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HP Finally Explains Its Big Plans For Its $10 Billion Purchase, Autonomy

HP today demonstrated some of the new products it has planned for Autonomy.

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Former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch showed them off during HP's reseller conference going on in Las Vegas, reported ChannelBuzz.ca in a live blog of the event. Lynch is now executive vice president of information management for HP.

HP spent $10.3 billion buying Autonomy in a deal that contributed to the revolving door hitting Leo Apotheker on his way out.

HP Michael Lynch Autonomy
HP VP and former CEO of Autonomy Michael Lynch HP

So are HP's plans for the technology worth all the drama? Maybe.

For one thing, HP is working on Autonomy-based hardware appliances that will power enterprise search. This will compete with Google's Search Appliance. A hardware/software product is logical given that enterprise search is Autonomy's classic market, but it's nothing earth shattering.

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He did veer into cool territory when he showed off Autonomy's plans for mobile devices and video.

HP is working on mobile Autonomy applications that will let you view images of physical world objects such as a movie poster and interact with them online. That's nothing special, as lots of companies are working on similar technology, known as "augmented reality." But this type of thing hasn't gone mainstream yet, so there's plenty of room for a big player like HP to own it if it ever does.

He also impressed when he demonstrated an Autonomy application with video. While a movie was running, the app was offering up related links.

That kind of app could be something sold to companies for legal and governance needs.  Companies must hold onto vast amounts of data (e-mail, documents, videos) for legal reasons. But it can be painful to search that stuff to find relevant evidence.  

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"It is not about data, it is about meaning. It is not about machines, it is about people," he explained.

While such uses may not appease investors upset over how much HP paid for Autonomy, Lynch also pointed out that Autonomy has 60,000 customers and has closed some giant deals including $30 million with BP, $12 million with Deloitte. $70 million with JP Morgan Chase.

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