Well, actually...
It's more likely that they're planning to sack any storage sales pukes. Since the last quarter numbers came out, there's a huge purge on the sales side within most of HP, and even beyond just sales.
HP is giving a huge chunk of its storage business to the channel with a couple of 100 Percent sales initiatives. Most sales of HP's storage-portfolio products to new US customers, defined as end-user accounts not having bought from HP in the last three years, will go through channel partners in a 100 Percent New Accounts …
Guess they must really be losing market share to consider a drastic move like this!? _Giving away_ 3PAR, XP & Lefthand?? I guess if you can't compete technically then price is all you have left. Perhaps a sign that Dells aggressive storage program is really starting to show dividends if HP are this worried?
Absinthe If you think Dell have a product that can even begin to compete with 3PAR anywhere outside of SMB, then you've either swallowed too much Dell kool aide or more likely too much of your namesake. Equalogic is SMB, Compellent mid range at best, both have some nice features but neither really scales despite the rather ambitious spec sheets..