-- Application Response Measurement (ARM). The transaction-tracking capabilities of HP's resource- and performance-management solutions now include a new lightweight desktop agent for Windows 3.11 and Windows 95, making possible end-to-end application-response-time measurements from a Windows client to an enterprise server. This transaction-tracking capability provides a standardized way to measure business transactions from an end-user perspective.

-- IT cost management. Managing and controlling the cost of IT resources is another important aspect of service management. HP intends to provide an IT cost-management solution, expected to be available in early 1998, that will make it feasible for IT managers and line-of-business managers to relate the costs of IT services to business goals and results. This linkage is necessary to understand the true cost of IT services and how these services contribute to the bottom line.

-- Ownership transfer. An operator can transfer ownership of an event to an operator at any other management server, enabling IT to leverage remote resources and expertise.

MANAGING INFORMATION

A key component in an IT service-management strategy is communicating information about the managed environment in a way that business customers will not only understand, but appreciate. For example, network overload is a traffic or bandwidth problem to IT, but to the business customer it might mean a delay in order processing. To enhance the communication process, management data from the individual infrastructure components must be collected, consolidated and presented as an end-to-end service. In this way, IT can begin to translate the management of the infrastructure into a language that can be understood by the business. Several new capabilities from HP were created to help solve this problem, including the following:

-- Graphical user interface-based event correlation. The HP OpenView enterprise portfolio now includes high-speed, real-time event correlation, allowing operators to identify the root cause of a problem rather than just solving the symptoms. By reducing the number of insignificant events that travel across the network and by providing more meaningful information, network and operator overload is reduced.

-- Consolidation of SMS and UNIX(R) system inventory and event information. From a central console, operators can now access complete UNIX system and SMS hardware and software inventory, asset and event information.

-- Endorsement of the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) Common Information Model (CIM). Also announced today are plans to incorporate CIM into future HP OpenView service-management products. CIM provides a uniform way of describing and modeling management information -- mapping a technology view to a business perspective. Using this logical data model approach, HP will enable data sharing, consolidation and abstraction. HP intends to deliver a CIM-based hardware- and software-inventory component by early 1998.

To help customers develop and deploy an IT service-management strategy, HP has created a product roadmap that is expected to be available in April.

U.S. PRICES AND AVAILABILITY

These features are scheduled to be available in the new UNIX system versions of HP OpenView Network Node Manager, IT/Operations and IT/Administration in July.

HP OpenView Network Node Manager (Version 5.0) is available now, with prices starting at $4,995.

HP OpenView IT/Operations (Version 4.0), HP OpenView IT/Administration (Version 3.0) and HP OpenView MeasureWare Desktop Agent for Windows 3.11 and 95 are expected to be available in the third quarter of 1997.

ABOUT HP OPENVIEW

HP OpenView tools are the cornerstone of the HP OpenView Service Management program and deliver enterprise-management software for end-to-end service management in Internet computing environments. The program consists of a broad portfolio of management products from HP and HP OpenView Solution Partners and a complete set of services designed to help IT organizations improve service levels and reduce costs. HP products include HP OpenView Network Node Manager, IT/Operations, IT/Administration, OmniBack II, OmniStorage, NetMetrix and PerfView/MeasureWare.

HP OpenView manages networks, systems, applications and databases from all leading companies. According to International Data Corporation, HP is the largest producer of enterprise-management solutions. More than 300 HP OpenView-based management solutions are available on a variety of platforms, including HP 9000 systems, Sun Microsystems workstations and Microsoft Windows and NT systems. HP OpenView is licensed to Alcatel, Data General, Groupe Bull, Hitachi, Siemens and Stratus.

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 112,800 employees and had revenue of $38.4 billion in its 1996 fiscal year.

Information about HP OpenView products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com/go/openview . -0-

Note to Editors: Microsoft is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

Windows is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

Windows NT is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open(R) Company Limited.

X/Open is a registered trademark, and the X device is a trademark of X/Open Company Ltd. in the UK and other countries.

CONTACT: HP

Kristina Moustakas, 408/447-6363

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