HP Hits Enterprise Account Switch

Hewlett-Packard said last week it has identified the approximately 250 direct enterprise accounts it plans to turn over to the channel and will begin assigning solution providers to those accounts as early as this week.

"Where we'll start is the partners with the incumbent accounts," said Susan Reynolds, formerly vice president of partner development and programs for the Americas Solution Partners Organization at HP, referring to accounts where partners are already assisting HP Direct. Reynolds last week stepped down from her post to take a part-time role with HP, Palo Alto, Calif. She was replaced by HP executive Tom LaRocca.

"With that many accounts, you can't get it all done in one day," she said, adding that the shift will happen over the next few weeks and will be completed by HP's Americas Partner Conference beginning Feb. 13.

HP said last month that it planned to pull back its direct-sales efforts into about 30 percent of its Fortune 1000 direct accounts. Those customers account for annual IT spending near $5 billion.

"We haven't seen anything at all," said Timothy Joyce, president and CEO of Roundstone Systems, an HP enterprise solution provider in Alameda, Calif. "They were probably excited about giving those accounts up, but nothing has been translated to their resellers at this point."

Added Don McDowell, executive vice president of marketing and partner solutions at Logicalis, an HP enterprise solution provider in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.: "We are excited about the program and are anxiously awaiting the details."

One large HP enterprise partner who asked not to be identified said, "We've heard absolutely nothing yet, and it's frustrating."

But others were prepared to give the vendor the benefit of the doubt. "I haven't heard anything yet, but not much gets done over the holidays," said Gary Melillo, vice president of business development at Melillo Consulting, an HP enterprise solution provider in Somerset, N.J.