HP adds to SMB bundle portfolio

Hewlett-Packard is attempting to take the guesswork out of selecting servers sized for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) with several additions to its Just Right IT product portfolio, including two that are centered on virtualization.

The new offerings are based on HP ProLiant MicroServer Generation 8 hardware. They include HP Flex-Bundles for Microsoft Windows Server with Hyper-V Virtualization Solutions and VMware vSphere with Operations Management Virtualization Solutions; the SMB First Server Solution with Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2; and Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 Solutions.

Aside from centering on hardware appropriate for smaller companies, the bundles "size" the licensing for the server software more appropriately, aligning it with "the maturity state of a business," said Lisa Wolf, leader, Worldwide Small Midmarket Business, HP Enterprise Group.

To be clear, these aren't necessarily new products. They are bundles and preconfigured solutions meant to help SMBs get certain types of technology deployed quickly. They take into account not only how many employees a particular company is supporting but also what, exactly, it is attempting to accomplish with its technology.

Aside from the server bundles, the company has released new SMB support options, including HP Foundation Care Services, HP Proactive Care Services and HP Lifecycle Event Services; new financing options; and new cloud services focused on workloads including email, customer relationship management (CRM), backup and recovery, and development/testing. 

HP doesn't publish pricing for these new bundles on its site, but it does provide a calculator that SMBs can run some scenarios about payback periods.