Partners: HP Split Could Unlock Value Of Both PC-Printer And Enterprise Businesses
By Steven Burke on October 5, 2014 on CRN.com
Sam Haffar, the CEO of Houston-based Computex Technology Solutions, one of the top national solution providers at No. 123 on the 2014 CRN SP500, said he also sees a split providing a new competitive spark to both businesses.
“This shakes things up and unlocks value,” said Haffar. “I think it could give those businesses more focus allowing them to perform better. They are different businesses. They should operate independently. The Enterprise Group and PPS (Printing Personal Systems Business) operate independently anyway. We don’t see the synergies between them in the field. As an HP Platinum partner we are going to continue selling and supporting both product lines whether they are independent or the same company.”
Haffar said both his HP PPS and Enterprise businesses are growing at a robust pace and he expects that to continue if there is a split into two businesses or not.
The reports of a potential split of HP into two businesses comes only two weeks after it was reported that merger discussions between HP and EMC broke off.
Haffar said he sees more consolidation in the technology solutions market as inevitable. “There are more companies popping up that have good technologies,” he said. “I think we are going to see more consolidation and acquisitions in the vendor and the solution provider worlds Change is in the air.”
[highlight type=”one”]Bob Venero, the CEO of Future Tech Inc., a Holbrook, New York solution provider, No. 234 on the CRN SP500, said he is anxious to hear more details about the split.[/highlight]
[highlight type=”one”]”The PPS team is a different team than the enterprise team, but there is definitely overlap in the support model,” said Venero. “It is going to be very important for partners to understand what the support mechanisms we are using today and how this will affect support teams and the channel going forward.”[/highlight]
[highlight type=”one”]Venero, who was already scheduled to speak HP’s Whitman in the next several weeks, said it is going to be critical for HP to communicate the impact of the split. “Anytime there is an unknown like this you have the potential for fear, uncertainty and doubt at both the partner and customer level,” he said. “Anytime something happens like this we look very closely at what the potential impact will be to our business. We will be following this very, very closely.”[/highlight]
