HP held its annual Partner Awards ceremony in Johannesburg last week, using the occasion to highlight its recent activities.
According to HP SA CEO Thoko Mokgosi-Mwantembe, the company performed extremely well in the third quarter, a period which is usually its most challenging. She briefly relayed news of the company`s recent acquisition of Mercury Interactive, its biggest since the Compaq merger in 2002.
Said Mokgosi-Mwantembe: "In July this year, we acquired Mercury Interactive. This is important news for our partners as we expect the acquisition to increase the size of HP`s software business to more than $2 billion in annual revenue. Our acquisition strategy allows us to bridge the gaps and become an even more effective technology solutions provider, boosting our partners` offerings in the medium- to long-term."
What the company does not build, she said, "we buy".
"Capacity building is critical to maintaining a healthy company with a good bottom line. HP SA spends 12% of its annual payroll on internal skills development - well above the global company standard and requirements of the ICT charter. We believe this is important in maintaining competitive skills levels in the business and developing our workforce."
The company`s Q3 results, released on 17 August, reflected a net revenue of $21.9 billion, up 5% year-on-year, or 6% when adjusted for the effects of currency, and operating profit of $1.5 billion, or $0.48 earnings per share, up from $0.03 in the prior year period.
HP`s partners, said Mokgosi-Mwantembe, were critical to this success. HP SA channel manager Thierry Boulanger said the company has about 6 300 resellers in SA, but is now generating 70% of its revenue through 116 preferred partners, following the launch of its Preferred Partner Programme in November last year.
Prizes were awarded for the two main segments: enterprise (value) and small and medium enterprises (volume), as well as distribution, under the categories best growth and highest revenue. Tarsus Technologies won the Distributor of the Year award on the back of high revenue in almost all segments.
Share