Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • PC Hardware

    E-Services Becoming Land of the Giants

    By
    Paula Musich
    -
    August 13, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      As the boutiques that once dominated e-consulting fade, larger players, such as Hewlett-Packard Co., are moving in on multiple fronts to secure a bigger share of what remains.

      In an interesting twist on the transformation of the industry, HP is preparing to launch an online consulting business designed to offer bite-size Internet consulting services focused on the needs of midsize customers through HP channel partners.

      The services, initially focused on security, are intended to help customers “be more self-sufficient,” said John Bologna, general manager for online consulting worldwide at HP Consulting, in Mountain View, Calif. “What we think will take hold is the ability for a customer to buy tools that can help them at a fairly low cost and the ability for us to take what we learn from engagements and distill them to best practices to offer to our clients,” Bologna said.

      Among the first such offerings is the eSecurity Alert subscription service, which distributes to customers information on network and platform security issues culled from HP Internet-based resources.

      “We send these alerts with information [on] how critical it is and what the recommendation is for solving the [problem],” Bologna said. The information is filtered to provide only what the customer needs and costs just over $1,000 per month.

      The eSecurity Scan service searches an IP address or Web site for security vulnerabilities and then sends clients reports on what was found, along with a recommended action plan. The service costs $500 for four IP addresses. Other online services, such as Best Practices, provide pragmatic lessons from the field on specific issues and their implications, while HP Guru provides direct access to HP consultants.

      By providing such services at low cost, HP opened the door to additional business, according to one early customer.

      “We got off on the right foot—thats important right there,” said the customer at an engineering company, who used the eSecurity Scan service and asked not to be named. “When you have a good experience with a vendor, you tend to go back and ask what other services they provide.”

      The new HP online consulting business, systems integration and Express Services operations will roll out as part of HP Consulting in North America, then in Japan, Europe and Asia, officials said.

      In the meantime, rumors persist that HP is looking to acquire an e-services company. The rumor of a Scient Corp. acquisition died when that company merged with iXL Enterprises Inc. late last month. That merger of equals is intended to provide greater financial stability for the combined company. It was announced the same day that both companies recorded still more financial losses.

      Whether two smaller companies combined can last against deep-pocketed competitors is questionable, analysts said.

      HP rival Compaq Computer Corp. is also still looking to find a good fit with one or more boutiques after its failed bid this spring to acquire Proxicom Inc. Compaq was outbid late in the negotiations by South Africas Dimension Data plc.

      Compaq, which is actively looking at several e-consulting companies to find a good fit, is executing a “string of pearls” acquisition strategy, according to Laura Farnham, Compaq Global Services marketing vice president, in Stow, Mass.

      IBM, for its part, is playing both sides of the fence by growing its own e-consulting force and by partnering with boutiques through its channels organization.

      At its Solutions conference in San Francisco this week, the Armonk, N.Y., company will announce new service offerings or expanded partner alliances with Answerthink Inc., SBi Inc. and Dimension Data.

      Paula Musich
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×