Microsoft, HP ally to push .NET

SEATTLE: Microsoft Corporation has announced plans to launch a new initiative with Hewlett-Packard Company to deploy the software giant's .NET services to businesses.

The alliance between Microsoft and HP, which both companies said was one of the largest between the two, will involve an investment of more than $50 million and create an army of thousands to sell, maintain and design .NET systems.

Microsoft's executives at its Redmond, Washington headquarters are betting the company on .NET, a wide range of software, standards and service that aim to tie information between different programs and devices together over the Internet.

"We have a fairly significant commitment to Microsoft's .NET platform," said, HP Vice President-Enterprise Microsoft Services Rick Fricchione.

Palo Alto, California-based HP said more than 5,000 salespeople would be trained to sell .NET and more than 3,000 service professionals will be certified to work on .NET, while a new group of about 2,000 would be trained to design .NET systems.

Those people would seek out corporations that need to reduce the time and effort for computers and people to exchange information.

The companies said they were willing to invest in the new sales and systems force because there was already demand for .NET services.

"What we want to do is unearth and meet the demand," said, Microsoft General Manager-Global Partners Sandi Thomas.

(C) Reuters Ltd.