Bullish Weisler claims HP's partners are getting a bigger slice of the pie

HP's CEO outlines key market trends and analyses the competitive landscape in keynote address

HP partners will get their hands on a significant chunk more of the vendor's business by the end of this year, according to its bullish CEO Dion Weisler who opened its Global Partner Conference (GPC) today.

Weisler told the thousands of partners gathered in Boston that by the end of its fiscal year in October, the channel will account for 87 per cent of HP's business, up from 80 per cent before that.

He said this is one of many acts that proves HP's commitment to its partners.

"We're not just a partner-first company, we are a partner-led company," he said. "The first thing we did as a new company is say we are going to take 30 per cent of the business we do direct and move it to the channel and that is exactly what we did. We were 80 per cent with and through the channel at the start of this [fiscal] year and by the end of it, we will be 87 per cent with and through the channel. You are an extension of us, so thank you for all you do."

Elsewhere in the keynote address, HP's Personal Systems president Ron Coughlin took a catty swipe at Apple, claiming it was "untouchable no more" and that HP was competing hard against it.

Weisler took aim at a number of other rivals while assessing the competitive landscape.

"Competitors are frankly distracted right now," he said. "Whether it's Dell and EMC who just last week who completed their regulatory approval - that deal is going to go ahead. This is two big, huge organisations having to come together - a massive portfolio and different cultures. This is not an easy thing to do and, in fact, it is the opposite of what HP Corporation did by separating. You can see all the things we are benefitting from by separating. So they're distracted.

"Lexmark's being acquired, Xerox is going through its own separation. Lenovo is frankly distracted, fixing their own mobile and server businesses. What you're telling me is that we are a pillar of strength right now, and you're exactly right. We're focused and we are doubling down on our core business and creating growth opportunities for all of us."

Coinciding with the beginning of HP's GPC, the firm announced plans to buy Samsung's print business for $1.05bn.

Weisler said the announcement was timed in this way to demonstrate the impact it will have on the channel.

"This isn't just our acquisition, it is your acquisition," he said. "It's an investment in all of you. Our job is to provide you with the arsenal to go out into the marketplace and win this with confidence. Samsung brings a compelling, disruptive, A3 portfolio and HP brings a number-one position in the print market, coupled with expertise and management assets, and an unmatched partner network. The future is what we decide to make it."

Elsewhere in his address, Weisler stressed the importance of embracing new and emerging trends in order to stay relevant in the future.

"There is a blending between the consumer and the commercial worlds - they're coming together," he said. "This is leading to the consumerisation of IT. Secondly, it is all about millennials. They are the IT decision makers of today and the executives of tomorrow. By 2025 these guys would have accumulated $8.3tn in wealth and will be 75 per cent of the workforce. Millennials are not an age or a group, they are a way of thinking and working and acting. They want outcomes, not just products and services which can get the job done. The third trend we see is about mobility and security.

"They're changing everything and how markets will work in the future. Mobility exploded in the consumer space several years ago but the real opportunity for all of us is in the application in the commercial space. Seventy-three per cent of CIOs believe mobility will have a more profound impact on their business than the internet did. That's a big, bold statement."