Compaq basks in Windows' sunlight
cbs.marketwatch.com
By Janet Haney, CBS MarketWatch
Last Update: 9:43 PM ET Feb 16, 2000
NewsWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Clamoring for the spotlight amid a
busy week of product launches and heavy tech talk at the Windows 2000
conference and expo, Compaq Computer hopes its announcement will be
made during Bill Gates? keynote address Thursday, will wow the crowd.
Other technology giants are also expected to make announcements during
Gates? speech (See Hardware Stocks). Compaq (CPQ: news, msgs),
though, seems confident its divulgence will stand out from the others.
"You can expect some real excitement," said Paul
Santeler, vice president, enterprise services for
Compaq. "If you look at all the things that will be
announced by Bill Gates, I think ours will be the
most exciting."
Possible topics of discussion could focus on
Compaq?s ProLiant server ramp as well as its
continued support of Microsoft (MSFT: news,
msgs) and Windows 2000 as the world moves into
the next phase of the Internet.
Compaq's deployment of Windows 2000 involves
18,000 desktops and more than 300 servers, with
a staff of 3,200 certified NT professionals and
1,000 Windows 2000 architects helping to
implement the product.
The PC maker's stock closed down 1 1/8
Wednesday at 25 7/8.
"It?s been a long, long trip," Santeler said, referring to Compaq?s
deployment of Windows 2000.
Robert Battye, vice president, Microsoft alliance for Compaq services,
said while NT and Windows 9x were great platforms for companies to
run infrastructure-based solutions, Windows 2000, because of its
Web-enabled technology, active directory, and manageability, has made
things easier.
"How do I reach a different group of customers, how do I bring new
products to market through innovative combinations with my own
suppliers, my own internal development? Windows 2000 creates that
platform," Battye added.
Meanwhile, Rick Becker, director of software marketing and business
development for Compaq, said that some of the company?s Web site
customers who were involved in the pre-release code of Windows 2000,
were so eager to deploy the system that they didn?t want to wait for final
code.
Battye chimed in and said the business opportunities available for a
company to run mission critical applications and build complex Web sites,
to do supply chain integration and to drive new business initiatives, are
now possible with Windows 2000.
In any case, all eyes will be on Bill Gates Thursday morning as he officially
launches the much hyped, much talked about Microsoft Windows 2000
operating system during his address in San Francisco.
Shares of Microsoft (MSFT: news, msgs) slipped 15/16 Wednesday to
close at 97 5/8.
Janet Haney is an online reporter for CBS MarketWatch.
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