GOVERNMENT

HP today announced two affordable, power-efficient HP ProLiant servers as well as the market’s first Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor-based x86 platforms. In addition, the company is offering an expanded customer relationship management (CRM) portfolio, Linux-based management tools and remote access technology. All of the products and solutions are designed to help small to midsize businesses reduce costs, improve security and better manage customer relationships. According to an AMI-Partners report, this year more than 60 percent of midmarket companies surveyed plan to invest in technology specifically for customer relationship management and secure remote access. “Through extensive research and customer interaction, HP has gained valuable insight into the needs of midsize business customers,” said Urs Renggli, director, worldwide small and midmarket business, Technology Solutions Group, HP. “As a result, we can deliver customized, affordable and effective technology designed specifically for them.” Affordable, power-efficient HP ProLiant servers The new HP ProLiant BL260c G5 offers customers the most power-efficient and affordable server blade in the industry. The BL260c costs 20 percent less and is 64 percent more power-efficient than any other blade on the market. The BL260c, for use with the award-winning HP BladeSystem c3000 and c7000 enclosures, is designed for branch offices and remote sites with small or virtualization-based environments. It supports CRM, enterprise resource planning, database applications, web applications, file/print services and high-performance computing. HP also introduced the HP ProLiant DL120 G5, the most affordable rack-optimized HP ProLiant server available. The single-processor DL120 features the latest Intel Xeon technology and offers midsize businesses improved efficiency. In addition, HP is first to market with Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor-based x86 servers for customers of all sizes. The energy-efficient servers deliver improved processor performance as well as large memory footprints and storage capacities. They are ideal for demanding business and scale-out applications as well as virtualization deployments. In all, these eight blade, rack and tower models can save customers money through server consolidation and lower energy costs. Expanded CRM configuration options HP has integrated next-generation server and storage technologies into HP-approved midsize Microsoft Dynamics CRM configurations that can significantly reduce deployment time and support a customer-centric business strategy. Additionally, new Oracle Siebel CRM Professional Edition configurations, validated by Oracle, offer midsize companies an affordable and easy-to-manage solution. To meet the growing demand for robust Linux-based solutions for midsize businesses, HP introduced:

• Five HP-approved Oracle database configurations for HP BladeSystem and ProLiant systems running on Linux. These configurations provide support for 75 to 400 users, reduce time to deployment and lower costs. HP Insight Control Environment for Linux, a complete, easy-to-deploy Linux management solution. It features powerful Linux cluster technology that improves application performance, which can sharpen a business’s competitive edge.
• Mobile security for midsize companies

HP also announced HP Secure Remote Access, which helps midsize businesses customers create sales opportunities by offering convenient, secure and complete access to critical business information from anywhere at any time. It interfaces with other HP devices, such as desktop PCs, thin clients, business notebooks, tablet PCs, iPAQ handhelds and smartphones. HP Secure Remote Access includes Citrix Access Essentials, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 R2. “HP offers midsize businesses like ours the opportunity to manage customers using technology that is easy to use and mitigates risk,” said Henry Chace, chief information officer at Burns & Levinson, a Boston-based legal firm with 260 employees. “This allows us to focus on our core mission of providing clients with the services they need.” HP reinforces channel support As part of a continuing effort to empower channel members, HP also announced an advanced online configuration tool to help value-added resellers and other channel partners quickly and easily select the best configuration for their customers’ business applications. “We are very happy with HP’s comprehensive product portfolio. It allows our midsize business clients to grow and create incremental revenue opportunities,” said Romi Randawa, president, HPM Networks, an HP-certified reseller based in Fremont, Calif. “The fact that HP continues to invest in its channel shows a true commitment to the midsize market.” Availability and pricing All products, services and solutions are available today. Pricing for the HP ProLiant BL260c G5 starts at $1,199 and the HP ProLiant DL120 G5 at $699. Pricing of the CRM solutions is available through HP channel partners and varies based on the number of users or capacity requirements.