HP Sharpens Blades, Thin Clients
HP's got a new line of Blade workstations and thin clients out. There are loads
of details about the new lineup
here.
A major target for HP's Blade business is financial traders -- you know, like
the ones who used to work on Wall Street. Ha ha. Actually, though, there are
still some traders out there, and according to HP folks they might very well
be using Blade workstations in the near future. The financial downturn, HP officials
told RCPU in a phone chat this week (see -- original reporting!) has led to
an increase in interest in HP's wares.
"In this time of turmoil, we're in recent weeks seeing dramatic uptick
of opportunity," said Dan Olsen, worldwide business development manager
for HP Blade workstations. Blade "is a very interesting tool for an acquiring
bank as they acquire somebody else," he said, primarily because Blade workstations
allow the acquirer to get traders from the acquired bank quickly up and running
on the surviving bank's infrastructure. Plus, the thin-client workstation model
is relatively inexpensive, and Olsen says that financial institutions are "looking
for very smart ways to spend in IT."
So, there you go! The downturn turns out to be an upturn for some companies,
including HP.
Posted by Lee Pender on October 23, 2008