Second E-speak Developers Conference

HP

India held a two day software developers conference on its e-speak technology in

Bangalore on March 30-31. This was the second such conference after one in the

US and the first of the Asia Pacific series. E-speak is an open source

technology–a platform for e-services architected by Rajiv Gupta, Chief

Technologist, E-services and GM, E-speak Operations, HP. HP India has announced

a worldwide support center for E-speak and a Mobile E-services Bazaar (MEB) in

Bangalore.

Besides Gupta, the e-speak

conference had such speakers as John Fogarassi, Regional Marketing Director,

Enterprise and Commercial Business, HP, Justin Murray and Gerry Winsor of HP’s

E-speak operations in the US, Atte Miettinen, Manager, Mobile E-services Bazaar,

HP Europe, David Triggs, Program Director, E-services Solutions, Asia Pacific,

HP and Carl D’Costa, Marketing Manager, E-speak Operations. Also present were

Ganesh Ayyar, President, HP India and Padma Ravichander, Director, HP-ISO.

Giving the keynote address at the

conference, Ayyar said, "This is an enabling technology that will shape all

kinds of e-services. With e-speak, HP has initiated the journey from chapter one

of the internet to chapter two." Referring to Gupta as the ‘Gangotri of

e-services’, he said it was Gupta who had conceptualized the technology 10

years ago. Talking about the response the conference received, he said, "We

have triggered their imagination. I am sure we will see these wizards come up

with e-services, based on these technologies."

HP plans to continue the process

of sharing its technologies and the experience of its partners with the

development community in India. This will be done through follow up interactions–a

two-day technical training course on e-speak service engine technology was

announced for April. Interactions will also be done through internetworking via

dedicated e-services and e-speak websites and through recognition of outstanding

developments based on e-speak. HP India also announced a contest for software

professionals for the most innovative e-service or solution based on e-speak.

As a precursor to the conference,

HP India, in association with PC Quest, a Cyber Media publication, held a

competition for the best e-service based on e-speak technology. The three

winners of this contest were rewarded during the conference at Bangalore.

In his address, Rajiv Gupta noted

that with e-speak, HP is ready to bring the message of a revolution. "This

is a revolution in the sense that what the web did for data, e-speak will do for

e-services. This is an open, standards-based platform for the creation,

composition, mediation, management and access of internet-based services."

Talking about how HP plans to earn revenues through e-speak when it is open

source, Gupta said, "The primary revenue earner from e-speak is the

infrastructural developments which will be needed for e-speak-based solutions.

Other sources of revenues will be marketing e-speak enabled components to market

makers and developers." Gupta estimates that e-speak will bring HP revenues

of approximately $500 million in 2000.

The worldwide e-speak support

center established at Bangalore brings the total investment value of HP-ISO to

$30 million. This center at present has five systems, which will be increased as

and when required. A turnaround time of 48 hours is expected from this center.

However, according to Ravichander, the average turnaround time from the center

is around three hours.

HP has announced that it will set

up a mobile e-services bazaar (MEB) in Bangalore to promote the development of

e-speak-enabled and wireless application protocol (WAP) solutions for the global

market and to provide incubation facilities for start-up companies with mobile

solutions. This is the third bazaar to be announced in HP’s worldwide MEB

program. The Bangalore MEB will provide mobile application developers in India

instant access to the worldwide mobile e-services community as well as

facilities, technology and business infrastructure to allow them to create

applications and take these to the global market at the speed of the internet.

The bazaar is targeted at

wireless operators, service providers, enterprise application providers,

technology partners and other players in the mobile e-services industry. The

incubation facilities in the bazaar include technical support, commercial

advice, privileged access to HP’s global telecom partners and HP’s

enterprise sales force.

Meghla

Kathju



in Bangalore