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Hewlett-Packard on Thursday unveiled new storage, networking and virtualization offerings as part of its ongoing campaign to bring enterprise-level functionality to small and medium business customers.
The new SMB lineup includes StoreVirtual Storage, a scale-out storage product based on HP LeftHand and ProLiant Generation 8 server technology. Supporting virtualization is the goal here.
HP is beefing up its Client Virtualization SMB Reference Architecture for Citrix VDI-in-a-Box, the SMB-focused desktop virtualization offering Citrix gained in its acquisition of Kaviza last year, enabling it to support 50 percent more users.
Also new is HP StoreEasy Storage, which handles file and application workloads and features deduplication and encryption. This product, which supports up to 10,000 users, helps SMBs deal with growing amounts of unstructured data being generating by users with mobile devices.
[Related: HP Expands SMB Switches, Financing Options]
Vendors often make the mistake of trying to force-feed enterprise products to smaller customers simply by slapping the "SMB" label onto them. This isn't what is happening here, though, as HP partners are pleased with the level of attention to the needs of SMBs they are seeing in the new products.
"These new offerings look like perfect answers to many of the troubling issues that SMB companies are facing around storage, financing and mobility," said Arlin Sorensen, CEO of Heartland Technology Solutions, an HP partner in the Midwest, in an email.
John Gunn, president and CEO of ISG Technology, a Salina, Kan.-based HP partner, recently closed an approximately $1 million deal comprised entirely of HP products, including servers, storage, networking and HP financing.
"There are thousands of small resellers in the channel that need to have virtualization, storage and networking solutions for their SMB customers," Gunn told CRN. "HP has been talking about catering to SMBs for some time; it appears they are on the right path."
NEXT: HP SMB Partners Bullish On New Products
