HP Channel Leadership Sees SMB Opportunities

HP Channel Chief Scott Dunsire

HP VP Mike Parrottino

HP sent a memo to partners on June 22, outlining the evolving roles of Dunsire, Parrottino and other channel leaders. But the memo triggered some questions within the partner community, which is seeking consistency from HP. Indeed, the company had a turbulent 2011 — which included a CEO change, the death of WebOS tablets, and intense debates about the PC market.

Who Does What?

Fast forward to the present and both Dunsire and Parrottino want to assure partners that HP remains firmly channel focused, and they say thee company has reorganized a bit to sharpen its channel focus on the SMB market.

Parrottino is not attempting to take Dunsire’s business direct. Rather, Parrottino’s SMB sales team will seek to drive more business through Dunsire’s team, the two executives say.

In terms of consistent messages to channel partners, Parrottino says HP is on message. “Scott is the channel chief for PPS; there is no ambiguity there.” Added Dunsire: “The most important thing we need to tell partners is we’re bringing the PC and printer businesses together, and we’ll provide a better coverage for printing and PCs to a broader range of partners.”

Meg Whitman and HP Partners

HP’s channel commitment goes all the way up to CEO Meg Whitman, who has been participating in channel gatherings in recent months, notes Parrottino. “Her excitement about driving business through the channel is energizing. Look at her background at eBay and her perspectives on SMB partnering are phenomenal,” he said.

Still, HP faces a long journey toward innovative growth. The company is cutting 27,000 jobs over the next two years, and Whitman recently estimated that HP’s restructuring processes was only 10 to 15 percent complete. Whitman’s expanded thoughts are available in an AllThingsD interview.