HP has unveiled a new set of offerings, including a set of devices, solutions and services, designed to complement Windows 10 and deliver a “deep level of security.”
“Our customers have told us that security continues to be their top concern and the changes in the security landscape have them looking for ways to protect their devices and data,” says Alex Cho, vice president & general manager, HP Commercial PCs.
“The security features in Windows 10, coupled with commercial devices help customers’ protect their organisations and maximise employee productivity in form factors users will love1.”
Revealed at Microsoft’s 2015 Worldwide Partner Conference in Orlando, Florida this week, Cho claims IT professionals are faced with managing and securing an increasingly complex and dynamic environment.
Migrating to a new operating system can be a daunting prospect - particularly for businesses - a reason why nearly three-quarters of desktop users have a version of Windows that is almost six years old.
As a result, Cho says HP developed devices that increase productivity and deliver a range of support and services.
“This creates an easy migration path for businesses and helps enable channel partners to drive Windows 10 adoption for commercial customers,” he explains.
Security
Set to be launched globally on July 29, Windows 10 includes security enhancements which include Device Guard, Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport, which provide advanced malware protection and authentication across applications, data and online experiences.
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Recent high-profile security breaches bring to light the risks to businesses associated with using older hardware and software.
Simultaneously, businesses are experiencing rapidly changing threats that directly target identities, access control and data and attack deeper levels of a company’s infrastructure.
For Cho, one area that remains a potential attack vector is the root, or BIOS: a privileged piece of software generally ignored by users, and if compromised undetectable by anti-virus software.
Attacks on the BIOS have given hackers free reign over the system, including the installation of key logging software and other nefarious activity.
Today, Cho says HP has the industry’s only self-healing BIOS-level protection with HP Sure Start - this solution checks the BIOS before the operating system boots to ensure the BIOS has not been tampered with and resets the BIOS to its original state if an issue has been detected.
“Windows 10 provides new capabilities optimised for modern business needs including enterprise-grade security, identity and information protection,” adds Nick Parker, CVP, OEM Division, Microsoft.
“HP’s innovation around security, particularly with BIOS-level security found in HP Sure Start, provides an additional layer of protection for their hardware and sensitive data.”
Channel opportunity with HP
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With a strong track record in working with partners to move customers to new hardware and operating systems, HP says the Windows XP migration program was a US$21 billion opportunity for channel partners, with the tech giant helping partners nearly triple their growth rates year over year.
For Windows 10, HP is providing the channel a blueprint to drive customer migrations, including:
• Partner education and training, along with competency branding
• Development support for marketing plans, along with additional marketing funds to support Windows 10 migration efforts with customers
• Co-branded marketing assets and other co-marketing materials
• Partner incentives, including new business opportunity boosters, and other incentive programs
