HP Tackles New Stadium Technology for Dallas Cowboys

HP Converged Infrastructure boosts reliability and revenue for Cowboys Stadium

PALO ALTO, Calif. - HP today announced that the Dallas Cowboys have deployed HP Converged Infrastructure technology in the state-of-the-art data center that powers Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The world-famous Cowboys Stadium hosts the Dallas Cowboys Football Club as well as high-profile concerts, conferences and sporting events, including the annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, the upcoming Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6 and the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.

With events drawing crowds as large as 100,000 attendees, Cowboys Stadium requires a high-performing and reliable system. HP technology allows the stadium to achieve continuity of services, including more than 3,000 onsite video screens that televise the game and advertisements. Additionally, the infrastructure operates all of the electronic ticket scanners, concessions sales and electronic menus.

“From the merchandising and concession system to the handheld wireless ticket scanning application, everything in this new building is tied to technology,” said Pete Walsh, director, Information Technology, Dallas Cowboys. “Deploying HP Converged Infrastructure has not only helped our new stadium increase revenue, but also allows us to deliver the ultimate pro football celebration to our fans worldwide.”

HP Converged Infrastructure architecture provides a blueprint for franchises like the Cowboys to create advanced data center environments and make technology a key differentiator for their businesses. The data center at the previous Dallas Cowboys home, Texas Stadium, was a
one-application-per-server model, which strained technology resources. HP solutions allowed the Cowboys to eliminate technology silos and integrate data center components into shared pools of interoperable resources.

For Cowboys Stadium, HP developed a shared infrastructure that efficiently supports operations on the field, while cost-effectively managing the lighting, wireless services and video screens. The HP infrastructure also powers the largest high-definition television in the world centered directly above the field to improve the customer experience and ensure fans don’t miss any of the action.

“The Dallas Cowboys needed an IT infrastructure for their new stadium that would help increase revenue, enhance innovation and enable it to host some of the world’s largest sporting events – like the Super Bowl or Final Four,” said Bethany Mayer, vice president, Worldwide Marketing and Alliances, Enterprise Servers, Storage and Networking, HP. “By choosing HP Converged Infrastructure to manage their entire IT environment, the Cowboys have one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the league, which will be able to support future growth for many years to come.”

The HP BladeSystem architecture, which decreases the footprint at the stadium from 500 rack-mount servers to 250 blade systems, streamlines operations and increases energy efficiency. HP Virtual Connect modules manage the physical and virtual servers to allow faster infrastructure changes, consolidate network equipment while reducing operating costs, and manage the physical and virtual servers from a single interface. The addition of HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Arrays enables the technology to improve flexibility and responsiveness, while managing risk.

For upcoming events, Cowboys Stadium will use HP BladeSystem Matrix to add capacity, further accelerate service delivery via increased automation and simplify planning to accommodate the maximum capacity of attendees.

HP Converged Infrastructure is part of an Instant-On Enterprise. In a world of continuous connectivity, the Instant-On Enterprise embeds technology in everything it does to serve customers, employees, partners and citizens with everything they need, instantly.

More information on HP Converged Infrastructure is available at www.hp.com/go/ci.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could 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 but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.