Computer Associates (CA) in the Arab countries and Microsoft Arabia have announced an initiative intended to help individual users in the Arab world protect themselves against computer worms and viruses. Microsoft Windows XP end-users in the region can download a free, 12-month subscription to CA’s eTrust EZ Antivirus 2005.

“Microsoft and CA are working together to protect consumers from the full range of security threats on the Internet,” said Ned Jaroudi, regional marketing director for Computer Associates, the Arab Countries. “Now, millions of users in the Arab world will enjoy the benefits of easy-to-use, enterprise-class antivirus protection at no cost on the ever-popular Windows platform.”

Microsoft has included CA’s eTrust EZ Antivirus 2005 consumer software in its Partner Pack for Windows XP, available to download from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/partnerpack. eTrust EZ Antivirus 2005 is the only antivirus application to be included in the Microsoft Partner Pack and the free download includes a full subscription for 12 months of daily virus signature file updates and 24x7 web-based support. Based on CA’s enterprise-class security technology, eTrust EZ Antivirus 2005 is designed to dramatically improve the safety of personal and home office PC use, and greatly limit the proliferation of Internet threats.

CA, the leading global provider of IT management solutions, launched its direct operations in the Arab world in October 2004. CA’s direct presence — compared with its previous engagement solely through partners — signals a clear change in the company’s strategy toward Arab countries.

“Globally, CA has strategic alliances with technology partners that allows us to deliver tangible results to CA customers,” Jaroudi remarked. “CA in the Arab countries will extend this strategy to technology partners in the region, aiming at building satisfaction, loyalty and tangible business value for every CA customer.”

Gartner Points Out Weakness in Sales

Worldwide PC shipments in 2004 increased 11.8 percent from 2003, due to strong mobile PC sales, according to preliminary results by Gartner.

“Overall fourth quarter 2004 PC sales were in line with projections, despite some weakness in the US and EMEA consumer markets,” said Charles Smulders, VP of Gartner’s Computing Platforms Worldwide Group. “Lower prices, better performance and wireless accessibility accelerated mobile sales.”

Dell strengthened its lead in the worldwide vendor market to 16.4 percent with solid performance in all regions. Hewlett-Packard’s PC shipments increased 12 percent in 2004. However, the company did face some challenges at the end of the year. In the fourth quarter, HP’s growth rate was lower than the worldwide average due to slower sales in its key US and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) markets. HP finished 2004 with a 14.6 percent share of the global PC market.

During the fourth quarter, IBM announced that it would sell its PC business to the Lenovo Group of China. Lenovo will move up to third place in the worldwide PC market rankings after the acquisition is completed. “The stress on PC vendors from operating on such low margins led to IBM’s exit,” Smulders said. “Expect further consolidation going forward.” In November, before the IBM-Lenovo announcement, Gartner forecast that three of the top 10 PC manufacturers worldwide would leave the business by 2007.

In the United States, PC shipments totaled 62.3 million units in 2004, an 8.3 percent increase from 2003. During the fourth quarter of 2004, the consumer market showed mixed results, with weaker than expected desktop growth but very solid notebook market growth.

In the EMEA region, PC shipments increased 11.7 percent in the fourth quarter, slightly better than the worldwide growth rate. Mobile PC growth continues to drive the market, with the majority of retail sales coming from lower priced models.

In the Asia/Pacific, shipments increased 13.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2004. Both China and India showed strong demand. During the fourth quarter, many vendors typically stimulate demand with aggressive prices and accessory bundles.

HP, Cisco Align Support Services Worldwide

Expanding their long-term strategic global alliance, HP and Cisco Systems will be delivering co-branded support services — via a single point of contact — to help customers maintain their enterprise networks on a global scale. The agreement is part of Cisco’s Global Services Alliance program, which was established by Cisco in June 2004. HP has been selected by Cisco for this new alliance program focused on services.

In addition, HP is the first partner to have earned Cisco’s Global Certified Partner status, based on HP’s global reach and investments in Cisco-certified personnel, round-the-clock operations and the ability to handle calls within an hour.

Under the Cisco Systems Global Services Alliance program, HP and Cisco will initially provide a single source for network support and problem resolution and ready access to Cisco product knowledge and expertise. Over time, the combination of HP and Cisco offerings will be designed to address the full lifecycle of services from planning through deployment to management and support, providing greater consistency throughout the world and helping global customers to realize greater return on their network investments.

“HP and Cisco understand that business success depends on proactive network management,” said Husam Eldin, Network Solutions Group Manager, HP Middle East. “Networks are a key part of the broader IT infrastructure and the effectiveness of a customer’s network depends on a service provider’s knowledge of that environment. This is precisely the idea behind HP Network Support combined with Cisco Services.”