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	August 3, 2007 Evaluating HP Integrity's Systems Architecture — Itanium's Not The Differentiator by Brad Day with Simon Yates, Rachel Batiancila

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Executive Summary

During the past several years, both the business and competitive technology environment for HP Integrity business has indeed changed, and yet, HP's two most challenging Unix systems adversaries — Sun Microsystems and IBM — are still on the BAFO ("best and final offer") shortlist for the most demanding technical and commercial application enterprise computing deployments. HP has had to contend not only with the strong virtualization stack and performance capabilities from IBM's System p, but also with a rehabilitated Sun Solaris/SPARC effort, most notably catalyzed by Sun's success with its T1000 and T2000 multicore offerings in both the entry net-edge and midrange server segments. Nevertheless, Forrester believes that many CTOs are now reconsidering HP's Integrity architectural feature/benefits — dismissing last year's concerns over Intel's (and consequently HP's) delay in getting a stronger Montecito-based Itanium 2 offering out in the market. While the competitive pressure from IBM and Sun will remain unabated, HP's Integrity systems business has returned in its previous capacity as a more consistent IT shortlist contender.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. What's the strategic significance of the HP Integrity server's ability to run four core operating systems environments: Linux, Windows, OpenVMS, and HP-UX (Unix)?
• 2. Does HP's support of both a Linux and Windows footprint on its Integrity systems architecture indicate less investment in the HP-UX product road map moving forward?
• 3. What is the current status of HP's ability to court and grow its ISV portfolio for the HP Integrity systems architecture, and should that be a critical shortlist selection criteria?
• 4. HP's Integrity product line has not kept up with its stated product road map with the 2005 to 2006 delay in Intel's release of its Montecito processors. With a fully refreshed Montecito-based Integrity offering now out for a year, will the future Itanium 2 road map be consistent and predictable?
• 5. What Integrity/HP-UX product feature/benefits investments do you feel are critical for HP in maintaining its competitiveness in the classic Unix/RISC enterprise computing segment?

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