HPE Hybrid Cloud COO Hang Tan, Who Helped Chart Virtualization Strategy, Has Left The Company

“It has been a privilege to work alongside such a talented and diverse group of leaders and teams—individuals who care about outcomes, customers, and doing the right thing, even when the work is hard,” says HPE Hybrid Cloud COO Hang Tan.

HPE Hybrid Cloud Chief Operating Officer Hang Tan, who played a critical role in building out the company’s virtualization strategy targeting Broadcom VMware, has left the company.

“Today marks my last day at Hewlett Packard Enterprise,” wrote Tan in a LinkedIn post on April 17. “It has been a privilege to work alongside such a talented and diverse group of leaders and teams—individuals who care about outcomes, customers, and doing the right thing, even when the work is hard.”

CRN reached out to HPE and Tan but had not heard back at press time.

HPE Executive Vice President Hybrid Cloud and Chief Technology Officer Fidelma Russo wrote in a LinkedIn post responding to Tan’s departure: “You made us all better. Thank you and best wishes for the future.”

Tan, who has helmed the hybrid cloud business as COO for the last two years and six months, was responsible for overseeing the creation of the new hybrid cloud unit which was formed in November 2023.

Tan helped lead the strategy and planning of the hybrid cloud unit which includes HPE GreenLake, HPE Private Cloud AI, HPE Storage and HPE hybrid cloud software including HPE CloudOps Software Suite, VM Essentials, Morpheus, OpsRamp and Zerto.

Tan played a key role in mapping out the HPE software strategy including the VM Essentials and Morpheus strategy which has led to a battle to take share in the virtualization market from Broadcom VMware in what HPE has called the great virtualization reset.

In a 2024 interview with CRN, Tan said VM Essentials puts partners back in the virtualization game.

“A lot of customers have been putting infrastructure IT decisions on hold and delaying purchasing decisions and partners have been feeling it,” said Tan. “Having VM Essentials out there I think will be a catalyst for investment by the customers and that will drive business for the channel.”

Making HPE A Force To Be Reckoned With In Software

Patrick Shelley, chief technology officer (CTO) at PKA Technologies Inc., a Montvale, N.J.-based top HPE partner, credited Tan for establishing HPE software as a force to be reckoned with, especially in the virtualization market.

Tan not only delivered a powerful alternative to rising prices at Broadcom VMware with HPE VM Essentials but also established a unified cohesive hybrid cloud software platform that is providing big multicloud management benefits to partners.

“Hang Tan brought partners a working portfolio of top-notch software seamlessly integrated and connected as a full CloudOps software suite,” said Shelley. “That was a huge accomplishment. He built a software strategy. It took a while to get to this point but now it is here!”

As for VM Essentials, Tan said it has proved to be a good fit for the majority of PKA customers that have been hit hard by the rising licensing costs for VMware renewals. “It is a shame what Broadcom VMware is doing to good loyal customers,” he said.

Broadcom VMware declined to comment.

Shelley said he is looking forward to seeing where Tan lands in the future and reconnecting with him. “The strategy and work he did with HPE Software is incredibly important,” he said. “It is now one platform and one portfolio with tight integration.”

C.R. Howdyshell, CEO of Independence, Ohio-based Advizex, a Myriad360 company, said Tan filled a much-needed gap in the HPE product portfolio with the software strategy he put in place at the company.

“Hang Tan brought a vision that helped bring HPE into the future with HPE software,” said Howdyshell. “His input and execution have made HPE more strategically relevant.”

Howdyshell said fortunately HPE has a deep bench of talented executives including Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Global Sales Scott Wiest, who has provided critical strategic technical expertise that has helped Advizex close deals. He said Wiest recently helped Advizex with technology recommendations for a large customer that was experiencing challenges.

Tan spent a decade as a partner at prestigious strategy consultant Bain & Company before joining HPE in November 2019 as a chief strategy officer, helping guide HPE’s Pathfinder organization, which makes strategic investments in leading edge technology companies.

HPE Vice President and General Manager of Worldwide Hybrid CloudOps Software Sales Rocco Lavista said in a LinkedIn post that it was “an absolute” privilege working alongside Tan.

“Our dynamic was one-of-a-kind, and I’m so proud of the complex problems we tackled together,” he wrote. “I’ve learned just as much from you as we achieved for the team. Wishing you nothing but the best!”

HPE Senior Vice President and General Manager of HPE Private Cloud and Flex Solutions Cheri Williams in a LinkedIn post thanked Tan for the partnership.

“We accomplished some incredible things in Hybrid Cloud,” she wrote. “It is not easy to build a new business while driving transformation. You had a BIG hand in the transformation realized in such a short time.”

Tan in his LinkedIn post said he was “grateful for the trust, mentorship, and partnership” he shared with the HPE team during his tenure.

“I have learned a great deal during my time here,” he said. “The most invaluable lesson has been understanding what it truly takes to transform at enterprise scale, and I am proud to have contributed to HPE’s transformation over the past six and a half years.”