HP Helps SMBs Modernise IT Infrastructure for Mobile Use

News Release
HP Helps SMBs Modernise IT Infrastructure to Support Growing Mobile Use
New solutions improve customer service, productivity

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 7 November 2012 — HP today announced new products and services that help small and midsized businesses (SMBs) simplify their IT infrastructure to accelerate business gains from mobile access.

The use of mobile devices in the workplace allows for sophisticated business and process management applications to be accessed remotely ensuring productivity remains consistent regardless of location. However, SMBs traditionally have static and fragmented IT infrastructures, making it difficult to rapidly or efficiently respond to infrastructure demands driven by a mobile workforce and virtualised applications.

To simplify IT management for SMBs and ease the transition to a modern infrastructure, HP has expanded the HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio with new storage and network solutions that improve employee productivity by providing secure access to business applications and data via mobile devices. In addition, HP is offering training programs that address SMBs’ end-to-end mobility challenges by enabling them to acquire the resources needed to boost business responsiveness in the evolving mobile marketplace, quickly and easily.

“Mobility will soon be a normal part of every SMB workplace, as it moves from being used primarily for email to supporting critical business applications such as CRM and sales inventory,” said Robert Anderson, Research VP at Gartner, Inc. “Small and midsize businesses must align and modernise their existing IT capabilities to take advantage of the business benefits and competitive differentiation mobility brings.”

Modernising storage in a mobile world
Data growth and application demands are evolving as mobility continues to drive an explosion of data and changes the way applications are used and accessed. SMBs need simple, scalable and economical storage platforms that respond to these new requirements, while also supporting dynamic workloads and rapid growth of both structured and unstructured data.

HP is offering new storage solutions that provide scalability, reliability and availability to handle evolving business demands. The new offerings include:

• HP StoreVirtual Storage, based on the HP LeftHand operating system and HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) technology, is a scale-out storage platform with flexible deployment models to support virtualisation requirements. The offering includes features that allow SMBs to add physical storage without disruption and the ability to simply move data across virtual or physical storage with just a few clicks, enabling IT to non-disruptively increase storage requirements.
• HP StoreEasy Storage is a single integrated storage solution that supports file and application workloads with built-in deduplication and encryption. Midsize businesses can no longer afford to add “just another file server” to address the explosion of unstructured data from mobile devices. Native Windows® integration enables SMBs to immediately configure and manage HP StoreEasy Storage without learning a new proprietary storage management system. HP StoreEasy Storage supports 10,000 users in a three-unit form factor, as well as multiple workloads from a single, consolidated platform that is cost-efficient, highly-secure and reliable.

Mobilise workers with simplified network management
SMBs, as well as government agencies, are supporting a growing mobile workforce that requires access to rich-media and bandwidth-intensive applications such as videoconferencing. However, with limited financial and human resources, these organisations need solutions that are easy to use, reliable and cost-effective to maintain.

The HP M220 Series Access Point, the newest addition to the HP FlexNetwork architecture, provides increased bandwidth while simplifying network management and maintenance for growing SMB organisations.

The HP M220 streamlines wireless network management with “clustering” technology that enables SMBs to deploy and manage up to 10 network access points as a single entity, rather than a series of separate wireless devices. Clustering technology enables IT administrators to easily deploy and configure new rich media applications as well as add wireless devices to the network without downtime. In addition, the solution improves network security by detecting and eliminating rogue access points as well as reducing security risks caused by misconfigured access points.

The HP M220 includes a Quick Setup Wizard that leverages an easy-to-use web interface to streamline multiple access point configuration. The Quick Setup Wizard provides five deployment scenarios allowing clients to select the best wireless network environment for their company.

Collaborating with HP, the technology expert
With access to a broad range of technologies and programmes, SMBs can simplify IT operations to improve employee productivity. These offerings include:
• The updated HP Client Virtualisation SMB Reference Architecture for Citrix VDI-in-a-Box supports 50 percent more users (1) than the previous version. It reduces the cost and complexity of deploying desktop virtualisation, allowing employees to securely and remotely access desktops, applications and the company’s server anywhere, anytime from any client device. Critical user data is saved on the server instead of the mobile device, ensuring it is not lost, stolen, damaged or pirated.
• The HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs e-Learning (HP LIFE e-Learning) programme provides cloud-based online training sessions at no additional cost, to improve key IT and business skills from anywhere and any device. HP LIFE e-Learning now offers e-mentorship with HP professionals, along with webinars and other relevant resources with emphasis on leveraging mobility to drive growth.

Pricing and availability
The new HP StoreVirtual Storage 4130 and 4330 models will be available in December 2012 with a starting price of NZ$16,125.00 ex. GST. HP LeftHand Operating System 10.0 software will be available at no cost to current HP LeftHand P4000 G2 platform clients on December 4, 2012.

The HP StoreEasy Storage system will be available on December 10, 2012, starting at a New Zealand list price of NZ$7,395.00 ex. GST for 8TB capacity.

The HP M220 Series Access Point is expected to be available through HP and its authorised channel partners in November 2012 with a starting list price of NZ$467.00 ex. GST. Shipments will commence in December 2012.

The HP Client Virtualisation SMB Reference Architecture for Citrix VDI-in-a-Box with Citrix Personal vDisk technology is available today.

About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.co.nz
(1) New tiered storage approach tested in HP and Citrix labs resulted in per-server user support increasing from 50 to 75 users over previous solution.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance, market share or competitive performance relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the protection of HP's intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the hiring and retention of key employees; assumptions related to pension and other post-retirement costs and retirement programs; the execution, timing and results of restructuring plans, including estimates and assumptions related to the cost and the anticipated benefits of implementing those plans; expectations and assumptions relating to the execution and timing of cost reduction programs and restructuring and integration plans; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2012 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2011. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

ENDS

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