HP global presence scales back 72 years when it was founded in a garage. The firm set up presence in Nairobi 17 years ago.  Last year, the firm recorded sells of 54.3 million personal computers, 52.63 million printers and 2.8 million servers. HP is currently ranked second in global PC sales and first in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Ken Mbweya, HP East Africa managing director attributes the firm’s success to its passion for customers. Mbweya says that HP is expanding presence in the region and would be opening 12 new branches in Africa including Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia.  He further states that emerging markets have played a major role in keeping HP ahead of the pack. He was speaking on Friday morning at Norfolk hotel where HP was hosting several CEOs for a breakfast program. The theme was “Staying ahead of the pack”. HP has seen significant growth in the small and medium enterprises (SME) market in the region recording approximately a double growth rate. “We expect this growth trend to continue due to favorable economic conditions,” Mbweya says. HP provides servers, PCs and printers which help SMEs automate their processes. “Such a platform frees management time to innovate and to move in to newer markets. Together with our partners, we come up with solutions that target the SMEs which are the bulk of the Enterprise in this market,” he says.

CIOs in the region are facing a challenge as IT finds itself at the centre of business where business decisions cannot be made without any IT implications. Mbweya says that CIOs find themselves comfortable ‘talking’ to machines and now find themselves in the unfamiliar board rooms. He advises CIOs to take advantage of the situation to make IT drive the business rather than have the business driving ICT.

Mbweya further advised firms to leverage on web technology in an effort to reach to the newer generation ‘Y’ in the work place. HP provides technology solution for this market with always on services mainly through their phones and its Web Operating System.
HP acquired Palm cause in 2010 due to their WebOS which it then utilised in enabling HP devices to be web ready. Some HP web enabled devices will be launched later on in the year in Kenya.  HP has also updated its portfolio of products with cutting edge technology.
Most of HP’s new features integrated in their products are targeted to a mobile workforce. Solutions range from enterprise security solutions protecting from data loss and identity theft. Also targeted is cloud computing and remote access of office equipment.
Face recognition technology enables facial features to be used to log in to laptops. This can further be secured through a 2 step verification process that in addition to face recognition requires Bluetooth pairing with a  users phone to complete authentication. The functionalities are made possible through a partnership with cogent systems.
ePrint enables users  to print from anywhere. HP is still further researching the technology to develop smart printers that are GSM enabled. Such printers will have the ability to print remotely where there is no wired connectivity  . Current eprint printers require power and connectivity to print from anywhere.
Drivelock prevents unauthorized access to data held in the hard disk, which is important for employees on the move, especially with  high number of laptop thefts in the region.
File sanitizer makes it easy to permanently remove files that could be used yo identify, contact or locate users.
DriveGuard  protects hard disk drive failure from damages due to shock from drops, rough handling and excessive vibration - important for field workers in areas with rough roads.
HP has also been selling servers both in physical form and purchased as a cloud server, where the business does not physically have the servers on location but accesses them via the internet. “What we see is a world that will embrace cloud more. Today we are able to deliver servers in hybrid form, on premise or in the cloud. We ask clients to embrace these new technologies to take advantage of cloud based installations,” Mbweya says.