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.
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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Isn't this all just jumping on an already overcrowded bandwagon.
Why would I want my choice of hardware to be bound up with my choice of software? I think not.
Also, getting an SMB on to Google Apps is well within the scope of a competent IT department and if they cannot do it, there are plenty of people offering such services who will not tie you in to a hardware brand.
HP make great PCs and peripherals, they need to stick to that and take note of other outfits that have diversified beyond their core strengths and failed as a result.