HP Discover 2013: HP To Offer Google Apps For Business To SMBs

Steve McCaskill,

HP will offer Google Apps for Businesses as part of IT SMB in a Box

HP will offer Google Apps for Business to small and medium sized businesses as part of the first phase of HP SMB IT in a Box, a product billed as a “one stop shop” technology solution.

The new partnership was announced at HP Discover in Las Vegas by HP CEO Meg Whitman, who said it would allow customers to reduce costs and improve productivity by simplifying their IT environment.

HP said the package would combine HP’s expertise in PCs, printers, management consoles, administration and customer support with the productivity, collaboration tools and security tools of Google Apps, including Gmail, instant messaging, Calendar, Drive and Docs.

HP Google Apps for Business

googleapps“We will offer our customers an incredible bundle of PCs, printers and Google Apps for Business, enabling business owners to focus on their customers instead of worrying about IT,” said Ron Coughlin, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer PCs and Solutions, HP.

The announcement builds on HP and Google’s existing relationship, which so far extends to products running Android and Chrome OS, and Whitman suggested that future collaborations are possible.

“It isn’t a one off, we are going to look for ways to partner with other like-minded companies,” she said.

HP SMB IT in a Box will be available in the US through HP’s network of reseller partners from July, with worldwide releases occurring later on. The offering will be expanded in future phases and promises to eventually encompass all the technologies required by SMBs.

“By moving to the cloud and helping employees work the way they live, SMBs can serve their customers better—and save money in the process,” said Amit Singh, president, Google Enterprise. “We couldn’t be more excited to have HP join the Google Apps Reseller Program and bring their decades of experience to helping SMBs thrive in the cloud.

“We look forward to working closely with HP moving forward to help businesses make the most of technology.”

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