Changes to FLP Proposal Program

With the start of the calendar year 2012, we are excited to announce some changes to the popular FLP Proposal Program.

We are expanding our markets beyond commercial SMB to include public sector. You shared with us that it is difficult to separate the two, as public sector is a part of your total community of customers. We listened to your feedback and added this market to the FLP program.

We want to sharpen our focus on our strategic solution priorities. We increased the funding limit to a maximum of $3000 for only Virtualization solutions. The breakdown of Marketing Development Funds that you can apply for is as follows:

• $3000: Virtualization solutions (Microsoft® Hyper-V Server 2008, System Center Essentials, HP servers and storage, and HP client)
• $2500: Windows 7, Office 2010, and HP PCs
• $1000: Unified Communications (Exchange Server 2010 and HP ProLiant G6 servers)
• $1000: Business Intelligence/Converged Applications (SQL Server, HP servers)
• $1000: Collaboration solutions (SharePoint, HP servers)
• $1000: Foundation Infrastructure Upgrades (Windows® Server 2008, HP servers and storage refresh)

Apply for marketing funds by visiting the FLP Partner Portal, clicking on "Funding," and filling out the online application.

Training

HP Pathways to Cloud Roadshow

Regardless of the state of your customers' data centers today, the HP Pathways to Cloud Roadshow will help you understand how to begin or accelerate your customers' paths to a cloud computing model. You'll learn several strategies in infrastructure and management that will help you bridge what your customers have today to where they want to go in the future.

• What's new at HP: Servers, storage, networking, and services
• Mapping out Converged Infrastructure: Planning and execution
• Critical decisions: What technology is right for you?
• Define your pathway to the cloud: Where to begin and next steps

Dates:
March 7: Houston, TX; March 8: Boston, MA; March 14: Orange County, CA; March 15: Seattle, WA; March 21: Dallas, TX; March 22: Atlanta, GA; March 28: Wash., D.C.; March 29: Chicago, IL; April 3: NYC, NY; April 5: Phoenix, AR; April 11: Denver, CO; April 12: Cincinnati, OH; April 18: Tampa, FL; April 19: San Francisco, CA

Dates are subject to change. Registration information to follow.

Attend "Megatrends in Client Computing" webinar

Register to join HP Distinguished Technologist Bruce Michelson on Jan. 24, 8 a.m. PST, as he leads a webcast on the megatrends impacting client computing. Engage in a dialog that focuses on solutions aimed at improving the manageability, security, and reliability of your client environment while lowering overall management costs. Among the trends to be discussed are:

• Consumerization
• Mobility
• Cloud
• Virtualization
• Social Networking

View "Trends in Healthcare" on-demand webinar

Watch Bruce Michelson, HP Distinguished Technologist, as he hosts a dialog with Charlie Bess, HP Fellow, and Allyn Veazey, Director of Healthcare Payer Product Management. This discussion focuses on the megatrends that will change IT in the next 5–8 years, and highlights those that are of interest to healthcare and healthcare payer priorities.

• Emerging healthcare markets
• Reform milestones
• Role of technology solutions

Watch chalkboard video on Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

This short, informative chalkboard video provides an overview of what storage options Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 now supports, and what storage solutions HP has to offer. Watch this video to learn more, or share it with your customers or partners to start a conversation around Exchange Server 2010 upgrades or migrations. Check out the video on HP ETV and read the blog. To learn more, go to the E5000 website.

Accolades

CRN Best Products of 2011

HP and Microsoft both captured awards in CRN's picks for the best products of 2011. HP took honors for Best Notebook (HP Elitebook 8560p) and Best Desktop (HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite), and Microsoft for Best Cloud Application (Office 365). Put them together, and you get the best solution!

HP E5000 Messaging System wins Editor's Best from Windows IT Pro

The 2011 Windows IT Pro Editors' Best and Community Choice Awards announced that the HP E5000 Messaging System won in two Editors' Best Categories. The Editors' Best program highlights products that Windows IT Pro editors and contributors believe are worth of recognition. The E5000 won Gold in the Messaging category and Bronze in the Hardware Appliance category.

Future trends

U.S. SMBs intend to purchase 3.6 million Ultrabooks

Techaisle, an industry analyst organization that tracks the future of SMBs and Channels, recently studied SMB purchase intention, and reports that 3.6 million Ultrabooks will be purchased by U.S. SMBs in 2012, resulting in 1 in 5 PCs shipped to SMBs. While only 23% of SMBs are aware of Ultrabooks, 65% of those who are aware have shown intent to purchase.

HP's first business Ultrabook, the HP Folio¹³, is not only thin and light, but delivers up to 9 hours¹ of battery life, the highest performance available among Ultrabook devices currently on the market. Now is the time to introduce your SMB customers to ultra-thin, ultra-powerful HP Ultrabooks and Windows 7.

¹ Battery life will vary depending on the product model, configuration, loaded applications, features use, wireless functionality, and power management settings. The maximum capacity of the battery will naturally decrease with time and usage. Additional details are available at Mobile Mark07 battery benchmark: http://www.bapco.com/products/mobilemark2007.