<FONT SIZE=-1>HP ADDS TO NETSERVER LINE FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES</FONT>

• 03/29/1999

New NetServer And Reseller Initiatives For Small- To Medium-Businesses
Ken Deats, Associate Editor

IT integration and support in small- to medium-businesses (SMB) is a market that’s expanding rapidly. HP, through its Network Services Division, is making inroads into that market just as rapidly. The latest product and service offering to make that trip is the NetServer E60, a new system that incorporates aggressive pricing, a fully integrated backup solution and disaster-recovery software included free.

In an exclusive interview with HP Professional, Tad Goltra, HP's product marketing manager for SMB servers, says the goal was to "design an easy, intiuitive server," for businesses with little or no MIS presence, who rely on resellers and consultants for advice and support. He adds the E60 should handle up to 50 users for advanced services such as database management, and more if used just for file and print services.

The E60 includes:

• Support for up to two 400MHz and 450MHz Pentium II and or 500MHz Pentium III processors, up to 1GB memory, six available I/O slots and 72GB internal storage.
• HP SureStore T20Xi tape drive and STAC Replica backup software with disaster recovery capability and one-button backup.
• 100MHz front-side bus, error checking and correcting SDRAM and support for 10,00 rpm disk drives.
• HP TopTools optimized for SMB needs with “auto-alert” feature.

For the channel participants and resellers, Goltra says HP is offering new marketing and support tools along with the new server. In order to drive sales and simplify marketing, HP is inviting its NetServer resellers to participate in:

• Reseller support services help resellers develop their service and support businesses through “business builders” that help plan and deploy remote support services.
• eFinance, an Internet-based program to give resellers a convenient way to develop financing proposals and to deliver financing options to SMB customers faster.
• ProfitEngine provides resellers with marketing material to develop sales proposals and to implement marketing activities such as direct mail, advertising and seminars cost-effectively.

Goltra adds that the E60 is certified to run NT 3.51, 4.0 and 2000 and Small Business Server, Netware and Netware for Small Business, SCO OpenServer and Red Hat Linux. It is expected to sell for as little as $1,550, $1,975 with a 9GB disk drive and an additional $450 for integrated backup.