Aruba’s integration with AWS Cloud WAN is believed to be providing large-scale support for cloud connectivity use cases that extend LAN/WAN network segmentation and traffic isolation from the edge to and through the AWS global backbone network.

According to Aruba, the benefits of LAN/WAN segmentation with AWS Cloud WAN include:

• Improved network security from edge to cloud: Easily segmenting users, devices, applications, and WAN services into secure end-to-end zones in compliance with predefined security policies, regulatory mandates, and business intent provides consistent security policies and automated enforcement across the enterprise.
• Faster spin-up of new branch sites and Cloud VPCs: The integrated solution, combined with the new “one-click” EdgeConnect VPC instantiation, automates network deployments, removing the complexity associated with manual, step-by-step configuration of the SD-WAN (IPSec tunnels, segmentation, route tables, and VRFs) with the common AWS Core Network Policy, which can be time-consuming and error-prone.

“This latest integration with AWS Cloud WAN changes the game for enterprises looking to maximize flexibility and reduce operational complexity while strengthening security posture within their cloud-centric WAN deployments,” said David Hughes, chief product and technology officer at Aruba.

Organizations can now extend policy-based network segmentation from the branch edge – which spans the campus, branch, microbranch, and remote worker solutions – into the AWS global network. Aruba Orchestrator also supports automated “one-click” deployment of EdgeConnect SD-WAN instances directly into AWS VPC’s.

Commenting on the company’s participation at GITEX, Jacob Chacko, Regional Director – the Middle East, Saudi & South Africa said, “GITEX, with its position as the Middle East’s largest tech exhibition and networking platform, is the perfect venue for us to showcase our technology in simple, yet innovative ways. Our solutions address the specific needs and imperatives of different industries and create value through transformed customer experiences and accelerated financial outcomes.”

Aruba will be exhibiting from stand number H7-A1, at GITEX. At the event, the company will demonstrate its latest technologies addressing the digital transformation needs of regional enterprises including:

• Edge transformation in action
• Unified Infrastructure
• Edge-to-cloud security
• AIOps
• As-a-service

HP’s hybrid work solutions are following:

HP Adaptive Endpoint Management: A fully managed service that helps IT managers send PCs directly to employees with zero-touch deployment. In less than an hour, employees can get to work quickly by simply unboxing their Windows PC and signing on with one click, where their suite of applications automatically installs, making device setup fast and hassle-free – all without having to interact with IT. HP Adaptive Endpoint Management securely manages increasingly distributed PC environments, even with multiple operating systems and vendors.

HP Connect for Microsoft Endpoint Manager: It frees up IT resources by making it easy to remotely configure, secure, and update the BIOS of HP commercial PCs. IT can create policies for groups of devices customizing over 100 different HP BIOS settings. They can systematically push the desired settings to the correct devices during their initial setup, and change settings remotely as needed – all through the cloud. HP Connect for Microsoft Endpoint Manager also allows IT to better protect PC BIOS from unauthorized changes, eliminating the risks associated with traditional password-based approaches.

HP Cloud Endpoint Manager: A cloud-ready solution designed for IT who want a better way to deploy and securely manage thousands of HP Thin Clients, all through a modern and intuitive interface. Accessible from any location from a web browser, the solution helps IT prioritize their day with customizable dashboards that include metrics and analytics to keep them up to date on deployments, device compliance, and server health. HP Cloud Endpoint Manager equips IT teams with real-time alerts to quickly identify and resolve issues while also saving them time through the automation of repetitive management tasks.

“HP is empowering our partners to deliver amazing experiences for customers by reinventing printing for an on-demand world,” said Enrique Lores, President, Imaging & Printing at HP Inc. “As the cyber landscape evolves and the path of work transforms, we will drive partner success with innovative new services and solutions for printing easily and securely, enabling increased services and revenue opportunities.”

To stay a step ahead of an increasingly challenging threat landscape,, the company engineers what it claims to be the world’s most secure printers, secure by design, with layers of protection for the device, data and documents to help organizations defend their network and company data.

At HP Reinvent, HP is launching HP Connection Inspector, a new intelligent embedded security feature created by HP Labs to help printers stay one step ahead of malware attacks with advanced self-healing capabilities. The technology is unique in that it can inspect outbound network connections typically abused by malware, determine what is normal and then stop suspicious activity. If compromised, it will automatically trigger a reboot to initiate HP Sure Start self-healing procedures, all without IT intervention.
Partners can help customers upgrade their fleet with resilient HP Enterprise printers that feature the latest HP security technologies such as HP Connection Inspector, available via a FutureSmart firmware update later this year2.

The workplace today is collaborative, flexible, project-oriented, and unbounded by time or geography. Across businesses large and small, mobility is transforming the workplace. Printing has not evolved to keep up with this new reality, and today it is still too difficult to print away from your desk, while working from other locations or from a mobile device.

HP Roam is a new universal business printing experience that will reshape how innovative businesses print. It enables mobile professionals to print anytime from any location and any device, and retrieve their prints securely from a growing set of print locations at the office, at home or at public sites. Print jobs can be submitted to the cloud as content is being consumed or created and picked up at the location of choice without having to worry about device to printer compatibility or connectivity. In addition, GPS and Bluetooth technologies allow for fast auto-discovery of printers while authentication ensures a protected, secure release of prints.

Key HP Roam features include One universal print experience wherein replacing traditional drivers and mobile apps, users can print from any of their devices (mobile or desktop) when they just select HP Roam instead of a specific printer. There is a personal print queue that securely add to and store print jobs in the cloud, retrievable at any time. The Auto-discovery – When users come within 6 meters of any HP Roam-enabled printer (in their office or their client’s office), the mobile app will send a notification reminder to release the prints in their cloud queue. If away from the office, the app will show nearby public print locations to select and connect to maps to find the provider including thousands at hotels, libraries and airports. It also secure release via authentication– Select the items to be printed, verify identity using a mobile device, personal pin or ID card to select and release the prints securely

HP Roam helps simplify the print experience while creating new service and revenue opportunities for customers and partners. Resellers can expand and differentiate their managed print services to leverage the cloud, using a simple deployment that minimizes staff training and service costs. Offered first as a business print solution, HP Roam will be available in spring 2018.

HP also announced the launch of HP Solutions Hub, a new workflow optimization platform for partners to differentiate their services with custom workflows for paper-intensive verticals such as healthcare, legal, and financial services. This cloud and mobile-centric architecture includes connectors and templates that make it easy to turn HP multifunction printers into custom work environments, so that paper becomes a natural extension of the digital experience.

The software development kit includes an open platform architecture designed to scale and customize to workflows in vastly different business environments, creating virtually unlimited opportunities for partners to grow and differentiate their offerings far beyond basic print services.

HP Solutions Hub allows for the creation of deeply integrated workflows that include mobile access as well as traditional sign-in for secure and context-sensitive experiences. HP Solutions Hub is available in spring 2018.

Also at HP Reinvent, the company unveiled its next generation of Smart Device Services (SDS) 2.0, a set of cloud tools and device-based sensing capabilities designed to dramatically enhance the service experience. With Smart Device Services 2.0, HP is delivering new use cases to empower partners to achieve the industry’s highest uptime and lowest service costs including part failure prediction, enhanced diagnostics, fleet optimization, enhanced collection and billing and device health alert.
SDS 2.0 will be available in spring 2018 via existing industry leading third party fleet management software for HP resellers.

The company has expanded its A3 portfolio, originally announced in September 2016, with the availability of two new platforms in a number of different configurations for both transactional and contractual channels. The new A3 printers and MFPs enable partners to deliver a powerful customer experience by offering affordable color via HP’s PageWide printing technology and maximum device uptime through SDS 2.0. The portfolio also features enhanced security features unmatched in the marketplace such as HP Connection Inspector, also announced today, as well as HP Sure Start, Run-time intrusion detection and whitelisting, making them the world’s most secure printers1. HP’s new A3 printers and MFPs will be available through qualified channel partners, or directly through HP. Read more here.

In addition, HP announced the launch of new workflow scanners, including Digital Sender Flow (A4) and ScanJet Enterprise Flow (A3). Leveraging the same FutureSmart firmware used by HP’s line of enterprise printers and MFPs, the new scanners come equipped with leading extensibility, compatibility and embedded device security.
HP also announced updates to its line of home and small-business printers with the introduction of new HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M180/181 series and HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M280/281 series printers , offering legendary quality, extraordinary value and improved efficiency for micro- and small-businesses. Today’s new color LaserJet Pro printers enable fastest in-class duplex print speeds and fastest in-class first page out, high-quality prints, easy cartridge setup and printer protection through JetIntelligence, easy mobile printing via the HP Smart App, and enhanced security features to help protect business documents from power on to print out

“We set out to offer our partners a robust portfolio of A3 MFPs with disruptive technologies and a range of finishing options to meet current and future printing needs,” said Stephane Rogier, Head of Print Business unit, HP Inc. “Today, we’re delivering on that promise, along with our mission to continue reinventing the market. Using the vast knowledge we’ve gained through our large-scale commercial printers, we streamlined our designs, improved print speeds and enabled higher-quality printing for a lower cost.”

HP has signed and on-boarded more than 500 resellers worldwide. With the arrival of the A3 portfolio, HP says that partners now have new ways to grow revenue and margins in this $55 billion channel-led opportunity.

Globally, 61% of organisations reported at least a single print-related data breach in the past year . HP’s estimates indicate that less than 2% of the hundreds of millions of business printers in the world are secured. Embedded with the most advanced security features available on the market, that are necessary to combat the growing number of threats targeting business MFPs, the new HP A3 printers are the world’s most secure enterprise MFPs available.

Considering that modern MFPs now behave more like PCs, and the fact that less than two percent of the world’s hundreds of millions of them are properly secured, improving print security is a top priority for businesses. HP’s enterprise-class MFPs incorporate a comprehensive suite of security features that protect devices, data and documents, creating a layered security approach needed to combat advanced attacks.

HP’s portfolio of A3 MFPs – including three PageWide platforms and thirteen LaserJet platforms – benefit from the new, cloud-based proprietary service optimization platform, HP Smart Device Services (SDS). SDS delivers maximum device uptime by integrating advanced diagnostics, device specific troubleshooting and remote remediation capabilities into the industry leading MPS tool sets resellers use today.

The HP PageWide Pro devices make color printing more affordable , while simultaneously providing best-in-class print speeds . The single and multifunction devices have print speeds ranging from 35 ppm to 60 ppm (up to 80 ppm in General Office mode). PageWide technology is also more sustainable – consuming up to one-seventh the energy of competing color laser machines in the same class while producing significantly less packaging waste associated with supplies and long life consumables.

HP’s A3 MFPs are available through qualified channel partners, or directly through HP.

“Today, more than 60 percent of Millennials work from more than one location and by 2020 they will be a majority of the workforce. They want sexy mobile devices that meet their on-the-go work styles and IT needs these devices to be manageable, serviceable and secure,” said Benoit Bonnafy, vice president, Business Personal Systems EMEA, HP Inc. “Only HP is combining these amazing mobile form factors with the built-in security and vertical workflow capabilities with a lower total cost of ownership.”

The Pro x2 is a versatile 2-in-1 detachable, featuring multiple modes ideal for commercial use, including presentation mode, inking mode for taking notes, tablet mode for data collection, and notebook mode. The Pro x2 can be configured with a choice of the latest 7th generation Intel® processors, providing reliable performance to meet a variety of end users’ needs.

The design goals for the Pro x2 were built around mobile productivity, which includes WLAN and optional WWAN , with a fast-charging battery that offers up to 11 hours of battery life . The device’s magnetically attached Collaboration Keyboard features dedicated keys to directly manage voice and video conference calls. For drawing and taking notes, the HP Active Wacom Pen with App Launch combined with the extended 165-degree kickstand make it easy to present and share. The Pro x2 includes a USB-C connection for quick charging and data transfers and USB-A for accessing traditional legacy peripherals.

IT requirements for security, manageability and lifecycle management were also key focus areas for the Pro x2. The device was built from the ground up for secure work environments and includes a built-in smart card reader, a removable SSD, and the HP Client Security Suite Gen3 , along with an optional fingerprint sensor and optional Near Field Communications (NFC). IT lifecycle management includes a removable back cover and enterprise-class serviceability for the display panel, kickstand and other key components, along with dedicated 24/7 commercial support . And the Pro x2 is designed to last for the traditional enterprise 3- to 5-year lifecycle, passing MIL-STD testing for drops, dust, humidity, temperature changes and functional shock .

HP’s x2 and x3 devices are designed with versatility in mind, featuring a wide range of optional accessories to help mobile professionals be productive and remain connected whether they are in the office or on the go. New accessories launching at Mobile World Congress include

Building on the innovation of the Elite x3 launched at last year’s Mobile World Congress, the Elite x3 Mobile Scanning Solution extends the benefits of the x3 platform beyond the mobile professional to mobilize vertical workflows for healthcare, field and retail workers. The integrated barcode scanner can be used to check prices, access inventory and CRM information on the go and then seamlessly transition to the back-office with the ability to dock and connect to a display, mouse, and keyboard for a full PC experience .

HP Pro x2 612 G2 Rugged Case is ideal for customers in extreme work environments, this case features a 360-degree rotating hand strap, shoulder strap, stylus holder, optional port plugs and is compatible with the Pro x2’s keyboard.

HP Elite USB-C Dock helps turn your device into a desktop and connect to multiple displays and devices while charging. It is compatible with devices like the Pro x2, HP Elite x2 1012 G1, or HP Elite x3 that have a multi-function Type-C USB port and devices that support Thunderbolt.

HP USB-C Travel Hub is for mobile professionals who need access to additional peripheral ports while on-the-go, this solution delivers pass-through connectivity for displays and USB devices and charging for the Pro x2, Elite x2 or the Elite x3 while the device is being used – with one USB-C cable.

HP Retail Case 12 is announced at NRF, this solution combines with the Pro x2 to create a portable solution for store associates to sell and conduct mobile transactions on the sales floor.

The Jordanian government plans to launch its strategy that will function as a roadmap to make Jordan a regional ICT hub in 2016. According to a recent report, The National Information and Communications Technology Strategy (NICTS) aims to increase ICT revenues from $2.2bn in 2013 to $3.5bn by 2017 as well as raise internet penetration to 85%. Under the wide-ranging plan, Jordan also hopes to boost ICT investment to $450m annually.

Mr. Yehia Elamsy, Country Manager, Jordan at Hewlett Packard Enterprise says, “With 10.3 million mobile subscribers in Jordan and a 158% mobile penetration, the country is experiencing the effects of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ trend where business users are increasingly requesting use of their own mobile devices for work. This creates the need for the ‘all-wireless workplace’ that supports BYOD securely and reliably, enabling communication and delivering business apps wherever people work.”

“To support this trend, Aruba is ideally positioned to solve customers’ toughest challenges in mobility and network security. We will be making concerted efforts to expose our brand, enable our partners and engage closely with customers in Jordan in order to capitalize on the tremendous business potential in the country,” continues Yehia.

Aruba will focus its efforts on key verticals including government, hospitality, healthcare, education, retail and finance. Channel is key to the company’s success and it will continue to conduct training and certification programmes in Jordan through its training partners. Aruba is eager to raise its corporate profile in the country and will run marketing campaigns and participate at relevant industry events.

Aruba was acquired in mid 2015 by HP, now HPE. Aruba will bring its best-of-breed wireless LAN infrastructure and policy management to the access layer, complementing HPE’s strong footprint in wired LAN and data center switching. Together, Aruba and HPE are offering a unified networking solution to help customers in Jordan and globally successfully manage their networking needs throughout the transition to a ‘mobile first’ infrastructure.

Mr. Shadi Alkhatib, Territory Manager, Jordan at Aruba says, “The key areas that will drive the business focus for Aruba are the advent of 802.11 ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi, the growing trend around the Internet of Things (IoT), and a vertical focus through the channel. The introduction of Wave 2 technology has been a pivotal moment for wireless networks; finally enterprises have an access medium that allows Wi-Fi to be faster than wired.”

“With the surge of IoT devices connecting to enterprise networks, conventional BYOD methods of securing access have been rendered inadequate. Enterprises in Jordan can safeguard their networks with Aruba’s unique mobility technologies to help ensure mobile devices communicate securely and efficiently across the network,” concludes Shadi.

The edited excerpts:

How is the market evolving? You have participated in region’s biggest IT Show, what are your observations from the market?

The overall computing market is growing in the Middle East and we are witnessing huge action in terms of ICT infrastructure development these days. This year’s Gitex have shown great enthusiasm from the customers. We have showcased great innovative technologies which have received amazing response from the market.

What are the key trends you are observing in today’s market?

Big data and virtualization are two major trends that are continuing to influence the customers. Over last few years industry have seen exponential growth of data and a dynamic growth of computing devices. This growth had happened in both areas enterprise and home segment. We have seen enterprises are delivering their corporate data on personal devices and consumers are accessing, personal as well as corporate data as per their own needs. All of this makes it more exciting for technology provider like HP, which facilitates all this information flow dynamic at the consumer level.

Another trend which has been getting great momentum is an offshoot of the huge data growth, that is business Intelligence (BI). Corporate organizations are spending their resources in analyzing the data, understanding the consumer behavior and overall market trend from their own perspective.

HP as an organization is keeping a close eye on such market trends and actively bringing cutting edge products which allow ICT customers to participate in the evolution of technology landscape.

How is the Cloud computing is growing?

Private   cloud is catching up in a speedy manner. Organizations are adopting private cloud based applications as they consider it very user friendly.  HP is the market leader in the private cloud space. We enjoy a great prominence in the market because of our existing customers’ experience with the HP’s cloud based solutions.

What is HP’s Channel strategy for the Middle East region?

HP is a channel driven organization. We have three tier channel structure. We work with distributors, VARs and SIs. Moreover, we also have specialized partners who enjoys specific capabilities for any specific industry segment.

What level of engagements does HP have with it’s partners?

We are committed towards partner’s growth. We invest in training and certifications for the partners in order to enable them in putting across right form of solution for the customers. We train partners and their teams so that they help the customers to remove the complexity of business environment. It is very important for the partners to become

Hyper convergence has also influenced the market in a major way. What are your views on this and how is HP looking at convergence as a trend?

Hyper convergence is a major driver for next level technology area. HP has a well defined approach towards this. We have robust products around this trend. For example, HP’s One View is an appealing product for software defined data centers. Similarly, there is a comprehensive product portfolio which goes in the hyper converged environment.