Shanghai – Continuing from our take of HP's latest SMB solutions last week, we now present you their Enterprise solutions. Dull as the subject may sound, their solutions become pretty exciting when placed in live situations. HP also announced several efforts in providing their channel and solutions partners with their new offerings.

Enterprise Developments and Solutions

HP Solutions Business Partner Programme (SBP): HP has revitalized their Solutions Business Partner Programme for solutions providers that interoperate or integrate with HP's products and services to solve their client's specific business challenges. This gives HP's business solution partners even more access to the newest of HP's technology offerings to deliver the most advanced solutions for clients: From capturing, to routing, to indexing, to storing and delivering documents securely and cost effectively.

To help drive the development of ideal solutions with HP's offerings, HP has put up the HP Solutions Business Partner Accreditation, Certification and Test Programme (ACT), which is the industry's first in accrediting internal processes, reviewing designs, and certifying solutions of their partners. Partners in the programme must demonstrate consistent, high quality delivery of specific solutions based on HP's SDKs and the HP Open Extensibility Platform (OXP).

HP Imaging and Printing Open Extensibility Platform: This is HP's next gen solution development kit based on a web services framework. This allows developers to customize their software to industry-specific requirements, especially those in a seamless and collaborative environment.

HP Office Printing Channel Programme: This is designed to help qualified partners grow sales revenue and profitability through better access to HP's entire imaging and printing products and services. This is a world-wide initiative that is now implemented in the Asia Pacific and Japan region. The programme extends the current HP programme to include hardware,services, solutions and supplies. There are two partner levels for this one: one is Office Priting Partners, and the other is Office Printing Solutions Partners. Qualified partners will receive preferred and specialized branding, access to additional compensation and marketing funds, and access to HP's solutions sales tools. With this solution, HP is enabling its programme partners to offer a robust portfolio of imaging and printing solutions at a lower cost than their channel competitors.

HP Universal Print Driver 4.5 (UPD): HP's newest printer driver for LaserJet printers is now easier to use and more business-friendly than ever. The driver now features duplex printing, color printing access control and private printing as default settings. Private printing protects confidential prints with a 4-digit pin and prevents them from being printed until the right user inputs the correct pin code on the printer's control panel.

HP Controlled Cost Printing Solution: To control printing costs and re-enforce a mindset of efficient printer use, enterprises can now track, manage and recover printing cost with HP Controlled Cost Printing. This is achieved through the use of multiple billing systems from prepaid cards to debit applications to per-user charge-backs. With this system, this can track and bill usage by group, department or individual users.

HP Account Opening Solution: HP's Account Opening Solution simplifies and improves the workflow of businesses that deal with many customer accounts like those that fall under financial, utility and telecommunications industries. With HP's advanced imaging and OCR offerings, this solution speeds up the process of opening accounts by automating manual tasks that fall under document capture and processing. This can lead to a reduction time of account approval and validation from seven to just two days!

HP Output Management Solution: This particular solution helps enterprise customers streamline their document and information workflows, and this is most effective for those in the manufacturing, distribution, and top security industries. HP's Output Management Solution readily integrates enterprise applications and systems to securely dispatch critical documents to a variety of mediums – from print to email to wireless devices. There are new security technologies in place, like serialization, watermarking and encryption. There's also the new RFID Secure Document Tracking System that helps clients track, management, secure, and control access to top secret documents.

Enterprise-grade Tools
HP also has a number of enterprise-grade printing and imaging products that matches their new solutions. The following were shown at the event:

HP Color LaserJet CM6040 MFP series: This new top of the line color laser MFP from HP is designed to maximize workgroup productivity with its A3 printing capabilities, advanced finishing options, robust security system. This product is already available in the Asia Pacific and Japan region since April 1, 2008.

HP LaserJet M9040 / M9050 series: These LaserJets are designed for departments ranging from 30 to 50 users and improves business processes with high-volume, cost-effective printing, copying, scanning and even faxing along with automatic duplex printing. Again, this product is already available in the Asia Pacific and japan region since April 1, 2008.

HP Scanjet N9120 Document Flatbed Scanner: This is HP's first dedicated enterprise department-class flatbed scanner and is capable of taking in A3-sized sheets. It can digitize up to 50 documents per minute and has versatile paper handling with its auto document feeder. This is compatible with HP's Web jetadmin print management software and is bundled with Kofax VirtualReScan Professional.