DUBAI, 17 July 2007 — Even in the midst of the summer business slowdown, tech giant HP continues to move steadily forward on multiple fronts. HP announced that it is to acquire SPI Dynamics, Inc., a leading provider of web application security assessment software and services, to further strengthen its leadership in the IT application quality management market.

HP Quality Center and Performance Center Software ensure that business systems, such as e-commerce websites or financial and supply chain applications, function well without any performance issues. SPI Dynamics technology, which is already integrated with HP Quality Center software, enables customers to assess and identify security vulnerabilities along the entire lifecycle of web applications. Customers can also use SPI Dynamics software to validate application security and quality after deployment and to meet auditing and compliance requirements.

“The number of vulnerabilities to business-critical applications has gone up exponentially with the rise of web-based applications,” said Mahmoud Mounir, software director, HP Middle East. “Today, HP Software provides solutions that ensure that business applications run well. Now with the addition of SPI Dynamics, we can make sure it is also secure.”

Headquartered in Atlanta, privately-held SPI Dynamics has 140 employees. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2007. Following completion, the business will be integrated into the Software unit within HP’s Technology Solutions Group.

HP is also celebrating another victory. HP has taken the lead as the No. 1 supercomputing provider on the TOP500 Supercomputer list, which catalogs the world’s 500 most powerful installed technical and commercial computer systems. With 203 entries, representing more than 40 percent of the posted sites, HP has more installations on the TOP500 list than any other vendor. It should be noted however that IBM’s BlueGene/L remains the world’s fastest computer. The TOP500 list (http://www.top500.org/) ranks supercomputers worldwide based on the Linpack Benchmark, a yardstick of performance that is a reflection of processor speed and scalability.

Due to the strong momentum of the powerful HP BladeSystem c-Class servers, HP increased its share on the TOP500 list by nearly 10 percent compared to its November 2006 ranking. HP Cluster Platform 3000BL and 4000BL systems based on HP BladeSystem c-Class servers accounted for 152 entries on the list.

And in a far less glamorous area of the IT business, HP has met its goal, six months early, to recycle one billion pounds of electronics. The company set its initial goal in 2004 after it had reached the half billion pound mark. It went on to recycle a further half billion pounds in the ensuing three years. In 2006 alone, HP recovered 187 million pounds of electronics globally, 73 percent more than IBM, its closest competitor. HP is now committed to recovering a cumulative two billion pounds of electronics and print cartridges by the end of 2010, doubling its annual recovery rate.

“Environmental responsibility is good business,” said Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer. “We’ve reached the tipping point where the price and performance of IT are no longer compromised by being green, but are now enhanced by it.”