The VAR Guy

Talk about irony: Hewlett-Packard is now the world’s largest technology company. But that designation means HP is under attack on at least four fronts — from traditional rivals like Dell and IBM, to emerging rivals like Cisco Systems and Oracle. Can Interim CEO Cathie Lesjak keep HP in growth mode? Hmmm… Here are some insights.

Actually, keeping score is pretty easy:

• HP vs. Dell: No doubt, HP has been beating Dell on a number of fronts over the past few years. But the recent HP vs. Dell bidding war for 3Par – which HP finally won — shows that HP will need to open its wallet wider and wider to keep beating Dell on the M&A front. And Dell Channel Chief Greg Davis insists that Dell’s partner program continues to gain momentum.
• HP vs. IBM: Meanwhile, HP has also been beating IBM on a number of fronts, including in the server market. Still, HP is chasing IBM in two strategy areas: Software and services.
• HP vs. Cisco Systems: Ah, here’s where things get interesting. The HP vs. Cisco feud has been boiling for about two years now. As HP pushed into networking and Cisco pushed into storage and servers, Cisco ultimately canceled its partner relationship with HP. Fast forward to the present, and new Cisco North America Channel Chief Jim Sherriff is striving to help polish a Cisco commercial strategy that will counter HP in the SMB market.
• HP vs. Oracle: Now things get really interesting. Oracle software and HP hardware have been a powerful combo for more than two decades. But the Oracle-Sun relationship, and now Oracle’s apparent hiring of Mark Hurd, positions Oracle head-on against HP. Plus, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is threatening to end Oracle’s relationship with HP.

Forgive The VAR Guy if he sounds overly dramatic. But our resident blogger looks forward to pulling up a front-row seat for the upcoming Oracle OpenWorld conference. Ellison will certainly attend. Rumor has it, Hurd will attend. And current HP Executive VP Ann Livermore is on the list of confirmed keynote speakers.

Still, let’s not weep for HP. As the world’s largest IT company, HP continues to have a leg up in several markets. The big question: Will any of HP’s big rivals really attempt to cut off HP’s supply of liquid gold… otherwise known as printer ink?

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