Archive for May, 2010
May 28, 2010
Validation versus Optimisation. DDR3 Memory implementation in iQuote was a fairly major piece of software engineering. However, what we’ve got is really quite exciting – so it was worth it.
Examples:
- If you exceed the number of available (empty) slots iQuote will warn you that you will sacrifice (trade off) pre-installed memory.
- If you exceed the total number of slots iQuote will produce a critical error and prevent quote export.
- In dual processor configurations iQuote will check to ensure that an even number of memory modules is added. It will warn if not.
- Across all configurations it will also check that memory is added in multiples of two or three (depending on the system unit and chipset) to provide optimum performance.
So iQuote is not only checking for valid configurations it is also making recommendations about performance optimisation for memory.
Posted in configurator, iQuote, iQuote Update, Product Management, Uncategorized | Tagged configurator, DDR3 Memory, HP, ProLiant | Leave a Comment »
May 26, 2010
Figures reported show HP now No.1 by Units and Revenue. According to reports from Reuters (based on Gartner) HP has overtaken IBM as the Number 1 Vendor for Servers for the first time last quarter when measured on revenue. HP has been number 1 on unit shipments for some time. These are global figures and make good reading for iQuote HP subscribers and users. Strong demand for the ProLiant brand means high throughput in iQuote.
SUN appear to be the biggest loser in market share terms and (as we have blogged about recently) if you are a Reseller looking to change from SUN (or any other server vendor) to HP then iQuote is a great tool to help you make the transition.
Full Reuters article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idCNN2524231620100525?rpc=59
Posted in Channel Business, Hewlett Packard, iQuote | Tagged HP, iQuote, ProLiant | Leave a Comment »
May 26, 2010
iQuote now shows mandatory Care Packs for HP Data Protector. We had some feedback from an iQuote customer that for them to sell HP Data Protector they also had to sell a mandatory (flexible) Care Pack with it. There were also choices of service levels. That meant referencing a PDF document from HP Smart Portal to look for the appropriate part numbers for the Care Pack.
So yesterday we took HP Data Protector offline for a few hours and added an information hover that displays the Care Pack parts numbers against each Software part number. Hopefully this will save a huge amount of time for HP’s channel.
Posted in Channel Business, configurator, Hewlett Packard, iQuote Update, Quote Software | Tagged Channel, configurator, HP, HP Care Pack, HP Data Protector, HP Software, iQuote | Leave a Comment »
May 25, 2010
Over the last week we have extended the software portfolio available from within iQuote HP for ProLiant. iQuote users can now select from:
- Microsoft Windows (many versions).
- Red Hat Linux
- Novell SUSE Linux
- HP Data Protector, Cluster Manager
- VMware vSphere, View, VDI, vCenter
- Citrix XenDesktop
In addition to the software licences and subscriptions iQuote also features associated services. It is important to note that the software packages listed are (to date) 100% HP part numbers.
With almost 1000 new parts appearing in iQuote there is some follow on activity planned to make the selection process more intuitive for iQuote users.
Posted in Channel Business, configurator, iQuote, iQuote Update, Quote Software | Tagged Channel, Citrix, configurator, HP, iQuote, ProLiant, Red Hat, SUSE, VMware | Leave a Comment »
May 19, 2010
Installed Warranty in iQuote Description now Automated. There have been improvements to the way we obtain and present Warranty information – the Warranty that comes with the server not Care Pack Warranty:
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We now use the Warranty Code in HP’s Price List to generate the database entry – translating that 2 digit code to parts, labour and location (e.g. 311 would be 3 Years of parts, 1st Year with Labour, 1st Year Onsite).
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Our SystemBuilder Application automatically translates that ‘311’ into a readable description that appears at the end of the System Unit description.
iQuote User Benefits:
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We used Marketing material to identify warranties previously and this did lead to potential for error and conflicting information.
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Much better consistency makes iQuote easier to use.
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Preferable to searching in multiple places for warranty information.
You may notice some System Unit descriptions without Warranty information – we will retrospectively apply this process to existing Systems to resolve this.
Posted in Hewlett Packard, iQuote, iQuote Update, Product Management | Tagged Channel, HP, HP Warranty, iQuote, PSG Notebook, Return on investment | Leave a Comment »
May 18, 2010
More ProBook Ranges to sell. As new products are launched by HP they are added to iQuote. Six new models from the HP ProBook range are now live and ready to quote on.
About the HP ProBook 4520s
The HP ProBook 4520s range is powered by either Intel® Core™ i3 or i5 processors, they run Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 32-bit operating system and offer a 15.6″ diagonal LED-backlit HD screen.
NewPart Numbers:
WD836EA
WK506EA
WD841EA
About the HP Probook 4720s
The HP ProBook 4720s range is also powered by either the Intel® Core™ i3 or i5 processor and run Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 32-bit operating system; they offer a larger 17.3″ diagonal LED-backlit HD screen.
New Part Numbers:
WD879EA
WK356EA
WK507EA
Posted in Hewlett Packard, iQuote, iQuote Update, Marketing, Quote Software | Tagged Channel, configurator, HP, HP ProBook, PSG, PSG Notebook, Top Value | Leave a Comment »
May 14, 2010
Small improvement to help answer a basic question: how tall is the server? Just look in the Table of Contents under Form Factor and iQuote now displays the U figure against Rack-Mountable Servers. This helps when calculating how many rack servers will fit into a rack (remember storage devices, switches & accessories may also be present).
What is a ‘U’?
A ‘U’ is a UNIT of measurement and is used for determining available Rack Space. 1U is 1.75″ in height. Racks come in 42U and other heights, so, by specifying a server in Rack Units, then it’s possible to easily calculate how many rack components will fit into a 42U rack. So, if you have 42 x 1U servers then in theory you could fit 42 servers into a rack although always check for best practice!
Trivia: U is actually short for RU (Rack Unit) – now that’s an abbreviation that wasn’t needed!
Posted in Hewlett Packard, iQuote, iQuote Update, Product Management | Tagged configurator, HP, HP Smart Array, iQuote, Return on investment | Leave a Comment »
May 14, 2010
You may not have sold HP before but you would like to. A customer is asking you to specify, supply and deploy HP products or a vendor that you have worked with has changed its Go To Market strategy; you are concerned about the long-term outlook working with that vendor. iQuote can make this transition easier.
iQuote is a sales quotation tool that your Salespeople, Pre-Sales and potentially Customers can use to produce accurate quotations without needing detailed knowledge of the hardware specification. This reduces the training overhead on Sales and Pre-Sales people both in terms of cost and losing selling time.
Note that iQuote is designed to be used by BOTH Sales and Technical Pre-Sales. It handles:
1. Stock and Price.
2. Configuration.
3. Promotions.
4. Pipeline & Attach Rate Management.
iQuote and HP
iQuote covers a wide range of HP Products including Notebooks, Desktops, Personal Workstations and ProLiant Servers.
To keep up to date with iQuote please check our Blog or join the iQuote User Group on LinkedIn. Or call me, Tim Moyle on: +44 (0)7912 307715
Posted in iQuote, iQuote Update, Marketing, Quote Software | Tagged configurator, HP, iQuote, PSG Notebook, Return on investment, Top Value | Leave a Comment »
May 14, 2010
Sales Quotations on the go using iQuote. iQuote is compatible with iPhone’s Safari Browser and it’s almost as easy to use as the PC version of iQuote. So if you are a mobile salesperson you can be far more effective by providing quotations for customers when out of the office – face to face even!
iQuote on the iPhone: what features are available?
iQuote is highly functional in mobile format, users can expect to use pretty much all of the features in iQuote that make it such a great business tool. For ultimate sales mobility use iQuote.
Note: iQuote is NOT an iPhone Application it’s accessed through the Web Browser.
Posted in iQuote, iQuote Update, Marketing, Product Management | Tagged configurator, HP, iPhone, iQuote, Safari, Top Value | Leave a Comment »
May 12, 2010
With new monitor technologies coming through iQuote has clearer descriptions. To ensure your Salespeople and Customers choose the best monitor iQuote now clearly states whether it is TFT or S-IPS.
TFT monitors have been a consumer favourite for the past few years, however with the emergence of S-IPS technology and HP potentially introducing models that are LED ‘backlit’ there will be more choices to make. iQuote will not only tell users the technology used in the latest HP monitors: the size will also be displayed so you can sell/buy with confidence. Product descriptions are paramount to product selection and we know iQuote descriptions are likely to be included in End User quotations and proposals. Which is why we make the effort.
Posted in Hewlett Packard, iQuote, iQuote Update, Quote Software | Tagged Channel, configurator, HP, HP Monitors, iQuote, Top Value | Leave a Comment »
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