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HP South East Asia charts three business goals

Top priority for HP to focus on always-on infrastructure|eServices and appliances in South East Asia.
Written by Lim Fung Meng, Contributor
By Lim Fung Meng

As a company that grew out of a garage 50 years ago into a multi-billion global computing provider with US$42.4 billion sales in 1999, Hewlett-Packard is constantly re-inventing itself.

SINGAPORE, 21 July 2000 - Hewlett-Packard's Chia Wee Boon announced that he wants to transform the company into an Internet company focused on three main businesses - always-on infrastructure, e-services and appliances.

The newly-promoted managing director for HP Singapore and South East Asia did not mention a single word of computer or printer and he was serious about the appliances bit.

While it is not difficult to understand that always-on infrastructure refers to HP's reliable personal computers, enterprise servers and storage devices, e-services and appliances are a little harder to comprehend.

Unless you are in the IT business, what type of e-services can you name that comes from HP? "Well, there is e-garage, a program designed for startups with financing, technology and marketing support," Wee Boon explained.

As for appliances, HP is going to lump their popular printers together with palmtops and scanners.

Looks like the New Economy calls for new definitions under the new management team.

Also promoted is Lien Siaou-Sze to vice president and managing director for HP Asia Pacific.

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