HP, PARTNER TO PUSH PRESENCE

Network capabilities such as location and presence remain capabilities until someone can turn them into service offerings. HP and Macromedia announced a partnership this week to do just that.

Infrastructure provider HP will integrate its service-delivery platform with Macromedia's Flash Platform, which developers use to create client software and applications. Flash technology is installed on 98% of all personal computers and millions of mobile handsets.

HP is now a preferred reseller and system integrator for Macromedia solutions such as Breeze and Flex. Breeze is a Web-conferencing solution, and Flex is a set of tools and services that enables the presentation layer for Flash-based applications.

“The network can support all kinds of capabilities and information, like location information, but that doesn't mean there is a service there that the customer is willing to pay for,” said Marco Linea, vice president of the network service provider solutions business for HP.

The collaboration will result in a platform that converts those network capabilities into services developed by the Macromedia developer community and delivers them to carrier customers with security and scalability, said Eric Weiss, vice president of telecom solutions at Macromedia.

“Carriers want to control everything in the services delivery [process],” Weiss said. “They need developers outside of their own to help them. That's where the Flash community and the HP developer community come into play, by using the open architecture both companies have embraced.”

The integrated platforms will allow service providers to unify voice, data and video communications with a rich application user interface that is available across operating systems and devices.

As part of this initiative, HP will offer turnkey systems integration services to service providers deploying Flash Platform products in their networks. Macromedia and HP will target Tier 1 operators in North America, Europe and Asia initially.

The companies have developed a prototype that integrates the Flash Platform, the Breeze Web-conferencing solution and the HP SDP. It runs on the HP iPAQ Pocket PC and demonstrates multiple communications services sharing context and content information across applications and devices.