We will consider accomplishments in five key areas addressed by HP Software & Solutions offerings:*

Business technology optimization (BTO)

Criteria: To be eligible for an award, a project in this category must demonstrate how an IT organization has used HP BTO solutions to optimize business outcomes in the areas of IT strategy, applications, or operations.

Examples of ways in which HP software automates and optimizes business functions include:

• Automating the consolidation of service requests so that the CIO has one version of the truth about all the demands being made on IT
• Optimizing the utilization of IT resources − capital, people, and assets − through full alignment with business priorities
• Optimizing application quality and performance to reduce the time, cost and risk of application delivery

Information management (IM)

Criteria: Award candidates in this category will demonstrate exceptional achievement and measurable results in the use of HP solutions to:

• Automate the storage, indexing, and consolidation of information so that it can be retrieved quickly for e-discovery and compliance
• Protect vital business data against disaster to maintain business continuity

Business information solutions (BIS)

Criteria: This award will recognize companies that best demonstrate exceptional achievement and measurable results in using HP solutions to:

• Deliver the right information to the right people at the right time for sound decision-making

Communications & media solutions (CMS)

Criteria: We will also consider submissions from service providers who have used HP solutions to achieve business outcomes such as lower costs, improved delivery time, reduced risk, and reduced subscriber churn by:

• Consolidating networks and platforms to reduce complexity and cost, streamline service introduction, and simplify migration to next-generation infrastructures
• Converging network types and infrastructure elements to deliver a consistent user experience
• Innovating new and satisfying user experiences to differentiate the business

Software Services

Criteria: New this year, this category awards businesses who have used HP Software Services (Software-as-a-Service and Professional Services) offerings to demonstrate exceptional achievement and measurable results in the areas of:

• Reducing overhead while increasing speed, flexibility, or scalability
• Cost-effectively launching new business models, revenue sources, and customer options

*Depending on the quality of the projects submitted, prizes may not be awarded in all categories.

The awards offer you the opportunity to be recognized for your accomplishments within your own organization, with your business leaders and with industry peers.

The selected honorees will receive:

• Spotlight recognition at HP Software Universe/HP Communications World 2009 in Hamburg
• One complimentary pass to HP Software Universe/HP Communications World 2009 in Hamburg, Germany (travel costs are the responsibility of the entering company).
• Several visual features of the company's story at HP Software Universe/HP Communications World 2009
• An HP Software Awards trophy.
• An award ceremony on the company site in the weeks following HP Software Universe/HP Communications World to recognize the success of the entire team that was part of the implementation.

» Enter your submission

An independent panel of judges will evaluate submissions based on the following criteria:

• Measurable improvement in business outcomes delivered through IT/business alignment. Improved outcomes might include increased customer satisfaction, better application quality, expanded market share, regulatory compliance, lower cost of operations, faster delivery of revenue-generating services, etc.
• Demonstrated use of best practices
• Creative application of people, processes, and technology to ensure successful project outcome
• Lessons learned that can be shared with other HP customers

We will also give consideration to project scale, heterogeneity of the IT/telephony environment, depth and breadth of HP solutions, and integration of functions and tools, including third-party technologies.

Your submission should document and demonstrate measurable improvement in business and IT/solution performance. We recommend that you gather input from both business and IT/solution stakeholders and provide specific and detailed answers to all questions rather than a general summary in the project submission.

Each winning company must agree to:

• Allow HP to include the winning company’s name and logo on a list of HP Software customers and in reference to the 2009 HP Software & Solutions Awards of Excellence. This may be a list by industry, product, or geographic location. The company name or logo may appear on presentation slides, printed brochures, signage or websites.
• Allow HP to develop a customer success story and quote and to use them in the promotion of the HP Software & Solutions Awards of Excellence, to be shared with other HP Software customers and prospects. The story or quote may appear on a presentation slide, printed brochure, signage, or website.

Note: In order to grant approval for usage of the above listed assets beyond the HP Software Universe event, you will be asked to sign a corresponding release form that will be presented to you upon creation of these assets.

Additional questions? For questions regarding the HP Software Awards of Excellence and online application, please contact us.