HP's Whitman backs Autonomy '100 percent'
Meg Whitman, chief executive of HP, has re-iterated that the company is fully committed to Autonomy's products, but acknowledged that it needs to work harder at bringing innovative new ideas and products to market.
"We remain 100-percent committed to Autonomy's industry-leading technology and its employees," Whitman said on Tuesday, adding that the technology will play a significant role in HP’s growth strategy in the future.
HP bought UK-based Autonomy for £7.1bn ($11.1bn) 2011, but last month revealed it would take a £5.4bn write down amid allegations of what HP called "serious financial improprieties".
Whitman opened her speech at the Discover 2012 keynote in Frankfurt, Germany on Tuesday by joking that it had been a quiet year for HP with "nothing really going on".
Unsurprisingly, Whitman attempted to put a positive spin on the company's recent financial performance and outlook but acknowledged there need to be changes to the way the company works.
"HP is a $120bn company in revenues. In spite of what you have heard, innovation is alive and well at HP," Whitman said. "We need to work hard at commercialising innovation and bringing it to market faster. That's a priority over the next 12 months."
Whitman also gave a brief overview of some of the company's units. In addition to pledging ongoing support to Autonomy, she said HP would continue to develop its printer unit, describing it as the bridge between the digital and the physical world. Whitman added that she wanted to develop technology that allows portable devices to connect with printers more easily.
Also on Tuesday, HP announced a new series of software applications designed to help its customers store and analyse big data more efficiently.