SoftService Wins HP Software Partner of the year

Nice, France, December 5, 2005 - HP has today announced the winners of its eighth annual Business Partner of the Year Awards. The awards recognise partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to HP OpenView and HP OpenCall software sales and implementation. Also announced were the winners of a new partner award category for Distribution Excellence.

The HP Business Partner of the Year Awards recognise the commitment and contribution HP?s partners make in supporting software sales and implementation, developing innovative, joint solutions to meet individual customer needs and in helping grow revenue. The award for Distribution Excellence, new in 2005, further recognises the support HP?s Channel Development Partners (CDPs) deliver in driving new partner recruitment and furthering the development and education of existing partners.

"The 'Capitalise on Change' theme of Software Universe 2005 is brought to life by the work of our business partners. This year´s 26 winners have done a great job at driving home the enhancements HP has made to the OpenView portfolio so that it gives customers even greater insight and control of IT processes," said Andy Isherwood, vice president and general manager, Software Global Business Unit, HP EMEA. "These awards are just one way for us to show our appreciation."

This year´s awards were presented at the HP Software Universe 2005 conference in Nice, France, 5 - 6 December. The conference focused on how new developments, such as the impact of new financial regulations on IT compliance efforts, an increase in mergers and acquisitions and the quest for greater agility through Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), have impacted on businesses. The conference provided attendees with the opportunity to participate in peer-level discussions, network and hear about actual customer implementations.

About the HP Business Partner of the Year Awards:

The HP Partner of the Year awards recognise HP Software partners who have excelled at reaching business goals and who have made an impact on local or regional markets through developing strong relationships with both HP and customers. The award also commends partners for achieving major project breakthroughs, outstanding order volumes and development of joint solutions.

HP Software Partner of the Year - OpenView

The HP OpenView Partner of the Year award recognises partners that have excelled in sales, customer support, implementation and joint solution development of HP?s OpenView software portfolio.

SoftService GmbH won an OpenView Change and Configuration Management solution deal based on HP OpenView Radia, in the German health sector to support 2,500 users.

The business was won in a competitive pitch with staff working closely and efficiently with the HP sales team to optimise the success rate. Other key wins for SoftService in Germany include Vodafone D2, Klett Verlag and the University Hospital of Jena.