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HP Enables DreamWorks Animation to Simplify Business Operations with Service-oriented Architecture


WEBWIRE

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 28, 2006, HP today announced that DreamWorks Animation has implemented an HP solution based on a service-oriented architecture that simplifies and consolidates key business operations.

A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an approach to building and managing IT infrastructures using standards-based software and services as autonomous, re-usable components.

HP worked closely with DreamWorks to integrate several of its key business applications into the new architecture. Overall, the HP SOA approach provides DreamWorks with a more streamlined workflow and a common look and feel across each application.

“The new architecture provides us a more unified, efficient IT platform to support our core business applications that keep our company up and running,” said Abe Wong, head of Information Technology, DreamWorks. “We selected HP as our provider of infrastructure and production technologies because of the company’s great products, commitment to innovation and its broad technical expertise that all continually meet and exceed our high standards.”

Running on a Linux operating environment, the SOA project included planning, designing and re-engineering DreamWorks’ existing applications. The company now has a central repository to maintain data, roles and responsibilities as well as workflow information related to the applications.

For example, for a company known for blockbuster films such as “Shrek 2” and “Madagascar,” protecting intellectual property is vital. The SOA has allowed for a new copyright tracking application that provides DreamWorks both authorization and authentication of incoming, valuable feature film scripts.

Other DreamWorks business services that have been migrated to the SOA include company directories, employee bulletin boards, vacation requests and even cafeteria menus. The inherent flexibility of the SOA architecture positions DreamWorks to add additional business applications and support ongoing enhancements.

“HP’s SOA implementation is empowering DreamWorks to achieve a better overall return on its IT investments,” said Uday Kumaraswami, vice president, Enterprise Applications Practice, HP Services. “Using our worldwide scale, HP applied resources across three times zones and six geographies to help DreamWorks optimize business applications and heighten operational efficiency.”

As part of the implementation, HP’s Linux Reference Architecture offering of integrated software and hardware stacks, including the JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite (JEMS), helped DreamWorks realize cost-savings and facilitated its efforts to deploy open source technology on industry-standard platforms.

HP’s expertise in SOAs spans several years and encompasses partner offerings, world-class server and storage products, and leading management software, including HP OpenView SOA Manager. In addition, HP Services has several thousand worldwide professionals able to implement and deploy open source technology and SOA-based solutions.

“A major challenge faced by IT staff today is the migration and reuse of legacy applications to deliver streamlined, flexible business operations that support changing business requirements,” said Carl Greiner, senior vice president, Ovum. “As information technology moves toward a shared-services model of computing across business processes, applications and infrastructure, companies will increasingly rely on technology providers with proven SOA capabilities to assess and implement SOA architectures to deliver streamlined business operations.”

HP and DreamWorks Animation

Since their first work together in 2001 on the movie “Shrek,” HP and DreamWorks Animation have collaborated on technology innovations that have enabled DreamWorks to continually push the boundaries of computer-generated animation. DreamWorks has designated HP as its sole preferred technology provider for its core technology purchases, including the computing infrastructure for DreamWorks’ digital studios,

Most recently, HP introduced the HP Halo Collaboration Studio, a first-of-its-kind offering for simulating face-to-face business meetings across long distances, brought to life in partnership with DreamWorks Animation SKG.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2006, HP revenue totaled $87.9 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they ever materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including the expected development, performance or rankings of products or services; statements of expectation or belief; and any statement of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the development, performance and market acceptance of products and services and other risks that are described from time to time in HP’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2005 and other reports filed after such report. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.



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