HPQ: HP Offers Enterprise Customers Integrated Products and Support for Upcoming Microsoft Launch

HP today announced a broad portfolio of “Microsoft-Ready” products, services and solutions to help ensure customers experience a seamless transition to Windows Vista™, the 2007 Microsoft® Office system and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007.

HP will support the latest Microsoft products through interoperability with its enterprise hardware and software offerings – including HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem servers, HP StorageWorks products and HP Software – to improve access to information and tools so customers can more effectively collaborate and be more productive.

Additionally, nearly all HP business notebook, desktop and workstation PCs are available in Windows Vista Premium Ready configurations. In fact, HP was the first computer manufacturer in the industry to receive a Windows Vista Premium logo, for the HP xw9400 Workstation. More than 450 HP imaging and printing products are Windows Vista Ready.

As worldwide prime integrator for Microsoft products and technologies, HP Services will offer planning, design, implementation and support of the new Microsoft technologies and has the ability to integrate them into heterogeneous IT environments.

HP Services’ education team, a worldwide Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for learning solutions, will offer customized training to prepare businesses for the launch of Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Services include traditional classroom or online training that enables businesses to stay up to date while minimizing the time away from core business activities.

“HP has worked extensively with Microsoft to develop complementary products and services across our portfolio that help customers realize the full value of the latest Microsoft offerings,” said David Booth, senior vice president and U.S. country manager, Technology Solutions Group, HP. “With HP and Microsoft technologies, customers can create a more agile, adaptive and successful business.”

To ensure HP business customers receive the best experience from the latest technology advancements from Microsoft, the companies created the Frontline Partnership, which spans hardware, software and services.

“As we launch Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, we recognize HP as a key global partner who our customers can depend on,” said Mike Sievert, vice president, Windows marketing Group, Microsoft Corp. “Together, Microsoft and HP are providing customers high quality products and an unprecedented opportunity to build their People-Ready Business, leveraging their organizations’ greatest asset – their people.”

Improved enterprise data security, access and efficiency

HP engineers have worked intensely to ensure enterprise customers get the most from the built-in capabilities of Windows Vista, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 -- from the protection they demand, to anywhere access capabilities their employees need, to the operational efficiency required by IT administrators.

HP’s enterprise management software will support both the Windows Vista and Exchange Server 2007 environments. As a large number of enterprises upgrade to Windows Vista, HP Software smart plug-ins (SPIs) – including the Exchange Server 2007 SPI – will ensure seamless interoperability with the new platforms.

HP StorageWorks products will provide full support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, while HP ProLiant servers with Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition support 64-bit versions of both Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. In addition, HP BladeSystem c-Class solutions offer scalable performance, as well as a high degree of operational and management efficiencies for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Office SharePoint Server 2007.

HP’s early installation of beta releases for both Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 provided an opportunity for preliminary performance and scalability testing. HP has deployed both applications in a pilot phase and plans to upgrade to each next year as part of its own IT transformation and data center consolidation.

ActiveAnswers, where HP shares online its experience and best practices for planning, development and operation of solutions based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, provides up-to-date technical information, system configurators as well as storage and performance tools. New whitepapers focusing on HP’s best practices for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 are expected to be available in January 2007.

In addition, new HP End-User Workplace Messaging & Collaboration Solutions for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 provide competitively priced alternatives to building, staffing and managing an infrastructure in-house. HP works with customers to design and deliver the solutions that will help control costs via per-seat pricing and achieve higher levels of performance.

Windows Vista simplifies device deployment, maintenance; Improves security, efficiency

HP engineers have devoted more than 153,000 cumulative hours over the past five years working with Microsoft to ensure that its IT infrastructure products smoothly and simply support and integrate the new Windows Vista operating system into enterprise IT environments.

As the first PC manufacturer to deliver TPM 1.2 embedded security in May 2005, HP desktop PCs were used extensively in the validation of BitLocker, helping to ensure HP business systems deliver a secure experience for Windows Vista enterprise customers. In addition, HP mobility customers can get more done and stay better connected with a variety of advanced Windows Vista networking and mobility features, such as HP Mobile Data Protection 3D and HP Wireless Assistant, that offer improved wireless access management and improved data protection.

To help business customers deploy Windows Vista and to help protect existing technology investments, HP is also providing customers with free or low-cost Windows Vista and 2007 Office upgrades. Additionally, software drivers and explanatory white papers are expected to be available online starting in December for select models.

For example, the HP Universal Print Driver, a single, intelligent print driver that eliminates the need to perform individual driver installations, can help businesses virtually eliminate the need for testing, qualifying and distributing hundreds of different printer drivers when they migrate to Windows Vista.(1)

In fact, many of the core printing architectures native to Microsoft operating systems were developed through a strong collaboration between HP and Microsoft. For instance, HP provided expertise in the development of Microsoft’s Unidrive printing architecture and provided input on the new XPS document format.

Finally, new HP End-User Workplace Desktop Solutions for Windows Vista can help improve security, connectivity and manageability of an end-user computing environment to deliver the full value of a Windows Vista solution. These services help clients transition to Windows Vista by evaluating business requirements and recommending an overall strategy for upgrading, deploying and managing a standardized, highly secure Windows Vista environment.

More information about HP’s support for Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 for business customers is available at www.hp.com/microsoft


(1) HP’s Windows Vista enabled Universal Print Driver is expected to be available in early 2007. Visit www.hp.com/go/windowsvista for the most recent Windows Vista drivers and downloads. HP Universal Print Driver is available as a free download from www.hp.com/go/universalprintdriver or www.hp.com/go/upd.