HP launches SMB assault

New product launches will help partners target one of the only parts of the market that is still growing, says vendor

HP has reiterated its commitment to the SMB market with a range of new products and solutions, backed by more attractive financing options.

Although the press releases ran into several pages, luckily Kevin Matthews, UK and Ireland channel manager for HP's Enterprise Sever, Storage and Networking (ESSN) arm was on hand to boil down what's important for the channel.

Matthews said the launch of HP's ProLiant 300e-Series rack-and-tower servers and ProLiant blade server offering would play into the sweet spot of SMBs wanting enterprise functionality but without large management overheads.

The vendor also lifted the lid on HP Communications & Collaboration (UC&C) Solutions, which Matthews claimed was the industry's first device that integrates Microsoft Lync with voice over IP phones, networking, servers and storage on an integrated platform.

Matthews (pictured) said this would appeal to resellers looking to consolidate their suppliers.

"If they can come to HP for a fully integrated solution, they know it works and it saves them time and money and drives up their profits," he told ChannelWeb.

"I find it amusing that a lot of the competition point to out that their server technology is x per cent cheaper than anyone else's. It is false economy. There is a hidden cost to integrating it together and we can take the cost away from the channel."

Other solutions announced today include new routers and switches and the HP Client Virtualisation SMB virtual desktop solution, which includes reference architecture from HP, Citrix, Microsoft or VMware. Meanwhile, the new HP Client Virtualisation, Analysis and Modelling pre-packaged service is designed to reduce the risk and complexity of client virtualisation projects.

The new products are being backed by HP Finance's new Even Better Than Zero finance programme.

Matthews urged more of HP's 200,000 channel partners to push finance to their cash-strapped SME customers.

"This offer makes it more attractive for end users that want to OpEx it rather than CapEx it," he said.

Matthews said that SMB remains a buoyant market for the IT channel. "In 2011 we saw an increase in SMB IT spend so we are targeting a growth market," he said. "I think a lot of SMBs are demanding the same sort of functionality that larger enterprises enjoy and these solutions offer that."