HP Helps Small and Midsize Businesses Prepare for Economic Turnaround

November 9, 2009 2:00 PM EST

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HP (NYSE: HPQ) today expanded its HP Total Care portfolio to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) build a strong technology foundation that increases their productivity and collaboration, reduces environmental impact and provides greater flexibility as they refresh technology in preparation for the economic turnaround.

New offerings include:

    --  two desktop PCs and displays;
    --  solutions to collaborate in increasingly virtual work environments;
    --  HP LaserJet printer designed to help customers reduce their carbon
        footprint and save money;
    --  server and storage products to protect data; and
    --  a networking switch and solution to reduce costs and improve
        productivity.

"SMBs are the pulse of the economy, and HP is partnering with SMBs to provide a boost as the economy rebounds," said Kathy Chou, vice president, Worldwide Small and Midsize Business Strategy, HP. "All businesses must find a reliable foundation upon which to build their futures, and for SMBs, HP's new offerings will help sustain their well-being and prepare them for upcoming growth."

For Saladino's, a $385 million company that supplies restaurants up and down the West Coast, a sophisticated and reliable technology infrastructure is critical to meeting customer needs and tight delivery deadlines. The company, based in Fresno, Calif., upgraded to new enterprise resource planning software while standardizing on HP servers, storage and desktop PCs by working with Western Blue, an HP partner.

"HP systems are flexible and reliable. They have solid desktop PCs and the best server technology on the market. Knowing the different vendors, HP was an easy choice," said Craig Urrizola, chief information officer, Saladino's. "The benefit of the HP infrastructure continues long after the original deployment. I can easily manage the solution using web tools, and with every blade server that replaces older servers, we save power and improve efficiency. The new architecture also accommodates growth and change, providing important flexibility to our business."

Flexible solutions for cost-effective expansion

HP's new offerings offer SMBs value, productivity and the flexibility to evolve with the needs of their businesses:

    --  HP Pro 3000 Series Business Desktop PCs can easily be refreshed for
        evolving business needs.
    --  HP Connect Solutions help SMBs more conveniently connect with customers,
        colleagues and partners. Components of HP Connect Solutions include:

        o HP Virtual Rooms: allows users to connect with business contacts,
          employees or family at any time.
        o HP Virtual Support Room: allows support engineers to access, view and
          control other computers online to troubleshoot and quickly address
          problems for customers and other offices.
        o Huddle.net: a cloud computing offering that combines collaboration,
          project management and document sharing with no software to download.
          A 30-day trial for 20 gigabytes (GB) of storage and 20 workspaces is
          available.(1)
        o Norton Online Backup from Symantec: backs up information and media
          content to a secure online location. A 30-day trial for 5 GB of
          storage comes installed on HP PCs.(2)
    --  HP business computing bundles bring end-to-end IT capabilities to small
        business owners. The bundles, which include HP Thin Clients, HP ProLiant
        servers and Microsoft Windows(R) Server 2008 R2, efficiently deliver
        Windows desktops, business applications and remote access while
        improving security and reducing total costs.
    --  HP Compaq LE1711 and HP Compaq LE1911 LCD Monitors are low power
        consumption panels with high quality.
    --  The HP ProCurve 2520 Switch Series is designed for SMBs that need to
        deploy voice, video and wireless applications requiring PoE
        (Power-over-Ethernet).
    --  The HP ProLiant ML110 and DL120 G6 Servers offer SMBs enterprise-class
        performance at a cost-effective price.

Maximizing resources

HP also released a survey confirming that today's administrative staffs need affordable solutions to stay productive as the economic turnaround takes hold. To help SMBs maximize their assets and resources, HP announced:

    --  New and enhanced storage solutions - the HP StorageWorks DAT 320 Tape
        Drive, HP StorageWorks D2D Backup System and HP LeftHand P4000 SAN
        Solution.
    --  Less than 1-inch thick, the HP Smart 65CW AC Travel Adapter includes a
        USB port that can charge two devices using only one power outlet.
    --  HP Virtualization Smart Bundles with Hyper-V - built on HP ProLiant,
        StorageWorks and ProCurve products, along with Microsoft Windows Server
        2008 R2 - ease virtualization deployment for SMB customers.
    --  HP SimpleSave hard drives for business customers, available in 500 GB, 1
        terabyte (TB) and 2 TB versions, automatically find and back up data on
        a PC - there is no software to learn, install or configure on the PC.

Managing environmental impact

HP expanded its HP Eco Solutions for printing with new solutions designed to reduce the impact of printing on the environment:

    --  HP LaserJet P2055d Printer ($299)(3): With Instant-on Technology, the
        ENERGY STAR(R) qualified printer provides up to 50 percent energy
        savings over traditional fusing technology.(4)
    --  HP Eco Solutions Print Console: This industry-first tool helps SMBs
        easily manage a printer's energy and paper-saving settings directly from
        a PC. Available later this winter as a free download for the HP LaserJet
        P2055d/dn Printers.
    --  HP Green Action Plan for Office Printing: This plan leverages tools such
        as the HP Carbon Footprint Calculator for printing to guide SMBs through
        an easy process to assess their carbon footprint and build an
        environmental printing strategy.

HP also announced that the small business communities of the Village of Suffern and the Town of Ramapo, N.Y., will participate in a community-wide environmental initiative to reduce their energy consumption by up to 60 percent, carbon footprint by up to 41 percent, paper use by up to 37 percent, and energy and paper costs by up to 38 percent.(5)

Financing and new HP Access offers

HP provides SMBs with many offerings designed to manage, protect and grow their businesses:

    --  HP offers SMB customers a full range of flexible financing solutions
        through HP Financial Services, the company's leasing and life cycle
        asset management services subsidiary.
    --  HP Access has been updated to include more than $1,000 in software and
        service offers and up to $2,000 in rebates for SMBs with any HP hardware
        purchase.
    --  The HP PC Helpdesk Service features specialized technicians located in
        North America who remotely control and troubleshoot a wide range of
        software and support issues on Windows-based PCs and mobile devices.
    --  HP PC Tune-up Pro is an in-depth assistance service designed to remove
        viruses and increase the speed and performance of customer PCs. HP
        technicians remotely control PCs and launch a comprehensive set of
        performance-boosting diagnostic and protection tools.
    --  A stand-alone migration service for any original equipment manufacturer
        PC, Win 7 Onsite Upgrade Service offers installation and training on
        Windows 7 and XP virtual mode, and provides onsite support to assist
        with the transition to Windows 7.
    --  HP Support Assistant is a software application installed on Windows 7
        PCs(6) that provides support for a seamless Windows 7 PC experience.

Additional information about HP's expanded Total Care offering for SMBs is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/domorewithless.

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.com.

Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.

(1) This offer provides a Huddle premium account free for 30 days. Upon the end of the trial, users will be charged $75 per month. Users can downgrade to a free account or cancel their trial before the 30-day trial ends by emailing cancellations@huddle.net.

(2) A free 30-day trial of Norton Online Backup comes installed on HP PCs with 5 GB of storage. Users also can purchase a 25 GB online storage plan for $39.99, a 20 percent savings, now until Dec. 31, 2009. Details are available at www.norton.com/hpnoel/en/other4. Offer valid in United States and Canada only. Internet access required.

(3) Estimated U.S. street prices. Actual prices may vary.

(4) Instant-on Technology uses cutting-edge fuser technology to produce the first page faster when a printer is coming out of low power mode. An InfoTrends study shows the typical office print job is three to five pages long: www.infotrends.com/public/Content/Presentations/officeprinteruse.pdf. Actual results may vary.

(5) Estimated environmental savings calculated using the HP Carbon Footprint Calculator. Results assumed using the HP LaserJet P2055d, power off, HP Smart Web Printing and duplex printing. Actual results may vary.

(6) HP Support Assistant also is preinstalled on select PCs with Microsoft Windows Vista(R).

Microsoft, Windows, Windows XP and Vista are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

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 or market share 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 execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2009 and HP's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

(C) 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

    Source: HP

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