HP Philippines braces for 'tougher' 2009
PHILIPPINES--Technology giant Hewlett-Packard is bracing for a tougher 2009 in its local operations due to the global economic slowdown, say company officials.
In a briefing Wednesday, HP said it is expecting to feel the economic crunch next year, after posting a double-digit growth in the Philippines.
"We had a very good 2008 for the Philippines. But we are expecting things to be a bit tougher next year," David Tan, country manager for HP Philippines, told ZDNet Asia.
Tan did not disclose actual figures for the Philippines, but said the company posted "healthy" growth in all of its product lines.
The IT giant is a strong player in the local enterprise space and is consistently one of the top 3 market players, according to industry reports. HP is also an aggressive player in the consumer segment, with its all-in-one and printer products.
Tan added that the company will continue to bring in its latest products to the Philippine market, with the aim to mirror its market success in the domestic landscape.
HP Philippines most recently unveiled its latest HP ProCurve offering, a direct result of its acquisition of wireless communications specialist Colubris Network.
According to HP, the new ProCurve features enhanced security and faster links on a wireless local area network (WLAN). Its unified wireless and wired management architecture uses a common network management system that enables a single set of security and QoS (quality of service) policies, allowing companies to deliver consistent services regardless of how the user connects to the network, HP said.
It added that will target hotels and healthcare companies, among others, for the new products.
Joel D. Pinaroc is a freelance IT writer based in the Philippine.