New HP Offerings Help Small and Medium Businesses Thrive in Challenging Times

As part of the company’s Total Care initiative to better serve small and medium businesses (SMB), HP (NYSE:HPQ) 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.

Additional information about HP’s partners program is available at www.hp.com/go/hpchannelnews.

Additional information about HP’s new offerings to help SMBs thrive in challenging times is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/hpsmbevent.

About HP

HP, the world’s largest technology company, simplifies the technology experience for consumers and businesses with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com/.

Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/.

⁽¹⁾ Cost-per-page (CPP) and energy-savings claims for HP Officejet Pro 8500 All-in-One (AiO) series are based, as of June 2008, on the majority of color laser AiOs less than $600 when using HP Officejet Pro products with high-capacity cartridges. CPP and energy-savings claims for HP Officejet Pro 8000 Printer series are based, as of June 2008, on the majority of color lasers less than $300 when using HP Officejet Pro products with high-capacity cartridges (not included, sold separately). Energy use is also based on the manufacturers’ stated power consumption when printing. Test methods may vary. Details are available at www.hp.com/go/officejet.

⁽²⁾ U.S. estimated street price, actual prices may vary. Availability varies by region.

⁽³⁾ Based on pages per minute measured using FDIS ISO/IEC 24734. Standard applies to inkjet and laser products and excludes first set of test documents.

⁽⁴⁾ Based on HP internal testing, using papers with the ColorLok logo.

⁽⁵⁾ HP Precision Feed Technology is a suite of technologies that ensure reliable paper feeding including multi-phase pick process, advanced separation technology, automatic picking technology, mixed stack handling and ultrasonic double feed detection.

⁽⁶⁾ A list of eligible printers is available at www.hp.com/go/tradeandsave.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

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