HP's adaptive evangelist

Nora Denzel, head of HP’s Adaptive Enterprise and Software Group, oversees a $2.5 billion enterprise software strategy.

Ask enterprise IT managers about HP software and the conversation could begin and end with OpenView, HP's network management platform. Nora Denzel plans to change that.

In October, the 41-year-old executive became responsible for HP's $2.5 billion Adaptive Enterprise strategy, which promises to deliver intelligent hardware, smart software and services that will dynamically allocate data center resources on demand. In her quest to make HP's software the management platform of choice for utility computing, Denzel faces competition from IBM, Microsoft and Sun - and HP's own reputation.

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Ask enterprise IT managers about HP software and the conversation could begin and end with OpenView, HP's network management platform. Nora Denzel plans to change that.

In October, the 41-year-old executive became responsible for HP's $2.5 billion Adaptive Enterprise strategy, which promises to deliver intelligent hardware, smart software and services that will dynamically allocate data center resources on demand. In her quest to make HP's software the management platform of choice for utility computing, Denzel faces competition from IBM, Microsoft and Sun - and HP's own reputation.

"Denzel has to overcome the perception of HP as a hardware vendor that treats software as an afterthought," says Rich Ptak, partner with Ptak, Noel & Associates.

Denzel says IT managers worldwide recognize HP software brands, but multiple acquisitions in the past few years (including the merger with Compaq) prove that HP is opting to buy technology rather than build it.

"Adaptive Enterprise is a new foray for HP. We want to help our customers through the next decade understand how they can use their technology to better serve the needs of their business," she says. While OpenView is a popular product, HP isn't the go-to vendor for multiple software needs. Denzel says with HP's new product strategy, she aims to change that perception.

By no means is software new for HP. The OpenView portfolio is among its major offerings, and includes network, server, service-level and application management software. The company also sells other management products in the form of OpenCall, ProLiant Essentials (from the Compaq merger), and now, under Denzel's domain, the Utility Data Center suite. Of course, HP sells myriad other software products such as development tools, messaging platforms, operating systems, security products and the like. All told, it brings in about $1 billion in revenue from its software offerings.

Yet industry watchers say Denzel will face an uphill battle getting a slow-moving vendor to quickly deliver new Adaptive Enterprise products that are based on its technology acquisitions. She'll have an especially steep road trying to bring in the kind of money that HP's server and other hardware offerings generate, some say.

The challenge excites Denzel.

"Being a person that gets bored easily, I think software is the way to go," she says. Today, software is maturing from handling hardware quirks to understanding complicated business processes. In essence, "it's fundamentally changing the way things work," she says.

An early passion

Denzel's passion for all things computer-related began on a farm in upstate New York as one of six children. Denzel's father, a math and science teacher, nurtured her love of numbers and constant questions about how things work. And her mother, who has a degree in medical technology, instilled a tremendous work ethic.

"I learned you have to make your own way and that nothing is handed to you. To this day, I think with hard work, I can make things happen," Denzel says.