HP exec to lead large-business push

Hewlett-Packard said Monday that it has promoted the head of its software unit to also oversee the company's overall effort for large businesses.

Nora Denzel, who was vice president of HP's software business, has been heading the "adaptive enterprise" strategy since it was launched this spring. However, HP had not made her new role public until now. With its adaptive enterprise push, HP is trying to sell businesses on installing technology gear that is better able to change with business conditions.

HP's OpenView line of management software, which Denzel has overseen, is a key part of that strategy. Under Denzel, HP has also been making acquisitions in the software arena, including Web services management software maker Talking Blocks and the SelectAccess product line from U.K.-based security software maker Baltimore Technologies.

Both of those deals have now closed, HP said. Software and services are the two areas where HP has said it will make further acquisitions to grow its business. The company is still digesting its mammoth purchase of Compaq Computer, a deal that closed in May 2002.

In the wake of the Compaq acquisition, HP has continued to cut jobs in an effort to return its PC and high-end computing businesses to profitability. Both units posted wider-than-expected losses last quarter, though HP CEO Carly Fiorina has pledged that both businesses will be profitable in the current quarter, which runs through the end of October.

Separately, HP's printing business on Monday announced a deal to have its inkjet printing technology used in products from Olivetti Tecnost and Samsung Electronics. Both companies are expected to introduce products that use HP's inkjet technology by the end of the year.

HP said it will pursue more deals with consumer electronics makers as a way of boosting its overall printer business. "We are always looking for opportunities to grow our business in new ways," HP Senior Vice President Larry Lesley said in a statement.