From now until November 2014, when we will begin operating independently, significant internal changes will take place, although some will be entirely public. But as the French saying goes, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"—the more changes you make, the more everything seems to stay the same. While the spin-off and the new name will result in positive and important changes for us as a company, customers will hardly notice.

It seems like an easy promise to make, and perhaps it raises some questions. Below, we'll try to offer some answers: the hidden meanings of the new name, the key factors we'll retain, two positive elements that will be different, and proof of our ongoing commitment to our clients' success.

The Meaning of the New Name:
You're surely aware that creating a new name can be a truly arduous process. Although the journey hasn't been without its challenges, we've persevered until we've arrived at a name that perfectly reflects the value we strive to offer our customers.

The hidden meaning in Keysight comes from two English words: “key” and “insight.” When “key” is used alone, it has two important meanings: indispensable or essential, and a means of access. “Insight,” on the other hand, is the ability to see and, at the same time, possess vision and perception. When combined in Keysight, this coined term denotes the ability to offer essential insights that allow our clients to understand and decipher the ever-changing technological landscape they face.

Our corporate identity includes two additional elements that complete our concept: the tagline and the logo. As you can see in the image, our tagline reads “Unlocking measurement insights for 75 years.” The first part reinforces the meaning of the name we described earlier. The second part refers to our rich heritage, which dates back to 1939 when Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded the test equipment company Hewlett-Packard, which became Agilent in 1999 and will be renamed Keysight in 2014. The red logo next to Keysight is a stylized waveform that represents our specialization in electronic measurements.

Together, these elements pay homage to our heritage and represent our ongoing commitment to our customers. The name, logo, tagline, and typography have also been designed to capture the spirit of a company that will be innovative, insightful, and forward-thinking.

Emphasis on what we will maintain and incorporation of two key differences.
As we have discussed previously, once we begin operating as Keysight, many things will not change at all. First, we will continue to be the leading technology company for electronic measurements. We will also continue to be number one in three main market segments: communications (namely, the mobile data ecosystem); aerospace and defense; and industrial, semiconductors, and computing.

Our product catalogs and roadmaps will remain the same, and we will retain our magnificent heritage of intellectual property, patents, and proprietary ASIC designs. Similarly, our measurement research labs, which separated from Agilent's labs in 2010, will continue to push the boundaries of testing. Finally, we will maintain our same global presence, with the largest sales and technical support team of any measurement and test provider.

We will be making two important changes, both very positive. First, the entire company will dedicate 100% of its efforts to electronic measurement and the success of our customers. Second, this well-defined objective will ensure that the main opportunities in electronic measurement also become the company's top priorities.

Reaffirming our commitment to customers.
It goes without saying that our success depends on the success of our customers, and their success, in turn, depends on their ability to trust that they will find new solutions. To help Keysight customers open those doors, we are dedicating all our energy and expertise to the future of measurement and testing. Our idea is simple: we want to help Keysight end users identify the right idea at the right time and, from there, help them create a new generation of technologies.

It's important to remember that we are a company whose origins lie in innovations dating back to the time when Hewlett and Packard worked in the garage on Addison Street in Palo Alto, California. Our innovations began with U.S. Patent No. 2,268,872 for a "variable frequency oscillation generator.".

It's worth remembering that Bill Hewlett's design was based on a light bulb, the quintessential symbol of new ideas. In this case, the bulb acted as a temperature-dependent resistor in the feedback loop of a Wien bridge oscillator. It was the first of countless elegant, efficient, and innovative ideas that have sprung from the minds of our R&D engineers.

Looking to the future
, we believe we are witnessing a new passing of the torch: first from HP to Agilent, and now from Agilent to Keysight. Building on our 75-year history, our goal is to achieve a new generation of inventions and "Eureka!" moments.

The people who will make up Keysight are excited about the opportunity to dedicate themselves to our passion for electronic measurements. And we achieve the greatest satisfaction when this passion translates into new inventions, new discoveries, and new advancements for our customers. We look forward to continuing to help you decipher measurement information.