 "Neelam Dhawan")
Global technology company Hewlett-Packard on Monday officially split into two entities - HP Inc. for the hardware business and Hewlett Packard Enterprise or HPE for software, services and solutions. Neelam Dhawan, managing director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise India, tells Bibhu Ranjan Mishra and Alnoor Peermohamed what the split means for the company in India. Edited excerpts:
With the hardware business becoming a separate entity, don't you think it makes Hewlett Packard Enterprise weak in India where most of the government works require oneself to be a system integrator?
The government is definitely looking at complete system integration. Solutions purchase usually goes through request for proposals for which they look at system integrators. However, if a solution requires us to have PCs and printers in it, we will be able to bring them in from HP Inc.; but we'll have to buy.
What advantages would HPE enjoy as a separate firm, especially in India?
I think with this, we are bringing laser sharp focus on Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Our innovation is going to be more around cloud, big data, analytics, workforce productivity and cyber security. These are the building blocks of any and every environment, which we are looking at. I don't think there's anyone else in the market who understands all four of them as much as we do.
What all works HPE does out of its India centres?
We do testing, R&D, application services, infrastructure services; and then we have call centre operations and back offices here. We also provide remote management. We have a very large footprint here.
HP also plans to lay off 25,000 to 30,000 workers, globally. How do you see it impacting India staff?
So far, there is no impact in India. We were always right-sized here. We never had a headcount reduction. We are not volume players like many of the Indian firms that are focused on writing codes. We focus on what solution the customer wants and go and implement those.
Which are the sectors you are looking at here in India?
We look at banking, telecom, manufacturing, e-commerce, and public sector, which include Smart Cities, Digital India. Our focus is on how we can help people transform. So, as you look at the government, they also want to create a government cloud. States also want to do it. That's where we play a big role.
Do you think, going forward, HPE India would be a growth engine for the company?
It is a growth engine and it would continue to be one.
Do you think the business sentiment here has improved?
I personally believe sentiment is extremely positive and that's why we are highly optimistic to see growth in this country. We are making all the right investments and strategy formulations.
What are your thoughts on various technology-led initiatives the government is working on?
The government is still thinking through on how to do. Neither Digital India nor Smart City is easy to implement, because you have to build various pillars first. The Smart Cities initiative, for example, has elements like security, health, water management, waste management, traffic and power management, education etc. So, the priorities and frameworks are getting defined.
For most of the global technology companies, hardware is becoming non-strategic, a kind of pain area? Why is it so?
I don't think hardware was ever a pain area for HP. I think hardware is a necessary area of our business; it's integral to our strategy. We are very clear that we will have hardware as an area of focus and perhaps, we would keep investing more and more on hardware because of the kinds of solutions we are looking at.
What is your hiring plan in India?
We hire from campuses as well as lateral from market. We do hire from campuses because that is the way we can bring talents with fresh thinking who can work on newer things. It's because the way people are using technology now is way different from what it was five years ago.
