Traditional, dot.com and service provider companies in need of enterprise management, security, service and support solutions are set to benefit from a partnership agreement recently struck between HP South Africa and AST Enterprise Solutions Management (AST ESM).
That`s the word from senior management at the two local companies, who confirm that AST ESM is expanding its software solutions portfolio to include the recently-debuted HP Netaction suite of products. This, they say, makes AST ESM the region`s first Netaction business partner.
While the company has designed and implemented projects for many years using the HP OpenView suite of enterprise, systems and IT operations management solutions, the Netaction signing is significant; it means AST ESM can offer the entire range of HP software solutions to its customers.
"Being a Netaction partner means we now also have access to HP`s security, middleware and e-services solutions," explains Geoff van den Bosch, the managing director at AST ESM.
"We see ourselves focusing on security initially. There is huge growth in the local and international market as companies see 'online business` and 'mission-criticality` being transformed from buzzwords into reality. That means security now ranks as a non-negotiable, must-have enterprise component."
Service and support also falls under the umbrella of this new partnership; HP will provide comprehensive local first line support to AST ESM; it in turn will provide the same to its customers, according to specific service level agreements on both Netaction and OpenView solutions.
The 'Netaction` moniker is itself new to the local and international market; in fact, HP only revealed it late last month when it relaunched its software solutions organisation following the acquisition of middleware giant, Bluestone. The company now has a strategy in place which, according to Gary de Menezes, software business manager for Middle East and Africa, is focused and simple.
"We have two integrated, complementary solution sets that allow companies such as AST ESM and its customers to develop, integrate, deploy, secure and manage business and internet-based services," he says. "Netaction focuses on the development, integration, deployment and security of solutions; OpenView manages them."
With Netaction and OpenView skills on board, AST ESM is clearly well placed to offer comprehensive enterprise software solutions to practically any large scale enterprise customer. However, van den Bosch expects the manufacturing, mining and financial services markets to fall under the company`s spotlight initially - adding that the latter market is especially interesting.
"Time-to-market and security are two of the most critical factors for a financial services organisation`s success. However, marrying the two has been difficult in the past, so if a company has had to make a choice, it`s gone with time-to-market and chosen to secure the solution later," he says.
"As an HP Netaction partner we can now offer security solutions, deployed on a modular basis, according to a cost-structure which meets the customer`s needs. And as an HP OpenView partner we can manage that solution."
Fact file
Some key components of the HP Netaction software family include:
HP Bluestone Total e-Server, an application server
HP e-Speak, an integration product that provides a way for multiple devices and applications to be linked together
HP Process Manager, which allows businesses to create and integrate new business processes; now integrated with Total e-Server and e-Speak
HP Virtualvault for security, now integrated with Total e-Server
HP Internet Usage Manager, which lets businesses implement usage-based billing
HP Opencall, which allows service providers to add IP-based voice services to their offerings
For more information on HP`s software solutions organisation surf to www.softwareproducts.hp.com. AST ESM can be found on the internet at www.ast.co.za
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