LAS VEGAS – Hewlett-Packard and Google Inc. have announced a partnership aimed at pre-integrating HP hardware products with the search engine giant’s collections of business-focused apps to develop easy to use products and services aimed at the small and medium-sized business (SMB) sector.
The initiative, dubbed HP SMB IT in a Box, will see HP PCs, servers and other products rolled into the Google Apps Reseller program. It will leverage existing HP hardware, including PCs and printers, with Google Apps for Business, Google’s cloud-based communication and collaboration tools. More than 5 million businesses currently run on Google Apps for Business, which includes Gmail, IM, Calendar, Drive, Docs and more.
A management console, administration tools and customer support from HP will round out the reseller program. It will launch in the United States in July and be made available worldwide within this year.
“We’re combining HP’s PCs, workstations, printers and servers to Google Apps for business,” Meg Whitman, HP’s president and CEO, announced in her keynote speech Tuesday at HP Discover. “This breakthrough isn’t a one-off, we’re going to look for more ways to partner with like-mined tech companies.”
“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,” Amit Singh, president, Google Enterprise, said in a statement. “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.”
This initiative represents HP’s latest collaboration with Google. HP already offers a number of products based on Google’s Android and Chrome operating systems including the HP SlateBook x2, HP slate and HP Chromebook.
“With HP’s management software layer and minimal setup, HP SMB IT in a Box can simplify customer’s IT environment and help cut operating costs and infrastructure requirements while improving workflow and workforce productivity,” said Ron Coughlin, general manager for HP’s consumer PC and solutions unit. “Together with HP’s channel partners, we will offer our customers an incredible bundle of PCs, printers and Google Apps for Business.”