Palo Alto, California. March 11, 1996
Hewlett-Packard Company today announced that it has formed a marketing alliance with ANS -- an America Online (AOL) company and leading commercial Internet access provider -- and that the two companies are offering an Intranet-focused service to business customers. An Intranet is a corporate internal wide area network or data communications system constructed using TCP/IP and Web technologies.
The Channel Partner agreement and relationship were formed to take advantage of the growing demand for Intranets. The Managed Intranet Solutions service (MIS service) will be marketed jointly by HP's Internet Solutions Group and ANS. The solution includes server hardware from HP, TCP/IP-based wide area network infrastructure and management from ANS, and end-user support services from AOL.
A recent report from Forrester Research(1) stated that nearly 40 percent of FORTUNE 1000 corporations polled said they are looking at establishing an internal corporate Web.
Using Intranets, companies can utilize internal Internet-based applications such as the World Wide Web, electronic mail, news, file transfer and on-line conference capabilities. These provide cost-effective ways to disseminate information to key audiences, including customers, employees and other stakeholders. Intranets also can provide an efficient way to implement telecommuting programs and sales force automation using Web technology.
The HP 9000 family of UNIX-based servers and workstations function as the hardware platform for the MIS service. This platform, with its superior connectivity and ease of use, is recognized as one of the leading hardware platforms for implementing an Internet strategy. Furthermore, as the owner and operator of the world's largest private Intranet, HP is the ideal partner for other companies looking to take advantage of these technologies.
"HP and ANS are uniquely positioned to provide superior Intranet solutions because of the expertise and commitment each company brings to this rapidly emerging market," said Jan C. Silverman, director of HP's Internet Solutions Group.
"This partnership was forged to give companies an integrated resource with proven, hands-on experience in developing, implementing and managing the components of an Intranet solution," said Silverman. "With the MIS service, HP, ANS and AOL are delivering an incomparable blend of hardware, software, network and end-user support expertise."
ANS' 45 Mbps, TCP/IP network is the Internet's principal backbone network, recognized as one of the world's largest and fastest public data networks. ANS developed, deployed and managed the server complex for AOL's GNN Internet navigation service unveiled last year. Moreover, ANS developed and markets ANS InterLock Services -- one of the first commercial firewall services.
"ANS brings the essential wide area network component to the MIS service, along with expertise in Web site management, advanced network security and problem resolution," said Carl Showalter, Intranet Services project director, ANS. "Add this to AOL's technology-development efforts relative to content presentation and ease-of-use capabilities, as well as their experience in end-user support, and you have a completely integrated, end-to-end Intranet solution."
Customers who buy the MIS service will benefit from AOL's commitment to technical excellence in the areas of on-line content development and user-friendly interfaces. This access to existing and developing AOL-owned technologies will help ensure that customer systems remain on the leading edge of Internet technology.
"This offering incorporates all the building blocks essential to establishing and maintaining an Intranet," said Mike Connors, president of AOL Technologies. "What's more, as The Wall Street Journal reported in November, the open standards of Intranets offer significant advantages over proprietary groupware alternatives."
The service is customized, enabling companies to meet specific business requirements. Priced competitively by HP and ANS, the MIS service gives clients access to the following critical components:
America Online, Inc., is the largest and fastest growing provider of on-line services in the U.S. with the most active subscriber base. AOL offers its more than 5 million subscribers a wide variety of services, including electronic mail, conferencing, software and computing support, as well as easy, affordable access to Internet services. AOL's acquisition of ANS is part of its strategy to apply its Internet technology expertise to the business community.
ANS, acquired by AOL in February 1995, is the nation's premier full-service Internet access provider, delivering dedicated Internet connections, nationwide dial access, and mission-critical networking services to support business applications.
HP is positioned to help businesses incorporate the Internet into their IT strategy and leverage its strengths. As the owner and operator of the world's largest private Intranet, HP knows how the Internet can be leveraged beyond simply getting connected. In January, HP introduced the HP 9000 Web Server, whose strong connectivity capabilities and ease-of-use functionality allow customers to share information easily and improve communication internally and externally.
The Internet Solutions home page can be accessed directly at http://www.hp.com/go/internet.
HP is the world's leading supplier of open-enterprise computing and is the second-largest computer supplier in the United States, with computer revenue of $25.3 billion in its 1995 fiscal year. HP has been delivering PA-RISC-based business computers since 1986 with high reliability, data integrity, data availability and systems availability.
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 105,200 employees and had revenue of $31.5 billion in its 1995 fiscal year.
Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
(1) The Forrester Report, December 1995, Vol. 10, No. 1
PA-RISC stands for Precision Architecture-reduced-instruction-set computing.
