という事を予測した記事。 特にOpswareの買収に引き続き、大手のデータセンターを買収していることがその方向を示唆している、という分析。
Data Centers: HP now the big dog?
On May 13, 2008 HP acquired EDS. This put the revenue brought in by IT services in 2007 to a whopping $38B, becoming a challenging #2 to IBM, at $54B. Great, but so what? Recall back in November 2007 when HP quietly acquired EYP Mission Critical Facilities, a data center design firm.
Today HP is the lone vendor capable of planning, designing, building, equipping, and supporting large scale data centers from cradle to grave. The current data center market is in refresh mode as many were built in the late 1990s when the first bubble bulged. These centers are nearing end of life. Granted, HP would have to be able to sell the one throat to choke model. I'm convinced the only way HP will make this happen is if there is a change in their sales force which could take years.
However, the direction they are probably heading is vastly different. With Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft in the battle of who can build the largest cloud the fastest (and probably most efficiently), HP is losing customers and will have to get in the game. With a recent acquisition of Marc Andreesen's Opsware, a data center automation firm, and plans to buy 24 data centers from British Telecom, HP could very well be constructing its own cloud.
One thing is for sure, HP can now build the most optimal data centers in the world if they chose too.
Conclusion: HP is now the big dog in the data center market.
