The vendor is rolling out the HP SAP Business Information Warehouse Impact Analysis, a customized service that helps companies implement on HP hardware SAP's Business Information Warehouse, software that provides views and analysis of enterprisewide SAP R/3 data. HP says the service will help companies develop a plan for integrating Business Information Warehouse into their current and projected data warehouse architectures, and is partnering initially with ESI Enterprise Solutions, an enterprise resource planning integrator with expertise in SAP and E-business reengineering.

"Intelligence itself will become an E-service," says Jennie Grimes, manager of E-Intelligence Solutions in HP's business-critical computing unit. E-services revolve around intelligent devices--including PCs, cell phones, and pagers--that access and share different types of information stored in data warehouses. New sales opportunities can depend on a company's ability to pull data from data warehouses and deliver it in real time over the Internet to buyers.

Tanning Technology Corp., an IT provider also focused on the E-business market, is teaming with HP to offer a Data Warehouse Rescue Service for customers with data warehousing projects that are behind schedule. The service is also designed to develop future data warehousing deployments, such as Web initiatives, on HP hardware.

HP is also bringing its Windows terminals into the E-services fold. It will introduce thin clients with a local Web browser to improve the efficiency of transactions across IP networks, says Dan Gates, worldwide market development manager for HP thin clients.

Gates says that browser-equipped thin clients are ideal for companies outsourcing apps from a host provider across an IP network and those moving legacy data to IP networks."The software is already running remotely, and thin clients keep down costs and maintenance," says Gates. Pricing for the thin clients is not available.

Joe Beyers, VP and general manager of the Internet business unit, says HP's embrace of E-services "is the first time HP has had one strategy to drive all its facets, including servers, software, systems, solutions, and applications."

Some analysts question HP's ability to deliver on its E-services vision. Dale Kutnick, president of the Meta Group, says HP may have a difficult time finding the necessary expertise. But Beyers says the company is expanding its deployment capacity, and creating key partnerships with systems integrators is part of that plan.