EDS brand is no more

HP has announced it is to scrap the EDS brand name, a year after its £7bn ($13bn) acquisition of the IT services giant.

As a division of HP, the organisation will now be known as HP Enterprise Services, ending a brand that has been synonymous with outsourcing since EDS was founded in 1962.

The announcement states that the change will take place “where permitted by local country law”, and it is not yet clear how soon the change will be effective in the UK or Australia.

The HP Press Office was unsure of the situation, although the former EDS UK website at www.eds.co.uk now redirects to a UK page for HP Enterprise Services detailing the company’s country credentials.

“I see this as the next chapter in a long and distinguished history of IT services,” said Joe Eazor, senior vice president and general manager of HP Enterprise Services.

“And we want to bring that history with us, shifting to HP the industry knowledge, IT expertise and commitment to delivering operational excellence that always defined EDS. I think the EDS legacy can also enhance the already-powerful HP brand, and take it even further.”

EDS’s European general manager Bill Thomas, a former head of EDS UK, announced earlier this month that he would be leaving the company on 31 October, to be succeeded by Mike Nefkens, who is currently EDS vice president responsible for its dealings with General Motors (GM). EDS was at one time a GM subsidiary.

The outsourcer has seen a turbulent 12 months since the HP takeover, with thousands of staff laid off, and co-ordinated protests from affected employees at offices around Europe.

EDS was renowned for its success in winning major government IT projects.