Poll: HP Should Keep Storage

Byte and Switch readers say Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) should hang on to its storage business because it's important to the troubled company's success.

Fifty-six percent of the 112 respondents to our most recent poll say HP should not sell its storage to another company, with 34 percent saying it should sell off storage and 10 percent undecided. As for the importance of storage to HPs future, 25 percent say it is vital while another 56 percent say it’s important but not vital. Only 19 percent believe storage is not important to HP's future.

With a change in CEO from Carly Fiorina to Mark Hurd and a recently announced layoff of 10 percent of the workforce, readers expect HP will jettison one or more of its divisions to right a foundering ship (see HP to Lay Off 10 Percent and HP Plots New Course). Forty-six percent say a sell off is very likely with another 26 percent calling it somewhat likely, and only 24 percent claiming it is unlikely.

When asked which division should or might go first, personal systems drew the highest response with 30 percent, followed by imaging and printing with 21 percent. Only 14 percent speculated that enterprise servers and storage might be the first to go despite its wading in trouble waters in recent years (see HP Storage Slammed).

As for the new guy running the show, the jury is still out on Hurd. He’s been on the job less than five months after leaving NCR Corp. to take over HP (see High Hopes in Palo Alto). When asked to rate his performance so far, 63 percent feel it's too early to tell. Thirty-two say he’s making the right moves, and only 5 percent say HP should fire him and bring back Carly.If you haven’t voted yet, don’t worry: the poll is still open.

— Dave Raffo, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch