HP rolls out new SMB bundle in Total Care offerings

HP has announced new additions to its SMB-focused HP Total Care portfolio. The new solutions include security, storage and networking offerings, a new notebooks, and online marketing solutions. HP also announced related services and financing offers for the U.S.

"AMI has surveyed thousands of SMBs in over a dozen countries over the last four quarters, and noted that the current economy has greatly changed the way they purchase technology products and services," said Anil Miglani, senior vice president, AMI-Partners, in a statement. "As we exit the global recession, SMBs will try to protect their existing technology investments while making new investments to grow their business and strengthen customer relationships. HP is well-prepared to help SMB customers achieve this balanced growth through its comprehensive Total Care portfolio."

HP announced the HP Total Care Business Risk Mitigation solution, which offers customizable configurations of servers, storage, networking and security products to improve system availability while reducing risk associated with security breaches and data. HP says that by leveraging this solution and best practices for data management, SMBs can reduce outages by as much as 85 percent.

HP also rolled out an inexpensive data management solution, the HP StorageWorks X500 Data Vault Series, which starts at $699 U,S. It improves the protection of critical business data and automating backups, enabling small businesses with up to 10 PC and Mac clients to store information in a central place and easily share files regardless of employee location. HP is also touting its low purchase price as being up to 22 percent less than comparable solutions.

A higher level StorageWorks solution was also announced, the HP StorageWorks X3000 Network Storage Systems High Availability Bundles, which combine hardware and software into an efficient shared storage solution for file and application data. Based on the HP StorageWorks X3000 Network Storage Gateways and HP StorageWorks MSA2000 G2 storage arrays, the bundles increase efficiency by automatically eliminating duplicate files, protecting against drive failures and reducing setup time by up to 50 percent.

A new ProCurv solution was announced, the HP ProCurve 1810G Switch Series. It provides affordable gigabit connectivity that can be configured and maintained without a large or specialized staff. It offers customers flexible deployment options such as a fan-less design for silent operation, mounting options for easy deployment in any location and network security capabilities for protection against denial-of-service attacks. The eight-port model also features a Power-over-Ethernet option for connectivity in locations without readily available power sources.

A new notebook also was part of the announcement. The HP ProBook 5310m Notebook PC, starting at $699(US) is billed by HP as the world’s thinnest full-performance notebook at 0.9-inches thin and 3.7 pounds. Pitched at mobile SMBs, it delivers seven hours of battery life, sports a 13.3-inch diagonal LED high-definition display and a standard voltage processor. HP QuickWeb allows users to access the web in seconds when the notebook is shut down.

HP introduced new online marketing solutions as well. A new printer series, the HP Color LaserJet Professional CP5220 printer series, was announced, but is only available for purchase in Asia and Europe. In the U.S., HP released a new version of its small business-focused MarketSplash by HP web service. HP printer and PC customers in the U.S can now download and edit hundreds of professional-quality brochure, flyer and business card templates at no charge and print them in-house. Beginning next month, MarketSplash will offer a print fulfillment option that enables customers to select a local print service provider.

To complement its new solutions, HP has introduced services and financing offers to help SMBs in the United States purchase, use and manage their IT resources through HP Financial Services, the company’s leasing and lifecycle asset management services subsidiary. From now through Oct. 31, 2009, SMBs can take advantage of the Economic Recovery Lease program, which offers a 36-month plan with fixed price purchase options. From now until Dec. 31, 2009, SMBs can receive up to $1,000 cash back when purchasing a new HP LaserJet, Officejet Pro or Scanjet and recycling an old printer through the HP Trade-in and Save Program.

Lastly, HP announced enhanced SMB offerings available through its channel partners, including channel-only products, channel-led Managed Print Services programs and HP certified solutions. HP says products available through the channel will initially focus on the workflow, imaging and printing security and job accounting, and device management arenas. These include greater investment in tools and programs that enable reseller partners to offer Managed Print Services to their customers. They also include certified solutions for the channel that include partner training, product sourcing and technical support for select independent software vendor solutions from HP’s Solutions Business Partner Program.

"By investing in new IT solutions now, SMBs will be in a stronger position to seize growth opportunities and thrive as the economy rebounds," said Kathy Chou, vice president, Worldwide Small and Midsize Business Strategy, HP. "With today’s announcement, HP continues to enrich its Total Care offerings to meet the evolving needs of our SMB customers."

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