Today
Today’s updates include a new version of HP’s Agile project management software to focus more on the needs of the mobile developer. These updates include the HP Agile Manager and Application Lifecycle Management products, with better integration of the latter with the HP Fortify application security suite.
HP has also updated its mobile testing software, including HP Mobile Center, HP Network Virtualization, and HP Service Virtualization.
The vendor’s performance engineering solutions have also received updates, including HP LoadRunner and HP Performance Center, which are now integrated with HP Mobile Center for better mobile testing. Also on the update list: HP StormRunner Load, which offers cloud-based load testing.
The one new product announcement on the list, HP App Pulse Mobile, leverages the HP Haven big data platform to monitor and analyze performance, stability, and resource usage of mobile apps – and provides a “FunDex” score that quantifies problems that might negatively impact the user experience.
Having Fun with FunDex
Reading between the lines, the playful name of the new FunDex score suggests a particular focus on developers who are primarily serving the consumer app marketplace, rather than enterprise mobile apps for enterprise use. This distinction is relevant because of the imminent separation of HP into two entities.
In October 2014, HP announced it would split into two separate companies. The board slated current president and CEO Meg Whitman to run HP Enterprise, while it put Lenovo, Acer, and HP veteran Dion Weisler in charge of HP Inc., the company’s Printing and Personal Services division – although executive assignments have generally been fluid since the announcement. Both companies are expected to launch as of November 1, 2015.
For the most part, HP insiders have a good idea where their particular divisions will end up after this split, as HP Inc. will likely maintain HP’s printers, laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices, while virtually all of its software products (as well as enterprise hardware, cloud, and professional services offerings) will fall under HP Enterprise.
But today’s announcement of FunDex suggests that some of the software from HP Enterprise will focus on the needs of mobile consumers, the same customer base that will purchase mobile devices and tablets from HP Inc.
As a result, the combined entity may lose the opportunity to achieve synergies between their enterprise mobile software efforts and the devices themselves – thus missing out on a significant chance to jumpstart their lagging device sales, and more significantly, to move to a leadership position in the digital transformation arena.
Many enterprises are learning that a central challenge of digital transformation consists of aligning their customer-focused mobile efforts with their enterprise software capabilities. By separating their mobile devices from their enterprise software efforts, HP risks falling further behind in the digital transformation technology battle.
Intellyx advises companies on their digital transformation initiatives and helps vendors communicate their agility stories. As of the time of writing, none of the organizations mentioned in this article are Intellyx customers. Image credit: Karlis Dambrans.
