HP promises "a single point of accountability," Allkins said. "We will simplify things for the customer, by providing them with the potential for HP to take ownership for the entire software solution."

HP's offering follows a vendor trend of combining support services and professional consultation services into a single, comprehensive package.

"We are recommending buyers look for vendors that are offering integrated support services," said Elaina Stergiades, an IDC research manager focusing on software support services, during the same webcast.

"One of the overarching issues that face IT managers is the level of complexity in their IT environments," Stergiades said. "Managing support across these heterogenous environments is an increasingly complex task as well. Interrelated products and technologies requires a lot of coordination to support."

While more costly than basic support contracts, such unified support and professional services offerings could potentially ease the process of maintaining complex systems, she said.