HP Adjusts e3000 Roadmap in Support of Customers
Completing Transitions to New HP Platforms

A majority of HP e3000 customers and partners who once depended on the e3000 have successfully completed, or are actively working on, transitions off the e3000 platform, in most cases to new HP platforms.

HP continues to strongly recommend that customers who still use the e3000 transition to a new HP platform as soon as possible. HP, together with many partners worldwide, continues to offer a strong transition program that includes a wide range of proven solution options.

HP recognizes that some companies may need to run their e3000s after HP’s current end-of-support date due to business constraints, transition timelines, or to retain access to data for archive or regulatory reasons. After working closely with customers, partners, and advocacy groups to understand their status and concerns, HP has three announcements for those who cannot complete their transitions by HP’s previously published end-of-support date, December, 2006. The primary intent of these decisions is to provide customers who are transitioning to new HP solutions with a little extra time and safety margin. These announcements do not reflect a change in HP’s continued recommendation that customers proceed with planning and implementing timely transitions off the e3000.

1) HP intends to offer basic reactive support services for e3000 systems through at least December, 2008.

2) HP encourages customers with mission critical support needs and more complex migration issues to discuss them directly with HP or their HP e3000 solution provider. HP will work with individual customers who cannot complete their transitions by the end of 2006 to explore structuring a customer-specific support package to help address these support needs for a limited time while transitions to another HP platform are completed.

The two offers above are subject to limitations and exclusions based on hardware and software configurations, geographic location, customer transition timelines, and other considerations. Pricing variances may apply.

3) When HP no longer offers services that address the basic support needs of remaining e3000 customers, HP intends to offer to license HP e3000 MPE/iX source code to one or more third parties -- if partner interest exists at that time -- to help partners meet the basic support needs of the remaining e3000 customers and partners.

Customers are urged to take advantage of the strong partner and HP e3000 transition programs that are currently available. HP Services professionals, with significant experience and expertise in incorporating architectural approaches such as Service-Oriented Architectures, stand ready to help customers seeking assistance with their planning and implementation strategies. A strong HP e3000 Platinum Partner program in North America and many other tools and services partners worldwide are actively engaged in similar efforts. Together, these resources have helped many HP e3000 customers successfully modernize their IT environments.

The HP partner community remains successfully engaged in meeting the needs of e3000 customers. In response to a request from that community, HP will continue to recognize the certification for those users and partners who currently hold an existing HP e3000 Certification, enabling them to continue using that certification in the conduct of their business.

“Today’s update reinforces HP’s commitment to help our customers and partners as they move through their transitions smoothly and quickly,” said Dave Wilde, HP e3000 business manager. “Our strong recommendation to customers is to focus on planning and completing their transitions off the e3000 while resources to provide needed assistance are in place. We are pleased to see that most HP e3000 customers are moving to new HP solutions and are working closely with HP and our partners during their transitions.”