HP delivers printing infrastructure solutions to make distributed output processes more efficient and secure

As part of its vision to help customers run an always-on, secure infrastructure, Hewlett-Packard has announced four solution portfolios containing products, services and support that enable businesses to develop an effective, integrated print output environment.

HP Secure Print, Distributed Print, Print Management, and Delivery portfolios help improve and optimize printing output environments, allowing businesses to integrate front and back-end business processes - such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), human resource management (HRM), or customer relationship management (CRM) - to support the flow of information across their extended enterprise.

"These portfolios enable companies to build their printing infrastructure to help them not only minimise costs and improve employee productivity today, but also prepare them for the e-services they`ll be using tomorrow," said Ashley Flinders, HP market development manager, imaging & printing solutions. "Today, we are realising and expanding upon our vision to deliver intelligent printing appliances that let people access a variety of useful e-services, running on an always-on, secure infrastructure."

"As companies implement back end business processes - human resources management, accounting, sales force automation -- there is a clear need to integrate those processes with an output strategy," said Keith Kmetz, program director at IDC. "We believe that HP, with its portfolio of printing infrastructure solutions, has put together a package that successfully addresses the challenges associated with that integration."

Output solutions help create an integrated printing infrastructure, enabling companies to focus on their business objectives rather than the challenges of document distribution, print security, or the need to track and manage printing and copying activity and costs. HP`s solution portfolios, which contain a mix of products, services and support developed and distributed by HP and its partners, include:

• Secure Print

  - This portfolio consists of products that restrict unauthorized access to privileged corporate data, negotiable documents and print resources, reducing the risk of liability caused by misuse of sensitive employee or corporate information.

• Distributed Print

  - A lineup of products featuring HP`s recently announced Intelligent Document Formatting, which allows organizations to easily create and manage business documents using intelligent print resources that help save time and money by converting unformatted data streams into formatted business documents. This portfolio also includes the HP Distributed Host Printing solution that enables enterprise organizations to distribute business information from legacy mainframes and midrange systems to local network printers.

• Print Management

  - This portfolio features two recently developed HP solutions - Job Accounting and the High Performance Printing System (HPPS). The job accounting solution is an integrated tracking and cost-recovery system that allows organizations to track, analyze and report printing- and copy-related expenses. HPPS is a server-based software system that captures high-volume batch transaction and department printing from multi-operating environments and sends it to dedicated HP LaserJet printers that are clustered. HP`s WebJet Admin and JetDirect 4000 Print Appliance round out this portfolio.

• Delivery

  - A portfolio that solves distributed communications and distributed output management needs featuring the Document Router and the Output Server developed by HP subsidiary Dazel. These products accelerate access to information and enable companies to use the web to streamline business processes.

These solutions are available and can be purchased directly from HP or select resellers. More information about distributed output solutions is available at HP`s Global Solutions Catalog (GSC) located at http://www.hp.com/go/gsc.

For further information, please contact the HP Customer Care Centre on 086000 1030 or visit their website at www.hp.co.za.