ACADEMIA

ARMONK, NY -- Landmark Graphics, a wholly owned business unit of Halliburton, and IBM announced an agreement to deliver solutions in the oil and gas industry. The combination of Landmark's technology for oil and gas exploration with IBM's hardware, systems integration service and support is expected to bring improvements in price and performance, plus operating efficiencies, in computer-driven systems for oil and gas exploration and production. The companies will provide Linux for desktop advanced 3D graphics, server and mobile computing solutions and advanced cluster technology for high-end, supercomputing applications. Landmark will optimize its data management, seismic processing and interpretation software for IBM's systems -- including Linux clusters and IntelliStation workstations. IBM Global Services will provide operational support services, IT optimization consulting, and strategic outsourcing for the upstream computing environment. "In today's highly competitive environment, operational efficiency and technology are the key factors that lead to success in the E&P industry," said Andy Lane, president and chief executive officer of Landmark. Dr. Eric Leon, general manager of IBM's Global Chemical and Petroleum Industry, said, "With Linux, oil companies can move away from proprietary systems and take advantage of the significant savings to be gained by migrating their applications to Linux. This opportunity is comparable to the one the industry faced in the past, when it collectively moved from the use of large super computers to desktop systems."