Forum: Sadness as the sun sets on the EDS name

"This is a fairly significant bet for HP," he said. "They are continuing the integration to bring EDS into the HP culture but also taking a bet that the HP brand will be better at bringing in business than the legacy EDS name."

Mayo's contention is that while EDS was a leader in outsourcing for several decades after its inception in 1962, by the 1990s things were changing, with the rise of new outsourcers in India and elsewhere.

His assessment: "If you take a step back and look at how the marketplace has changed, the loss of the EDS name is indicative of the whole global play that today's outsourcers must tackle.

"EDS pretty much founded the outsourcing industry and that name is very well known. It's definitely a loss."

Some believe the decision to ditch the EDS brand was designed to bring harmony within HP, to avoid an HP-EDS divide within the organisation.