H-P to focus on high-end IT solutions

Hewlett-Packard, a global infotech company, would concentrate on high-end IT solutions for a consistent 40 per cent year on year growth in the coming year.

Speaking on the sidelines of a CII seminar on Wednesday, Barun Lala, country manager, Hewlett-Packard, said the company would prefer partnering with firms, with annual investment of not less $ 2.5 million on information technology.

However, small and medium enterprises accounted for a substantial revenue of the company from India, he said.

Recently, HP had announced the launch of a compact system especially for SMEs called 'Shorty' capable of holding up to eight servers. Comprehensive product range, good sales force and the ability to integrate multiple layers involved in the IT sector were some of the key strengths of HP in India, he said.

The company operates under three verticals""manufacturing, telecom and finance --in India. It supports 98 per cent of stock markets worldwide and 100 per cent in India, according to Lala.

"Nationally, all the three verticals have witnessed robust growth over the years. However, in the east the company did particularly well in the finance sector," he said.

In West Bengal, HP had earlier tied-up with UCO and UBI bank for comprehensive adoption of IT in banking businesses. "In West Bengal we have done substantially big deals. The UCO bank deal alone was worth Rs 75-100 million," he said.

HP had entered into a five-year contract with the UCO bank in 2005 for managing the core banking solution (CBS) across its 1,000 branches.

Talking on 'IT as a Strategic Enabler', Lala said, "IT no longer supports business rather it powers the business. 99 per cent of the CEOs(chief executive officers) all over the world believe that technology is central to the success of their company. There is a need for alignment of IT opportunities with business opportunities."

Laha pointed out business information optimisation, business technology optimisation and adaptive infrastructure as the three key elements of technology needed for bettering business.

He also called for better control of infrastructure and improvement of operational efficiency for lowering the cost of enterprise.