HP bolsters reseller services offering

Company delivers on long-standing promise

Hewlett Packard (HP) is delivering on its long-standing promise to develop services by releasing a series of software products and enhancing its channel programme.

At its Software Universe event last week, the vendor unveiled more than 50 products, including its Application Server 8.0 as a free download, and Integrated Service Management solutions for its OpenView line.

HP's Software Business Solution Partner programme has been extended to include independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators (SIs). The expansion offers these a service to develop complementary applications.

Although many of the partners which will take advantage of the new offerings are already members of the Solution Partner programme, HP hopes to encourage resellers to become more involved in software development, and take advantage of increasing demand for a services-based approach.

"Resellers are doing a lot of integration work. They have to develop home made solutions," said Anton Knolmar, HP's director of marketing and channels, Europe, Middle East & Africa.

Mike Kon-towtt, chief executive of HP distributor PSL, agreed. " Resellers live or die by their differentiated solutions," he said.

The ISV and SI partner services will be available on a new partner online portal.

HP's services drive has come at an ideal time, according to Will Cappelli, an analyst at Giga Group. "The demands of service providers on vendors will outstrip enterprise demands," he said.

He added that vendors must cater to those demands if they want to survive in an application platform market which is becoming increasingly reliant on single-vendor solutions.