HP creates new global unit for telecoms and media industries

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 18 February 2009 02:29

IT Industry - Market

HP has merged its telecom and digital content management software businesses and combined these with its related professional services capabilities to create a new business to address the specific needs of service providers, network equipment suppliers and media companies.

The new HP Communications and Media Solutions (HP CMS) business incorporates the resources of the former HP Communications, Media and Entertainment (CME) unit, the HP OpenCall business unit, and the global CME consulting and integration practices. Joy King, director, communications and media solutions for HP CMS, told iTWire that it would be HP's largest vertical industry group, but said the company did not disclose any information on business unit size even as a percentage of total revenues or total employee numbers.

However she said that creation of the new unit would be achieved without any major disruption to existing facilities or staff, largely through role-reallocations. "While there is significant change in the way CMS does business with its customers, no facilities are being opened or closed. There is significant infusion of staff – but no wholesale relocation," she said.

HP says it will make significant investment in the new unit but does not put numbers on this. However King said it would be in people, R&D, and in solutions development in four main areas: service delivery infrastructure and applications, NGOSS, customer intelligence and billing, and digital media.
 
HP said the new unit had been created "to accelerate solution development and streamline the delivery of solutions, to help communications and media industry customers compete more effectively in a fast-changing market."

King told iTWire that customer input had been a strong factor in the decision to create the new unit. "HP CMS stays in very close touch with its customers via the Customer Advisory Board...Customers conveyed to HP that they needed more solutions, needed them faster, needed them to be modular and well-integrated, and needed a single partner that had the right balance of solutions and the services." She added: "HP is always looking for ways to streamline creation and delivery of solutions, but the customer input added great impetus."

Erwan Menard, vice president and general manager, Communications and Media Solutions, HP promised that "Our telecom and media customers will see more innovation, faster deployment, and more flexibility in the way they take advantage of HP solutions and services."
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