SBC Communications and HP Team Up for IT Services

SBC Communications Inc. (www.sbc.com) and HP (www.hp.com) today announced a strategic alliance to help U.S. businesses streamline the management of complex IT and communications environments.

The companies, capitalizing on their respective world-class capabilities, plan to provide enterprises with a one-stop, one-call approach to management of complete IT solutions - from PCs and servers to the communications networks that tie them together.

Expanding their long-term relationship, the SBC family of companies and HP intend to work together to develop, deliver and market a portfolio of highly adaptable packaged services that integrate telecom and IT to provide end-to-end managed solutions for enterprise businesses.

For enterprise customers, the alliance provides an opportunity to consolidate ongoing management of the most common IT infrastructure needs: voice and data networks; equipment such as servers, PCs and printers; and desktop software.

The integrated solutions are designed to help companies increase productivity and minimize total cost of ownership, particularly when facing key challenges such as implementing new convergence solutions or integrating branch office operations into corporate networks.

Both companies plan to begin jointly marketing each company's services in the first quarter of 2005, and currently plan to develop additional joint offerings, including services designed for smaller businesses, later in the year.

SBC companies and HP plan to jointly market a portfolio of managed solutions that utilizes HP's expertise in IT and carrier-grade technologies with SBC companies' leadership in advanced communications networking, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service for businesses.

The two companies plan to develop an integrated managed services program to target enterprise businesses that are adding locations, extending IT and telecom services to branch offices, upgrading to newer Internet Protocol (IP) technologies, supporting new software applications, or seeking lower or more predictable overall network and IT costs.

"As voice and data converge, enterprises face increasing complexity - and opportunity. HP and SBC companies, working together, can help enterprises embrace change - and open the door to very tangible business benefits," said ML Krakauer, vice president and general manager, Technology Services - Americas, HP.