HP Discover, Las Vegas – In addressing what it terms as the “new style” of IT currently underway in the industry, partnerships and alliances will be crucial, and HP yesterday announced a venture with Google aimed at SMBs – SMB IT in a Box.
This new “one-stop-shop” technology solution for SMBs marks HP’s entry into the Google Apps Reseller programme and will leverage existing HP hardware, including PCs and printers, with Google Apps for Business.
More than 5-million businesses currently run on Google Apps for Business which includes services and tools such as Gmail, IM, Calendar, Drive and Docs.
“We’re working with partners to give our customers innovation that they want,” says Meg Whitman, president and CEO of HP. “And this collaboration with Google is a great example of this. Looking ahead, we will continue to work with like-minded partners to meet the requirements of our customers.”
HP SMB IT in a Box combines HP’s PCs, printers, management console, administration and customer support with the productivity, collaboration tools and security of Google Apps.
The company says it will continue to grow to encompass all the technologies SMBs need to win in the market place. Eventually, it adds, the solution will include integrated consoles for resellers, IT administrators and end users, allowing easy access to the entire solution, including Google Apps for Business.
This initiative represents HP’s latest collaboration with Google. It already offers a number of products based on Google’s Android and Chrome operating systems including the SlateBook x2, Slate and Chromebook.