Hewlett-Packard used its annual Enterprise Server Storage and Networking sales kickoff to slam the door on its exact rocky past and get both its employees and partners on the same path towards working together to grow its business.

At the event, HP's top executives from CEO Meg Whitman on down emphasized to the company's employees the importance of partnering to grow the business after a string of questionable decisions over the past year -- including the indecision about the fate of its Personal Systems Group -- brought doubt about the company's focus into the minds of customers and partners.

The week-long ESSN sales kickoff event, held in Las Vegas the week before Thanksgiving, ran in conjunction with HP's own internal global sales kickoff. That global event was not open to solution providers.

The ESSN sales kickoff brought together about 4,000 North American sales and support personnel of HP's ESSN division along with 300-plus solution providers to discuss new sales programs and dismiss lingering concerns about the past year.

Frank Rauch, vice president of ESSN channel sales at HP, confirmed solution provider reports that the vendor extended what had been a beta program that offers extra discounts for selling complete solutions.

That program provides solution providers with an extra 3 percent to 5 percent discount, depending on how much ESSN products or HP technology services is sold as part of a solution, Rauch said.

"So sell an HP CloudSystem with 3PAR storage or with HP switches or servers," he said. "Sell two, and get an extra 3 percent discount. Sell three, and get five percent."

Kevin Garrison, vice president of sales at Lilien Systems, a Larkspur, Calif.-based solution provider and HP partner, said that HP also discussed an informal program it called 3x3x3 (three-by-three-by-three).

With that program, HP said that if a solution provider brings three deals to HP, and HP brings three deals to the partner, they can work together to close $3 million in new business.

"It may not be $3 million in new business, but the fact that HP is talking that way is very positive," Garrison said. "Currently, when HP brings leads, they are typically from someone looking to get a $50 Amex card for talking to us. Those aren't customers that we might normally work with. But now HP is talking about bringing in real leads."

HP also gave its partners a heads-up on a number of new programs that were subsequently release publicly including HP's Project 'Odyssey' strategy for integrating x86 server blades into its mission-critical Integrity Superdome 2 Itanium-based servers, new cloud computing certifications as part of HP's ExpertONE Converged Infrastructure certification portfolio; and the news which HP announced this week that it was named to the midrange storage "Magic Quadrant" by analyst firm Gartner.

Getting HP storage into the Gartner Magic Quadrant was a significant event for partners, Garrison said.

"HP has been taking a lot of body blows for its storage business," he said. "Now Gartner has moved HP to the top in terms of storage vendor vision, and almost equal with EMC and NetApp on execution. The Gartner Magic Quadrant has a big influence on the market, especially with enterprise customers who are also Gartner clients. HP has had difficulties with its storage strategy. So this is a big move for HP."

Next: HP Says It Has Moved Past exact Unpopular Strategy Changes

HP used the ESSN sales kickoff to address a number of decisions it made over the past year, such as first announcing and then canceling plans to consider selling its Personal Systems Group (PSG), and was frank in assessing their impacts, solution providers said.

Garrison said he saw HP executives definitely aligned with Whitman's new course after the previous CEOs Mark Hurd and Leo Apotheker were fired.

HP at the ESSN event was open and honest about the blows it has been taking over the last year, which is a big change for the company, he said. "Before, HP people told us, oh, no, there's no problem," he said.

Garrison said it was also surprising to see how HP was distancing itself from some of its pre-Whitman action.

"I was surprised how much they threw Hurd and Leo under the bus," he said. "A lot of HP people said they were not happy with Hurd's lack of investment in the company, or the confusion that was seen under Leo."

HP also addressed Apotheker's controversial decision to acquire U.K.-based enterprise unstructured data management software developer Autonomy for $10 billion-plus.

Rich Baldwin, CIO and chief strategy officer at Nth Generation Computing, a San Diego-based solution provider and long-term HP partner, said that HP's presentation of Autonomy at the event convinced him to supply it a close look, especially given the potential hardware and services "drag" it offers partners.

"I'm seeing the light on the Autonomy acquisition," he said. "It could have a broad appeal to our customers, and a strong drag on other parts of our business. HP told us that the infrastructure drag is three to five times the cost of the software, while the services drag is two to four times. That's pretty significant. Unstructured data is a big growth driver."

HP under Whitman also seems to have addressed serious morale issues, solution providers said.

Baldwin said he ran into several long-term HP people at the event who said they had been thinking of leaving the company, but who now are staying. "HP seems to have figured out its morale issues," he said.

John Convery, executive vice president of vendor relations and marketing at Denali Advanced Integration, a Redmond, Wash.-based solution provider and HP partner, found the morale of HP's sales teams extremely high at the event.

"Everybody on the HP side and the partner side were jazzed about new sales compensation plans aimed at driving sales across all the product lines," Convery said. "It's no longer direct sales vs. indirect sales. Everybody is working together."

Several solution providers said HP encouraged its own personnel and its partners to be proud of working with HP and to add some "swagger" to their HP presentations.

Rauch said HP has seen several changes in the last couple years, and that Seidl used part of his presentation to rebuild confidence in the company.

"Not that it was bad," Rauch said. "But he told us to go out, not arrogantly, but with confidence to the market."

HP's decision to invite over 300 channel partners to what for other vendors would be strictly internal and secret meetings about sales strategies was by itself sweet news to solution providers who attended the kickoff.

Baldwin said the event drove home the idea that HP's strategy is to engage the channel.

"It was a really positive experience," he said. "I came back motivated and excited. I spent the last few days explaining everything we discussed to my sales team. And I heard from HP people that they want to come in and do more account mapping with us. It's good to see how they want to get involved."

HP Provides Unprecedented Executive Access To Partner

Garrison said that HP has never been so open with so many partners as it was this year.

"Before, not many partners went to the event unless they wanted to spend $25,000 on something like lanyards to sponsor the event," he said.

For some solution providers, the kickoff was an opportunity to actually sponsor part of the event as a way to get better exposure to the HP personnel who can make a difference in the relationship between the vendor and channel partners.

Convery said Denali Advanced Integration sponsored a party at La Cave at the Wynn hotel.

"We expected 100 ESSN sales people to come," Convery said. "We ended up with over 200. We were very pleased with it."

Even for partners who did not sponsor specific events, attendance was fairly expensive. One HP solution provider, speaking anonymously, said the base admission charge to the conference was $4,000.

Rauch said it was a unique way to hold a sales kickoff.

"Lots of vendors have partner conferences," he said. "But there are very few companies that tell its partners, 'We want you aligned with us from day one. We want to make sure you get the same program information as HP people get.'"

HP had a handful of solution providers at last year's ESSN sales kickoff, Rauch said. "But this year, it was much larger than last year," he said.

Access to some of HP's top executives such as Dave Donatelli, executive vice president and general manager for the company's ESSN business, and Randy Seidl, senior vice president for Americas ESSN business, was an important draw to partners.

"The hospitality suites were open from 6:00 pm to 1:00 am every night," Baldwin said. "That made the HP execs very accessible to us. I talked to Donatelli and Seidl several times that week."

While Whitman gave a live keynote address during the HP global sales kickoff, she did not do so at the ESSN sales kickoff.

However, in a video message shown at the ESSN sales kickoff, a copy of which HP provided to CRN, Whitman thanked solution providers for their partnership with and support of HP.

"I know that we've been through some tough times, but together, we are the most powerful channel in the industry," Whitman said. "HP is committed to working with you, and we see a lot of opportunity ahead."

Whitman said partners are the backbone for HP's customers. "With a portfolio that streches from the desktop to the data center, and customers that span every market segment and geography, we absolutely need our partners to win," she said. "You are HP's advocates in your markets and with your customers. And we are eager to engage with you, understand more about your needs, and see how we can help each others' businesses grow."

Garrison, however, actually did get in to see Whitman live during the kickoff event.

"I accidently entered the global account manager meeting with Meg," he said. "She should have had partners at that meeting. She was saying the right things."

With the new programs HP introduced at the ESSN sales kickoff, it was easy to feel that now is a good time to be an HP partner, Baldwin said.

"I've seen the pendulum swing back and forth with HP," he said. "But it was great seeing Donatelli and Seidl on stage and hearing them engage channel partners in front of thousands of HP sales reps."

What you need to know

• A Windows bug installed the HP Smart app onto some PCs without permission.

• The issue also renamed printers to be listed as HP devices, even if they were made by a different brand.

• Microsoft released the Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool to fix the issue on affected PCs, though it requires you to use Command Prompt.

Earlier this month, a peculiar bug installed the HP Smart app onto PCs without permission. Windows added the app to computers without any HP devices connected or printer drivers installed. The same bug also renamed printers, regardless of brand, to be listed as HP printers.

Microsoft confirmed the issue and promised a fix. That fix is now here, though it's in a different form than many Windows bug fixes. Rather than a Windows update rolling out with a fix, Microsoft has made a separate tool available that will uninstall the HP Smart app and fix the names of your printers.

Specifically, the Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool will restore the model information and icons of your printer and remove the "HP LaserJet M101-M106" model information (unless that's the exact model of printer you have). The tool will also uninstall the HP Smart app if that app should not have been installed on your PC.

Microsoft outlines how to use the tool in a support document:

• When it is run by enterprise administrators, correcting printers for all users and sessions on a system requires running the tool as the Local System account. Tools such as PsExec or Windows Task Scheduler can run commands as Local System.

• When it is run by users managing their own printers, this tool must be run using administrative credentials. The following are recommended steps to execute the file and confirm it worked:

  • Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and then select Run as Administrator.

  • In the opened command prompt, type cd /d “[path_to_downloaded_tool]” and then press Enter.

  • Type the name of the file appropriate for your device from the list below (for instance PrintMetadataTroubleshooterX86.exe) and then press Enter.

• The tool will return the message Troubleshooter completed successfully on devices where incorrect printer information was found/fixed. Or, it will return the message Troubleshooter not applicable since metadata package not found on devices that are not affected.

A strange bug gets a strange fix

The bug Microsoft just fixed is rather strange. Windows PCs without an HP printer or any HP device connected installed the HP Smart app, seemingly at random. The issue would also rename printers, regardless of their brand, to be listed as HP printers. Many were upset by the bug, since it meant software appeared on their PC without permission. The issue also locked some users out of advanced printer features, since their printer had been mislabeled.

The fix for Windows installing an app without permission is to make people get and install another tool. The Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool takes up very little space, the entire get is 877.7 KB. But still, it's somewhat ironic that you have to get something and install it to fix a bug that downloaded and installed an app without permission.

Even with the tool installed, applying the fix requires using Command Prompt as an administrator. Tech savvy users will be fine entering code into Command Prompt, but many people have never used Command Prompt. More importantly, people shouldn't have to use Command Prompt and a separate tool to fix a Windows bug.

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SAN JOSE, CA, November 18, 2002 . . . Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today that the Atmel USB 802.11b design has been selected by HP to provide an integrated Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) solution for select models of the recently announced HP iPAQ Pocket PC h5400 series. The Atmel reference design, utilizing the RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: RFMD), radio front end, is the highest performing USB 802.11b module solution available today.

Previously, WLAN solutions for the iPAQ were achieved by use of an expansion pack and a separate WLAN PCMCIA or CF card. The compact size of the Atmel/RFMD module has enabled HP to provide an integrated WLAN solution into the base iPAQ unit, which frees up expansion pack slots or eliminates a need for an expansion pack in many cases.

The Atmel solution provides a high performance solution with exceptional throughput and low power consumption. The low power consumption is critical in battery-powered products. Atmel has achieved a solution that not only conserves power, but also does not sacrifice performance.

"Atmel is pleased to contribute the WLAN technology for integration into HP's leading-edge iPAQ Pocket PCs. Usage in this high profile product reinforces Atmel's position as a major solutions supplier, which can provide superior complete custom and standard solutions. We feel HP's direction is a strong step in continuing the momentum in the growing deployment 802.11b networks," said Nick Kanopoulos, Director of Atmel's Multimedia Communications Product Group.

By offering a complete WLAN design, Atmel enables customers to reduce costs, accelerate time-to- market and Excellerate key performance metrics, such as receiver sensitivity, throughput and range versus leading competitive solutions. Atmel offers USB, Mini-PCI, PCMCIA, Compact Flash and Access Point reference designs developed to be a low-cost, complete solution to meet Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) specifications. Complete reference designs centered on the Atmel's Media Access Controller (MAC) include firmware, software, WHQL qualified drivers, Wi-Fi certification, and utilities for regulatory certifications and production.

"After considering many options, HP chose the Atmel solution because of their leadership position in 802.11b USB Media Access Controller and their ability to provide a very high-performing, cost- competitive design that met our stringent space requirements. Additionally, Atmel's hardware and software engineering team was well suited to take upon the challenge of designing a custom solution to meet our requirements," said Cindy Box, Director of Marketing, HP Smart Handhelds.

About Atmel Founded in 1984, Atmel Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, California with manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe. Atmel designs, manufactures and markets worldwide, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and RF semiconductors. Atmel is also a leading provider of system-level integration semiconductor solutions using CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe, and high-voltage BCDMOS process technologies.

© Atmel Corporation 2002. All rights reserved. Atmel, the Atmel logo and combinations thereof are registered trademarks, and others contained herein are trademarks, of Atmel Corporation. Other terms and product names in this document may be the trademarks of others.

Information:
For further information on Atmel's Wireless LAN products, go to http://www.atmel.com/atmel/products/prod32.htm

Bel Power Solutions announces the release of its MELCHER™ HP Series DC-DC converter (4TE) with an input voltage range greater than 10:1. The converters deliver up to 192W with typical efficiency up to 93% over input and load range with no derating over the operating ambient temperature range of -40° to 70°C.

Just one power supply covers all nominal battery voltages from 24V to 110V, making it particular suitable for railway applications. The continuous input voltage range is 16.8V-137.5V with dynamic transient deviations to 12.5V and 154V for 2s respectively. The HP Series complies with EN 50155, EN 50121, fire and smoke standard EN 45545 and all common national and international railway and safety standards, is packaged in a rugged cassette case for 19in rack or chassis mounting, and all the PCB boards are protected by lacquer, which is perfect for harsh, convection cooled environments in the traditional MELCHER™ style. They are also safety-approved to IEC/EN 60950-1 and UL/CSA 60950-1 2nd Edition.

The HP Series output covers 5V to 96V in single, dual, triple or quad output configurations. Standard features include current share, 10ms interruption time, reverse polarity protection, inrush current limitation, over-voltage and user-programmable under-voltage lockout, remote on/off, adjustable output voltage, fully self-protecting and fully featured. A variety of electrical and mechanical accessories are also available, including a universal mounting bracket for DIN Rail and chassis mounting, a mounting plate for wall mounting and a front panel kit for accommodating 2 HP units for a 19in DIN rack with 6U, 5TE.

For more information, please contact Bel Power Solutions.