Conference 7.286::digital

    
    >Robert Palmer, DEC boss, wants to turn the corporation into a pure
    hardware
    > vendor.
    
    >Insiders swear that even the core hardware business is being sold.
    
    
    These two statements direcly contradict each other.

Is Frank Lorenzo lurking in the Mill?

Art

    .0 contains much that is plain wrong and even where there is some truth
    it is wildly inaccurate.

    Re: .1
    
    > These two statements direcly contradict each other.
    
    I tend to agree with you. I think the magazine is just reporting
    unfiltered mixed-messages. Of course another interpretation could be
    that Bob Palmer wants to make hardware the core business, whilst other
    people in the corporation are busy selling it off behind his back.
    
    There are several other questionable points in the article. Digital
    Consulting is not a subsidiary for instance, and I doubt that Quantum
    are interesting in buying Digital Consulting.
    
    
    Anyway it's tough dealing with customers with these sort of articles
    appearing in the German national press.
    
    Mike
    

    The Quantum rumour was concerning the storage business, or so we hear
    in the US.  A customer (!) faxed a copy of an article from a weekly
    computer industry newspaper to our office for a sales rep's
    edification.  How lovely.
    
    m.

    -.1
    
    That sales person must be asleep!  The Storage buyout by Quantum has
    been in all the news.  It's very close.  Those of us in the piece of
    storage that is being sold are looking forward to a favorable
    announcement and new company soon.  BUT, as with any deal, it is NOT
    final until it's signed.  But, that is all old news.....maybe that
    sales person is watching too much OJ hearings???????   (---)

    
    	re:-1 
    	That's true, yet not quite. In areas where Digital technology holds 
    sway within a company (read: any user community) at mission-critical
    applications; our customers (really clients) are like "cats on a hot
    tin roof".
    	Yet in areas where we are providing "commodity" type products and
    services, customers are asking "what's the fuss?". As long as they are
    being serviced directly by Digital, they have no real concerns.
    	I'm now convinced more than ever, we Digital, as an organization,
    are at a critical crossroads. Who do we take care of? Who do we focus
    our remaining resources on? 
    	'Cause, ladies and gentlemen, we sure as hell cannot do both.
    
    		Comments?
    
    		the Greyhawk 
    

I'm sure the world is bigger than POKIE, but the Quantum sales announcment
went out via press release, which are mailed internally if you sign up
for them, and they also appear in Livewire, or you can read them in
the rags, or wait for customers to FAX them to you ;^)

It also appears that the Digital name was starting to hurt drive sales.
Manufacturing had another record quarter, but (I'm told) bookings for
the next quarter are down, presumably because customers don't want to
buy drives from a company that may not be around to support those drives
in 6 months.  IMHO the lack of direction of this company is scaring
customers away from comodity products like drives.

	Joe - Getting ready for that Quantum Leap

    re: .-3
    
    >.0 contains much that is plain wrong and even where there is some truth
    >it is wildly inaccurate.
    
    	please share the truth with us!

    So looks like we're going to read about it in the papers first,
    again... :-(
    
    
   MAYNARD, Mass. (AP-DJ)--Digital Equipment Corp. is 
expected to disclose a sweeping restructuring plan Thursday 
that creates a smaller company sharply focused on personal 
computers, workstations and larger systems called servers 
that run corporate networks, company insiders say. 
   The big Maynard, Mass., computer maker scheduled a 
teleconference Thursday morning, saying executives would 
discuss "strategic direction, restructuring plans and 
actions." 
   Digital is widely expected to disclose one or more asset 
sales and a charge against earnings of $1 billion or more, 
to pay for plant closings and another round of work force 
reductions that will slash the payroll by 20,000, or one in 
five jobs at the company. 
   Digital also is expected to confer a wider management 
role to Enrico Pesatori, now chief of sales and marketing, 
and Charles F. Christ, currently head of the company's 
disk-drive business. 
   Digital shares have risen 10% on heavy volume in the 
past two days, on hopes the latest plan will restore 
profitability after more $3 billion in losses in the past 
three years. The stock closed at $21.50, up 50 cents, in 
late New York Stock Exchange trading. 
   Much of the company's software, consulting services and 
data storage businesses are up for sale as part of this 
effort. Digital has talked with Quantum Corp. about the sale 
of its disk drive business, for about $400 million, and with 
Computer Sciences Corp. regarding the company's $1.5 billion 
systems-consulting business. 
  (END) DOW JONES NEWS 07-13-94
  1845EDT

    	Word is that the deal with Quantum has been signed, sealed and
    waiting for delivery.  Here in Hudson, we've been waiting to hear about
    who will end up with what.  AMD and Intel are the best guesses from all
    the rumors but the big guys have been VERY good about not talking.  We
    also here that something could happen in SQF (Scotland).  Another best
    quess is that we want to keep 51% control of the semiconductor units
    but interested parties want the same!
    
    				JT (doing R&D on 3rd generation ALPHA) 

    
    RE .12
    
    Anyone know what time the teleconference is scheduled for?

>    So looks like we're going to read about it in the papers first,
>    again... :-(

	There's a good reason for this. Announcing such moves internally
	before they are made public sets up a company for insider trading
	accusations, among other things. In this case, the paper is printing
	rumors and expectations, not reporting fact. When the press
	conference is held, I'll bet that the transcript of Palmer's (or
	whoever's) speech will be in livewire very quickly, as was done for
	the various DVN broadcasts. But announcing something like the sale
	of a division internally, before announcing it in public, would
	cause all sorts of problems.

	Roy

    re .14       10:30 AM EST according to my local paper.
    

    The transcript is on livewire.
    

>    Yes, I  got  the  press release, but don't think all Sales people spent
>    the  time  and  energy  to go through VTX to sign up for them.  Reading
>    "press  releases"  is  hardly  their most pressing priority.  Maybe you
>    don't realise the isolation in which many Salespeople work.

I'm confused.   Your sales people are complaining because the first they heard
of the Quantum deal was from a press release faxed to them from their customer.

Then you go on to say that reading press releases is unimportant.

Then you complain about isolation.

Maybe logic works backward down there, but it seems to me that if my customers
are interested in our press releases, I damn well better be.  

And if I'm walking around with my eyes shut, I shouldn't wonder why I can't 
see.

My $.02

Bob

I was thinking the same thing, both on that note and one I saw 
yesterday where someone complained about being surprised that we
have such a thing as a DEC 7000 Alpha system.

I know these things are published in N places, many of them aimed
at sales people.  Yes, there's lots of work to do, but keeping current
with major product announcements is part of the job, and those announcements
ARE made.  If you miss them, what does that say about how well you're
doing your job?

	paul

    >>>  those announcements ARE made.  If you miss them, what does that
    >>>  say about how well you're doing your job?
    
    Well, somtimes it says that the announcement wasn't made in the place
    where you expected.  Or that it was made in a place you don't know
    about, or don't have access to, or sometimes don't have the equipment
    to access.  Or that it was buried in a program announcement along with
    a dozen new controllers, service options, licenses, cables, busses,
    cabinets, manuals, and service phone numbers.  Or it was written in
    such self-congratulatory marketese that you tossed it after reading two
    paragraphs and missed the real information on the second page.  
    
    Just a few of the complaints I've heard various sales and sales support
    people make.  
    
    --bonnie

    Re.18
    
       <<< Note 3244.18 by SYORPD::DEEP "ALPHA - The Betamax of CPUs" >>>
                                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    
    Bob,
    
    	Do you think that this helps anyone?  Does it relieve your
    frustration?  I personally think that it doesn't do anyone any good
    anywhere, especially if it were to be seen by our customers!  "If that
    is what DIGITAL think of their own products ...."  You can read their
    thoughts when they see it can't you?  Please, for the sake of
    portraying a more positive attitude, change it to something a little
    more upbeat.
    
    				Malcolm.
    
    PS. Feel free to tear into my Personal Profile if you wish, but I think
    that it is personal and not reflecting on the company or its products,
    unlike yours.
    

    
    
    Malcolm,
    
    
    I understand what you are saying, but if we look at the analogy it is
    apropo.  The beta machine made much more sense quality wise than the 
    VHS machine but lost out because of poor marketing and other factors.  
    
    
    Mike

Digital notesfiles are for INTERNAL USE ONLY.

Here, here, Bonnie!  It's so true, it makes me want to cry.


       <<< Note 3244.20 by WEORG::SCHUTZMAN "Bonnie Randall Schutzman" >>>
                            -< lots of reasons... >-

    >>>  those announcements ARE made.  If you miss them, what does that
    >>>  say about how well you're doing your job?
    
    Well, somtimes it says that the announcement wasn't made in the place
    where you expected.  Or that it was made in a place you don't know
    about, or don't have access to, or sometimes don't have the equipment
    to access.  Or that it was buried in a program announcement along with
    a dozen new controllers, service options, licenses, cables, busses,
    cabinets, manuals, and service phone numbers.  Or it was written in
    such self-congratulatory marketese that you tossed it after reading two
    paragraphs and missed the real information on the second page.  
    
    Just a few of the complaints I've heard various sales and sales support
    people make.  
    
    --bonnie

U.S. News                                      LIVE WIRE

Iron Mountain acquires off-site storage ...                 Date: 27-Jul-1994

               Iron Mountain acquires off-site data storage businesses
                       from Digital, Media Management Group 
 
         Iron Mountain, America's largest records management company, has 
   acquired off-site data storage services businesses from Digital and 
   Media Management Group (MMG).
         Iron Mountain President and CEO C. Richard Reese said that his 
   company has purchased Digital's Data Protection Services (DPS) business 
   in Burlington, Mass., which provides off-site storage and management 
   for archival and back-up computer media.  Iron Mountain said it had 
   also acquired the off-site storage services provided by MMG in 
   Hartford, Conn.
         These two acquisitions make Iron Mountain the largest provider 
   of data protection services in New England.      
         "The acquisitions complement our existing data protection 
   operations in New England and New York, and give Iron Mountain a 
   commanding presence in these markets. Many of the Digital DPS customers 
   are also customers of Iron Mountain, and we feel strongly that our 
   experience in the industry and the region will serve our new customers 
   well," Reese said.
         James Hogan, Digital's vice president of Global Communication and 
   Processing Services, said, "The sale of Digital's data protection 
   business is beneficial to both companies and our mutual customers,
   because off-site data storage is Iron Mountain's main business.  The 
   sale of this type of business allows Digital to focus more directly on 
   our own core businesses around the world."
         Hogan noted that the sale involved the transfer from Digital to 
   Iron Mountain of a fully operational computer room, some inventory 
   control equipment, and a dozen employees.
         "Since Digital already shared many clients with Iron Mountain, 
   this move will definitely serve the best interests of those clients, 
   since they will now be aligned with a company that is a leader in this 
   growing data storage market," Hogan added. 
         Established in 1951, Iron Mountain is a full-service information 
   management company. It provides off-site business records storage and 
   management, data protection services, vital records protection, disaster 
   recovery and support services, and cartons and supplies.
         The company operates in 20 markets coast to coast, with 900 
   employees serving 18,000 customers.  Corporate headquarters are in 
   Boston.
                       FOR DIGITAL INTERNAL USE ONLY

    for an undisclosed $ figure?