HP has formed a Business Information Optimisation unit within its HP Software organisation to help companies make better decisions and manage their business-critical information throughout its lifecycle.

The new unit will be composed of two groups – business intelligence and information management – and will include software from across the company.

The business intelligence group will oversee HP Neoview, an enterprise-class data warehouse based on industry-standard technology. HP Neoview began shipping to select customers in October 2006 and plays a central role in HP’s multibillion-dollar internal IT transformation.

This group will be bolstered by HP’s recent acquisition of Knightsbridge Solutions Holdings Corp., completed on 7 January, which advanced HP’s ability to deliver business intelligence and data warehouse services. Business intelligence software, including data warehousing, enables companies to make more informed decisions to drive growth.

HP has recruited Ben C. Barnes, an industry veteran with 15 years of direct business intelligence experience, as vice president and general manager of the business intelligence group. Previously, Barnes served as chief executive officer for ActivIdentity and Intraspect Software, and was also general manager of IBM’s Global Business Intelligence Solutions Division.

The information management group within the Business Information Optimisation unit will deliver solutions that archive and manage customers’ corporate data. These solutions can accelerate data archiving and retrieval, increase worker productivity and simplify the protection of customers’ critical data.