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HP, SIMDESK TO HELP INDIANA EMBRACE TECH INCLUSION PROGRAM

HP and SimDesk Technologies announced an alliance agreement to aid the State of Indiana in its statewide digital inclusion program. Under terms of the agreement, HP NonStop servers will be used as the server-computing platform for SimDesk applications.

SimDesk and the State of Indiana revealed plans earlier to give Indiana residents no-cost access to a full suite of SimDesk software and online computing tools which allow ubiquitous access to personal files and information from any computer, anywhere. The State of Indiana will be the first in the nation to deploy a statewide community computing initiative called "SimIndiana."

Already underway, SimIndiana is available through the state’s official Web site, http://www.accessIndiana.com. By April 2005, SimIndiana will be enhanced and ported to HP NonStop servers that will deliver unparalleled availability, efficient transaction processing and virtually limitless scalability.

"HP is a leader and trusted advisor in delivering mission-critical solutions that address the needs of the public sector. SimDesk represents a new paradigm – ubiquitous and portable, low-cost computing," said Jim Weynand, vice president, Public Sector –Americas, HP. "Collaborating with SimDesk allows us to fully meet the needs of the State of Indiana by providing the integration, access and transformation of the services in its innovative solution."

SimDesk’s Web-enabled software system will provide residents with the ability to create, store and share personal documents and information from any computer with Internet-access, anywhere in the world. The SimIndiana initiative will be hosted and managed by SimDesk Technologies from its Houston data center.

"Using the power of the Internet and SimDesk software, we can allow for continuity, communication and collaboration regardless of location," said Lou Waters, chief operating officer, SimDesk. "Combined with HP’s unparalleled server technology, we believe that Indiana residents will now have the ultimate solution for digital inclusion."

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2004, HP revenue totaled $76.8 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.