HP takes delayed Action on web services

Hewlett Packard (HP) will unveil its NetAction ebusiness software suite on Tuesday in San Francisco in an attempt to make a late entry into the web services space.

vnunet.com can reveal that NetAction will be pitched against IBM's Webservices, Microsoft's .Net and Sun's Open Net, and will comprise a repackaging of HP's own and third party software integrated with Bluestone Software's Java-based Total-e-Business environment.

HP bought Bluestone last year and NetAction is the first fruit of its acquisition. The offering is intended to provide customers with an integrated environment to enable them to handle the whole product lifecycle of their ebusiness packages, from development through to management.

James Governor, an analyst at Illuminata, said: "This is HP's attempt to bring its software products together into a more coherent whole to make them easier to market."

HP has integrated its Openview network management software with Bluestone's Total-e-Server application server, which enables users to develop, deploy, and integrate their ebusiness applications with legacy packages.

Governor continued: "Bluestone has a very good application server, especially with regard to high availability and workload management. But the product isn't always the problem. It's people, relationships and partners, and HP's got some work on its hands here."