News release

HP Announces Industry's Most Complete Offering for Customers Running Siebel eBusiness Applications on Microsoft .NET Software

HP ProLiant Servers, HP Services Provide Foundation for Integration of Business Productivity Technologies

Leveraging its status as a Global Strategic Partner in the Siebel Alliance program and its recently announced Microsoft .NET alliance, HP (NYSE:HPQ) today delivers the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of systems and services to support customers running Siebel eBusiness Applications on Microsoft .NET solutions.

HP helps enterprise customers build and deploy Siebel Systems' business processes based on best practices with Microsoft BizTalkâ Server software for a complete Universal Application Network. In addition to employing the largest base of Microsoft architects and systems engineers in the industry, HP is a worldwide prime integrator for Microsoft .NET technologies including Microsoft BizTalk Server. With more than 1,500 HP ProLiant server installations by Siebel Systems customers worldwide, HP has the expertise with Siebel eBusiness Applications to help customers accelerate their time-to-market and return on investment.

Launched by Siebel Systems in April 2002, Universal Application Network is the industry's first standards-based, vendor-independent approach to the design and development of business processes that can be deployed on integration servers. Universal Application Network allows customers to quickly create new solutions to meet market demand by maximizing existing investments and reducing the cost and complexity of application integration.

By integrating business processes and applications across global enterprises on HP ProLiant platforms, customers can realize the real-time benefits of an adaptive infrastructure and achieve the responsiveness and technical flexibility needed to address changing business needs.

"Enterprise customers want to connect their information, people, systems and devices to achieve new levels of business agility and competitive advantage," said Ron Eller, vice president, Solutions, HP Industry Standard Servers. "The close collaboration of HP, Microsoft and Siebel Systems enables the complete integration of hardware, software and services. HP is providing customers running Siebel eBusiness Applications on Microsoft .NET with the platforms, infrastructure, management tools, storage and services required of a connected global enterprise."

In addition to its depth and breadth of experience with Siebel eBusiness Applications, HP has more than 5,000 sales professionals and 3,000 HP Services professionals being trained and certified on Microsoft .NET to assist customers wishing to integrate their business processes today. HP recently named Microsoft .NET as its number one application development platform for HP ProLiant servers.

Additionally, HP provides service offerings for on-site and remote management of Siebel eBusiness Applications, networks and databases. HP works closely with Microsoft to define and deliver complex enterprise integration solutions to serve the needs of Global 2000 customers.

"Siebel and Microsoft are combining industry best practices and best-of-breed integration software to deliver a new generation of business applications based on .NET and XML Web services," said David Kiker, general manager of eBusiness Servers, Microsoft. "The Universal Application Network implemented with BizTalk Server enables customers to rapidly connect business processes across applications, businesses and platforms. HP, a strategic alliance partner of Siebel and a prime integrator for BizTalk and .NET solutions, is poised to help customers worldwide to take advantage of this platform to rapidly achieve a new level of business agility and competitive advantage."

"The Universal Application Network architecture enables organizations to quickly deploy proven, prepackaged, end-to-end business processes with the flexibility to modify them for real-time response to fast-changing market, competitive and customer dynamics," said Ed Abbo, senior vice president, Technology, Siebel Systems. "As one of our leading platform partners for Siebel eBusiness Applications, HP understands our customers' needs and has taken a leadership position in helping them realize value through a reliable, standards-based platform architecture and expert global services support."

About HP

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corp. on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

Siebel is a trademark of Siebel Systems, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Microsoft is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.