Full Description

Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), incorporated in 1947, is a provider of products, technologies, software, solutions and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises, including the public and education sectors. The Company’s offerings span personal computing and other access devices; imaging and printing-related products and services; enterprise information technology infrastructure, including enterprise storage and server technology and software that optimizes business technology investments, and multi-vendor customer services, including technology support and maintenance, consulting and integration and outsourcing services, as well as application services and business process outsourcing. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008 (fiscal 2008), HP’s operations were organized into seven business segments: Enterprise Storage and Servers (ESS), HP Services (HPS), HP Software, the Personal Systems Group (PSG), the Imaging and Printing Group (IPG), HP Financial Services (HPFS) and Corporate Investments.

On August 26, 2008, the Company completed its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS), a provider of information technology services for enterprise customers. In September 2007, HP completed the acquisition of Opsware Inc. In October 2007, the Company completed the acquisition of Neoware Inc., a provider of thin-client computing and virtualization solutions. During fiscal 2008, HP also acquired nine companies.

Enterprise Storage and Servers

ESS provides storage and server products in a number of categories. Industry standard servers include primarily entry-level and mid-range ProLiant servers, which run primarily Windows, Linux and Novell operating systems and leverage Intel Corporation (Intel) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processors. The business spans a range of product lines that include pedestal-tower servers, density-optimized rack servers and HP's BladeSystem family of server blades. Business critical systems include Itanium-based Integrity servers running on the HP-UX, Windows, Linux, OpenVMS and NonStop operating systems, including the high-end Superdome servers and fault-tolerant Integrity NonStop servers.

Business critical systems also include the Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC)-based servers with the HP 9000 line running on the HP-UX operating system, HP AlphaServers running on both Tru64 UNIX and OpenVMS, and machine interface processor (MIPs)-based NonStop servers. HP's StorageWorks offerings include entry-level, mid-range and high-end arrays, storage area networks, network attached storage, storage management software and virtualization technologies, as well as tape drives, tape libraries and optical archival storage.

HP Services

HPS provides a portfolio of multi-vendor IT services, including technology services, consulting and integration and outsourcing services. HPS also offers a variety of services tailored to particular industries such as communications, media and entertainment, manufacturing and distribution, financial services, health and life sciences and the public sector, including government services. HPS collaborates with the Enterprise Storage and Servers and HP Software groups, as well as with third-party system integrators and software and networking companies to bring solutions to HP customers. HPS also works with IPG and PSG to provide managed print services, end user workplace services, and mobile workforce productivity solutions to enterprise customers.

HPS provides a range of technology services from standalone product support to high-availability services for complex, global, networked, multi-vendor environments. This business also manages the delivery of product warranty support through its own service organization, as well as through authorized partners. HPS provides consulting and integration services to architect, design and implement technology and industry-specific solutions for customers. Consulting and integration also provides cross-industry solutions in the areas of architecture and governance, infrastructure, applications and packaged applications, security, IT service management, information management and enterprise Microsoft solutions. HPS offers a variety of IT management and outsourcing services that support customers' infrastructure, applications, business processes, end user workplaces, print environments and business continuity and recovery requirements.

HP Software

HP Software is a provider of enterprise and service provider software and services. Its portfolio consists of: Enterprise IT management software solutions, including support and professional services, allow customers to manage their IT infrastructure, operations, applications, IT services and business processes. These solutions also include tools to automate data center operations and IT processes. It markets these solutions as the HP Business Technology Optimization suite of products and services. It delivers these solutions in the form of traditional software licenses and, in some cases, via the Software as a Service (SaaS) distribution model.

Information management and business intelligence solutions include its enterprise data warehousing, information business continuity, data availability, compliance and e-discovery products that enable its customers to extract more value from their structured and unstructured data and information. These solutions include the enterprise records management software that it acquired through its acquisition of Tower Software in fiscal 2008, and OpenCall solutions, which is a suite of carrier-grade software platforms for service providers that enable them to develop and deploy next-generation voice, data and converged network services.

Personal Systems Group

PSG provides commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, handheld computing devices, digital entertainment systems, calculators and other related accessories, software and services for the commercial and consumer markets. PSG offers a variety of personal computers optimized for commercial uses, including enterprise and SMB customers, and for connectivity and manageability in networked environments. These commercial PCs include primarily the HP Compaq business desktops, notebooks, and Tablet PCs, the HP EliteBook line of Mobile Workstations and professional notebooks, as well as the HP Mini-Note PC, HP Blade PCs, Retail POS systems, and the HP Compaq and Neoware Thin Clients. Consumer PCs include the HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario series of multi-media consumer desktops and notebooks, as well as the HP Pavilion Elite desktops, HP HPDX Premium notebooks and Touchsmart PCs, as well as Voodoo Gaming PCs, which are targeted at the home user.

Workstations are individual computing products designed for users demanding enhanced performance, such as computer animation, engineering design and other programs requiring high-resolution graphics. PSG provides workstations that run on both Windows and Linux-based operating systems. PSG provides a series of HP iPAQ Pocket PC handheld computing devices that run on Windows Mobile software. These products range from basic PDAs to advanced devices with voice and data capability. PSG's digital entertainment products include the Media Smart home servers, high density digital versatile disc (HD DVD) and rewriteable (RW) drives and drives and digital versatile disc (DVD) writers.

Imaging and Printing Group

IPG is an imaging and printing systems provider for consumer and commercial printer hardware, printing supplies, printing media and scanning devices. IPG is also focused on imaging solutions in the commercial markets, from managed print services solutions to addressing new growth opportunities in commercial printing and capturing high-value pages in areas, such as industrial applications, outdoor signage, and the graphic arts business. Its inkjet and Web solutions delivers its consumer and SMB inkjet solutions (hardware, ink, media), as well as developing its retail and Web businesses. It includes single function and all-in-one inkjet printers targeted toward consumers and SMBs, as well as retail publishing solutions, Snapfish, and Logoworks.

HP’s LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions unit is focused on delivering products and services to the enterprise segment. It includes LaserJet printers and supplies, Edgeline, scanners, enterprise software solutions such as Exstream Software and Web Jetadmin, managed print services products and solutions, and Halo telepresence. Graphics solutions include large format printing (Designjet, Scitex, ColorSpan and NUR), large format supplies, WebPress supplies, Indigo printing, specialty printing systems, inkjet high-speed production solutions and light production solutions. Printer supplies include LaserJet toner, inkjet cartridges, graphic solutions ink products, including inks for its large format, super-wide and digital press products, and other printing-related media. These supplies include HP-branded Vivera and ColorSphere ink and HP Premium and Premium Plus photo papers.

HP Financial Services

HPFS supports HP's global product and service solutions, providing a range of financial life-cycle management services. HPFS enables its worldwide customers to acquire complete IT solutions, including hardware, software and services. The Company offers leasing, financing, utility programs and asset recovery services, as well as financial asset management services for large global and enterprise customers. HPFS also provides an array of specialized financial services to SMBs and educational and governmental entities. HPFS offers alternatives to balance customer cash flow, technology obsolescence and capacity needs.

The Company competes with International Business Machines Corporation, EMC Corporation, Network Appliance, Inc., Dell, Inc., Sun Microsystems, Inc., IBM Global Services, Computer Sciences Corporation, Accenture Ltd., Fujitsu, Wipro Ltd, Infosys Technologies Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., BMC Software, Inc, CA Inc., and IBM Tivoli Software, Acer Inc., ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Apple Inc., Lenovo Group Limited and Toshiba Corporation, Canon USA, Inc., Lexmark International, Inc., Xerox Corporation, Seiko Epson Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, Xerox in copiers, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft and IBM Global Financing.