HP Wins $3.4 Billion Navy IT Contract (DoD Buzz)
The U.S. Navy has awarded its Next Generation Enterprise Network, or NGEN, contract of up to $3.4 billion to Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) to upgrade and run the service’s communications network – a backbone connecting as many as 800,000 users. The Hewlett Packard team won over a group of companies including Computer Sciences Corp. The five-year NGEN deal was designed to lower prices through competition among the seven vendors who bid for the deal and engender a circumstance wherein the network is able to accommodate technological advances as they emerge, according to Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for acquisition, research and development.
After a few bumps and stumbles, Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) is committed to getting back on track. Exhibit A of that commitment: Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman has dubbed 2013 the “fix and rebuild” year with a focus on partnering with, rather than just serving, customers. “As a part of our turnaround strategy, HP’s entire Enterprise Services group is currently in the midst of revitalization efforts that offer a ‘new style’ of [information technology] and a portfolio of products unmatched by any other company,” said Marilyn Crouther, senior vice president and general manager of Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) Enterprise Services, U.S. Public Sector. “We see this new style as a deeper integration of a variety of IT solutions to meet the challenges of an evolving workplace environment, which are influenced by cloud, big data, mobility and security.”
HP ElitePad now in Kenya (Capital FM Kenya)
Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) has announced the release of the HP ElitePad 900 in the Kenyan market. The announcement was made at an event at Hemmingways Hotel in Karen, clearly signalling the intention of HP to target Kenya’s business and corporate community. HP says the tablet is designed for business, government healthcare and retail. It features Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) ElitePad Smart Jackets which add connectivity options and longer battery life along with specific add-ons that customize the tablet for specialized uses. The ElitePad is an ultrathin, lightweight Microsoft Windows 8 tablet that delivers features to keep IT managers happy and touts a design that employees will crave.
Hewlett-Packard plans to rejoin the smartphone space (ZDNet)
Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) hasn’t developed a smartphone since killing off WebOS in 2011, but the firm is working on a new device to entice consumers and re-enter the race. At an event in Beijing, HP Senior Director of Consumer PC and Media Tablets Asia Pacific Yam Su Yin told news agency PTI that it would be “silly” for the company to ignore the lucrative smartphone market. When asked if a smartphone will join the PCs that Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) offers consumers, Yam said: “The answer is yes but I cannot give a timetable. It would be silly if we say no. HP has to be in the game.”
Relational’s Funds Said to Gain Up to 33% on HP, Timken (Bloomberg)
Relational Investors LLC’s two activist asset-management funds gained about 25 percent and 33 percent in their fiscal year as campaigns at Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) and The Timken Company (NYSE:TKR) rewarded shareholders, a person with knowledge of the performance said. The large-cap and mid-cap funds, which together hold about $5.5 billion, calculated returns on portfolios of publicly traded companies for the 12 months ended June 30, said the person, who asked not to be named because the results are private. San Diego-based Relational, co-founded by Ralph Whitworth, is in the process of consolidating the two into a single fund.
