HP gunning for Cisco in computer network arena

Hewlett-Packard (HP) on Monday unveiled business computer networking gear tailored for modern Internet demands, taking direct aim at Cisco in a multi-billion-dollar market.

HP touted its new FlexNetwork architecture for linking data centers, campuses, and branches as having "phenomenal capability" and being more affordable, efficient and secure than offerings from "incumbents" like Cisco.

"It is a more modern architecture than what is out there," HP executive vice president of enterprise servers David Donatelli said during a webcast press conference rife with comparisons to Cisco products or services.

FlexNetwork was built to "fully harness the power of" media-rich content, virtualization, mobility and cloud computing, according to HP.

"Incumbent technology is outdated and stifles innovation and collaboration," said HP senior vice president of networking Marius Haas.

"To ensure success and a competitive advantage, enterprises need to shift resources from maintenance of complex legacy networks to innovation."

HP reported that its networking business was up 183 percent in the first quarter of this year as compared with the same period in 2010.