As part of the company’s Total Care initiative to better serve small and medium businesses (SMB), HP today unveiled more than a dozen products, solutions and services designed to help customers manage, protect and grow their businesses, even in today’s challenging market.

Along with new HP Officejet inkjet printers that deliver up to 50 percent cost per page and energy savings compared to laser printers,(1) the new HP Total Care portfolio features special financing offers and HP Insight Remote Support automated remote management software to increase SMB customers’ efficiency.

The company also unveiled new partner programs designed to help SMB customers quickly identify HP partners who can maximize their technology investments.

“In today’s economic climate, it’s not just about making every dollar count, but about making fewer dollars do more,” said Kathy Chou, vice president, Worldwide Commercial Sales, HP. “Today’s announcements further demonstrate our commitment to SMB customers and exemplify how we are helping them get more results from their technology investments through HP Total Care.”

“Total worldwide technology spending will only grow by 0.5 percent in 2009, but SMB technology spending will grow by 3.2 percent, despite the economic downturn,” said Ray Boggs, vice president, SMB Research, IDC. “SMBs are feeling the heat to optimize their technology investments by coordinating new purchases with existing resources while also ensuring that they have enough support and funding. Technology providers like HP are in the best position to benefit from this growing segment because they take a comprehensive approach to meeting the diverse needs of SMB customers.”

New products

For customers who want laser speeds at as little as half the price,(1) HP introduced three new families of HP Officejet printers.

•    Saving customers up to 50 percent cost per page and energy compared to competitive laser printers,(1) the top-of-the-line HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One series ($299-$499)(2) is HP’s premier inkjet all-in-one, featuring professional color document quality at laser-comparable speeds.(3)

•    Helping SMB customers increase productivity while saving money, the HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer series ($149-$179)(2) offers embedded wired and wireless networking options, fast speeds and automatic two-sided printing.

•    For a multitude of features at an affordable price, the HP Officejet 6500 All-in-One series includes four-in-one capabilities and wireless and automatic two-sided printing options for $149-$199.(2)

•    Designed to help small businesses affordably produce high-impact materials, newly formulated HP 940 Officejet Inkjet Cartridges are available for the HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One and 8000 Printer series. The cartridges are like liquid laser toner, providing premium print durability and archive-quality, water-resistant documents.(4) When paired with ColorLok® technology-based papers, the cartridges deliver deep, sharp blacks and brilliant colors for professional-looking print projects that resist smudging.

The printers are expected to be available for purchase worldwide later this month and feature a new package design with vibrant images and easy-to-reference icons that make it easier for customers to choose the right product for their needs.

To help customers manage their business more efficiently and simplify daily tasks, HP also unveiled:

•    Fast, reliable scanning with advanced paper handling capabilities and simple controls with the HP Scanjet 5000 Sheet-feed Document Scanner ($799).(2)

•    Versatile image capturing options so users can easily send scans to email or a network file with the HP Scanjet N6350 Networked Flatbed Document Scanner ($899),(2) expected to be available in June.

•    Advanced scanning features with HP Precision Feed Technology(5) and convenient manageability through HP Web Jetadmin with the HP Scanjet 7000 Sheet-feed Document Scanner ($999).(2)

•    Fast, reliable faxing and walk-up copying in one compact device with the HP 2140 Fax ($100).(2)

•    Increased marketing presence and professional communications with the HP LD4200 ($1,399),(2) a full high-definition 1,080-pixel resolution, 42-inch Digital Signage Display that offers state-of-the-art features with high quality and durable viewing options for a wide array of venues. The display is designed for indoor venues, retail environments, hospitality settings, advertising and control room applications used by businesses large and small. Available March 9.

•    A boost in productivity with the HP USB Graphics Adapter allows users to easily connect monitors to a PC through a standard Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. The compact adapter allows businesses to incorporate multiple display capabilities across several open applications.
New services and solutions

HP broadened its Total Care portfolio with new services and solutions to help customers better grow and manage their businesses while using fewer resources.

•    HP Insight Remote Support software helps SMBs save time and money with simple, reliable and around-the-clock remote support. The software provides a direct link between SMBs and their HP solution providers, delivering continuous, automated and secure remote monitoring and fault detection services. Additionally, it generates service dispatches for hardware issues on HP servers and storage without active involvement of staff or support phone calls, helping avert disruptions.

•    Value-added resellers (VARs) get help entering the cloud services market, and SMBs can access critical applications as a monthly subscription service, thanks to HP’s agreement with USA.NET, a leader in hosting services. The agreement enables VARs in the United States to offer customers a comprehensive suite of private-label messaging and collaboration solutions, including Microsoft® Exchange 2007, Microsoft Windows® SharePoint Services, Commercial Messaging Services, Mobile Messaging, E-mail Archiving and Enhanced Messaging. HP and USA.NET’s collaboration ensures that VARs have comprehensive portfolios with a range of technology alternatives for SMBs.

•    Making it even easier to acquire critical server, storage and networking solutions when cash is tight, Total Care Business Solutions includes new discount purchase and financing offerings from HP’s Total Care portfolio for HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem servers, HP StorageWorks storage and HP ProCurve networking. This affordably priced technology is configured and tested to help SMBs lower investment costs and simplify deployment. In the United States, customers also can receive rebates on discounted server bundles with the new HP Total Care Access Card.

Special offers and free resources

To help SMBs get the best value from the technology they need to manage and grow their businesses, HP unveiled special offers and free resources.

•    SMBs can receive up to $1,000 cash back and are eligible for a free Total Care Access card ($49 value), while supplies last, when they purchase new HP LaserJet or HP Officejet Pro printers(6) with the HP Trade-in and Save offering. Customers also receive free recycling of their old printer for added cost savings and convenience.

•    To help SMBs grow their business, HP has expanded the HP Creative Studio for Business, a comprehensive web-based resource, to include the Small Business Marketing Guide, an online community focused on small business marketing. The community will provide free advice on do-it-yourself brand marketing strategies and feature a series of webinars and articles by prominent small business experts, including John Jantsch, Guy Kawasaki and Anita Campbell.

•    HP is making it simple and affordable for small businesses to continue investing in technology with several financing promotions available through HP Total Financing. One offer is a zero percent 12-month promotion that allows small businesses to invest in new technology while managing cash flow; after term the equipment can be purchased for one dollar. Another offer is a zero percent 36-month lease that provides a fair market value purchase option at the end of the lease term.

New partner programs enhance SMB customer experience

The HP Solution Partners Organization has enhanced its award-winning PartnerONE Program to help reseller and distributor partners serve SMB customers.

•    SMB Elite is the latest addition to HP’s portfolio of PartnerONE Elite designations, designed to help customers easily identify HP reseller partners with technology expertise and training in specific technology solutions and markets. SMB Elite will bolster the tools, resources and marketing support HP provides to channel partners serving SMB customers. SMB Elite is expected to become effective for HP partners on May 1.

•    Comprehensive deal registration-based benefits are being extended to all of HP’s 25,000+ partners in the United States, providing SMB customers with broader access to trusted HP partners who deliver solutions-based expertise and long-term IT support to maximize customers’ technology investments. Deal registration benefits are now available to all HP partners.