When HP announced on August 18 that it was planning to carve off a $40 billion hardware manufacturing division, I&O leaders the world over paused to reflect and take it in. Their next thought was likely: "Do we buy our PCs from HP?" And then: "Should we stop doing that?" In a word, no. Although acquiring new customers just got harder for HP, maintaining the ones they have will rocket to the top of the priority list. What does it mean for HP's PC customers? Forrester believes better customer service in the near term and continued stability for the supply of new PCs and parts. All the same, a few prudent steps will prepare your firm should problems eventually arise.