HP struggles to keep up
March 10, 2006
In December HP made some commitments to its HP 3000 customers, but those like Paul Edwards are still waiting to see the vendor's work surface. Edwards, part of the OpenMPE advocacy group, discovered last year that his Certified HP Professional status had evaporated — at least for his MPE/iX certification. On Edwards' advice, HP poked around and learned that the HP 3000 certifications had been retired from HP's program.
Edwards believes that HP 3000 pros deserve a certification as long as HP 3000s are running, not as long as HP wants to fund its certification program. HP agreed in its December 20 announcement that extended HP support for two extra years.
The vendor has been struggling with making good on this promise, however. It's well past two months after HP's agreement to reinstate the certifications, but Edwards and others can't get back into the certification Web site.
HP's promise from Dec. 20 reads:
The HP partner community remains successfully engaged in meeting the needs of HP e3000 customers. In response to a request from that community, HP will continue to recognize the certification for those users and partners who currently hold an existing HP e3000 Certification, enabling them to continue using that certification in the conduct of their business.
Edwards reported last week, "I still have not received any communication from HP that verifies this or explains the details. I still can’t get on the certification site as a certified consultant."
It's too easy to read meaning into these kinds of delays about HP promises to the 3000 community. It's not a secret that HP is paring back the resources for the platform, even if the staff remains on the HP payroll, doing other tasks.
It may seem a small thing, a certification on a platform whose HP lifespan is ending. But the IT pros who supported HP and the 3000 deserve a better end-game than waiting through such delays to get back what they never should have lost.
HP has cut off the 3000 certified professionals so completely they can't access much of the certification Web site at HP with their 3000 IDs. Since it looked like HP's certification efforts for 3000 skills are over, Edwards wanted to take on the 3000 certification program, if HP will permit it.
For now, HP appears outmatched to keep up with some of its 3000 commitments. The IT pros can neither use their HP certification services, or rely on Edwards and his HP 3000 training venture to fill the gap.