Since its launch in September, Hewlett Packard Co.'s (NYSE: HPQ) managed enterprise services business unit has been focused on the enterprise market with a largely direct managed print services play. As HP looks to bring the play down into the midmarket though, channel partners will be called on to lead the way.
On a stop in Toronto last week during a worldwide media tour, Bruce Dahlgren, vice-president of the global enterprise business unit in HP's imaging and printing group, told CDN that HP sees the channel as a huge next phase for the business unit, which was formed last September to help clients find savings by moving to a managed print services model.
“Obviously the channel is very important to us. It's our belied this will first come out in the big enterprise, but will come down to the midmarket and the SMB,” said Dahlgren. “As we move into the SMB we'll need to make sure we enable the channel.”
Managed print will require a change in mindset for some partners, said Dahlgren. Often channel partners act as an IT manager for their SMB clients, and he said managed print isn't as easy as going in and saying we'll manage your devices.
While HP hasn't yet brought the business unit down-market, HP partners are already entering the space with their own solutions, and with solutions and support from the vendor. Lloyd Bryant, vice-president and general manager of HP Canada's imaging and printing unit, said HP's Canadian partners have already been diving head-first into managed print. “In the Canadian market we're already enabling partners to participate in managed print,” said Bryant. “We have a very significant midmarket in Canada, and we have a number of office product solution programs and some contractual SKUs to help our partners build managed print solutions for the midmarket. Their growth rate in this market is basically the same as ours.”
HP's new managed enterprise services business unit is focused on the enterprise market, but the next phase will see the channel enabled to bring managed print to the midmarket and SMB
4/5/2010 8:57:00 AM By: Jeff Jedras
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