"Big corporations buy from companies like Dell, Compaq, HP, and IBM, " Dukker says.
Compaq and HP recently announced plans to sell some of their PCs direct to customers over the phone and the Internet.
Running that is Michael Capellas, who has run Compaq, HP and MCI, and has been on the Cisco board for seven years.
And the prospects for Compaq and HP don't look any brighter.
If Capellas is named WorldCom chief executive--he is reportedly one of several under consideration--his time at Compaq and HP would probably look like a cakewalk by comparison.
Compaq, HP, and IBM have inked partnership agreements with all the major distributions, but managing multiple documentation sets, utilities, and installation packages for essentially the same operating system kernel may weed out some distributions over time.
To grow revenue in that environment, Compaq and HP will have to demonstrate more skill in the middle of a merger involving at least 15, 000 layoffs and untold product changes that they were unable to muster when they were on their own.
The new HP Compaq LE2202x, with its small footprint, helps customers free up limited space and adds a modern touch to the workplace.
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The HP Compaq L2311c efficiently creates an expanded plug-and-play workspace for increased productivity with one USB connection that provides full HD video, Internet connectivity and access to peripherals directly from the monitor's integrated Ethernet, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports.
As I wrote last June, its value chain let Dell set its costs 14% below those of competitors like Compaq (that HP bought in 2002) while charging companies a 13% higher price because of the convenience its online purchasing process gave companies who could order PCs configured for their specific requirements.
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Those two were far more different from each other, though, than are HP and Compaq.
Wall Street worries that HP and Compaq won't find enough cost cuts in their slow-growing PC businesses.
"The HP-Compaq merger proved that you can make technology mergers work, " Clarke says.
He said it in March 2001, two months before HP acquired Compaq.
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Marry HP and Compaq, and you have a potential T. rex in the food chain of computer imaging, printing, security and storage.
Premerger, HP and Compaq had more than a thousand locally set policies on such things as rebates for customers and dental coverage for employees.
The consultants could also help sell a full line of PCs, servers and high-end computer gear from the combined operations of HP and Compaq.
Since its acquisition of PC group Compaq in 2002, HP has faced a rocky road, and analysts point to a "dysfunctional" board and management.
If the merger flops, you'd probably lose this much or more, since news that the deal is off will probably send Compaq shares down and HP shares up.
Making the deal work will hinge on making decisions fast, getting buy-in from leaders at both companies, ditching redundant product lines and integrating two different cultures, says Travelport Chief Executive Jeff Clarke, one of two executives who led the HP-Compaq integration team.
Whether orchestrated or not, Fiorina has kept a lower profile since HP's Compaq acquisition closed in May.
"Customers whose companies have branch offices in Bangladesh, and run all different platforms and all different OSs, those customers will look to IBM, HP, and Compaq to provide comprehensive services, " said Paul McNamara, general manager of the business enterprise unit at Red Hat.
Unlike HP's, Compaq's share price hasn't recovered from the selloff after the merger was announced.
There are still notable gaps--software and consulting--but Compaq brought storage and services to HP.
They killed the moneylosing HP NetServer and kept Compaq's rival Proliant line.
Including Fiorina, each of HP's 15 highest-ranking executives (10 from HP, 5 from Compaq) is a seller as well as a manager, calling on 7 to 15 accounts.
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