HP iQuote now shows Energy Star Compliance for PSG Notebooks, Desktops and Workstations. Simply look for this logo when browsing the System Units:
Important for Government customers in particular!
Archive for April, 2012
HP iQuote breaking records again
April 27, 2012Weekly volume of Saved Quotes hits a new record at 1277. It’s a great record to break too as saving quotes (rather then just quoting off screen) provides a number of benefits including:
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Access to additional functions such as Export, Mail Me, Margin, System Unit multiplier.
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Saved Quotes are available on the Cloud so can be retrieved and used as a template or re-opened (includes price check).
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The more saved quotes, the more management information that Product Managers can use to profile stock and drive sales promotions.
As our HP iQuote Training presents some of these benefits we are seeing a trend of saving quotes – which is good!
HP iQuote at HP ESSN Disti Event in Madrid
April 26, 2012Many, many European HP Distributors are in Madrid in May – so is HP iQuote. Please feel free to come and see me at the HP ESSN Disti Event – I am available at all breaks to drink coffee, chat and discuss hot topics like Power Sizing, HP iQuote 2, Option Packs etc. Just email or call me (Tim Moyle). See you there – I hope it’s a great event for you.
HP iQuote v1.9: iLO Management
April 6, 2012Major improvements to the way iLO Management is handled in HP iQuote. If an iLO enabled ProLiant server is sold, but with no iLO software, the customer will miss out on some of the coolest, time-saving management features. If you manage their network, then you are also missing out. So it is important that HP iQuote highlights the options: something we have done in HP iQuote v1.9:
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There is a NEW entry in the Spec Table called Management and this will tell you the iLO version plus whether Insight Control is included or not. If not you can simply link from the Spec Table to supported options.
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We’ve added Validation to iLO. If Insight Control is not included, but there is an iLO you get a Blue Warning. Click on that and again you can link to the supported options. Once added the Blue Warning turns Green. If the system ships with Insight Control the Validation Notes item is Green anyway.
Customers that deploy HP ProLiant’s Management Tools are far more likely to continue to purchase HP ProLiant servers, which are mostly sold via the Channel so that’s good. This helps boost your revenue and margin plus you can wrap services around iLO and Insight Control. Also if you manage your customer’s networks, have iLO Advanced or Insight Control on the server can save you time and money by eliminating site visits and enabling more complete remote management.
More Info:
HP iQuote v1.9: PSG Finders
April 6, 2012Major enhancement to HP iQuote for PSG. Users can now locate the ideal System Unit from the Notebook and Desktop portfolio using the new and imaginatively named Notebook and Desktop Finder function in HP iQuote v1.9. In a short Blog article it is not possible to list every aspect so have a play with it – you can link off the Desktop and Notebook Menu Pages.
The Notebook and Desktop Finders work in a very similar way: they allow the HP iQuote user to filter the products based on either technical or commercial attributes. The filters differ mainly as Notebooks carry far more features.
Example: customer requests a Notebook with Bluetooth, Webcam, SSD Drive, In Stock, Max Price $900, 15” Screen. Apply those filters and HP iQuote will display System Units that match the specification and are in stock with the correct price band.
It’s fair to say that the product lifecycles of Notebooks and Desktops are relatively short and so it’s hard to keep up with the changes but now as long as you know the specification the customer wants it’s easy in HP iQuote. There are a few enhancements planned too !
HP iQuote v1.9: Email Your Quote
April 5, 2012
A new way to export the quotation in HP iQuote: Mail Me. Once you’ve saved your quote you will see a new icon: an envelope. Click on it and you have emailed yourself a copy of the quote (HP iQuote does an auto-save and logs it as an export that you can view in Saved Quotes). At present the email has a CSV attachment but we may add a HTML table version in the email body.
Also planned is an enhancement to allow you to enter email address/addresses so you can send a quote directly from HP iQuote to your customer. So Mail You maybe…
HP iQuote v1.9: Option Packs
April 5, 2012A new way to start a quote in HP iQuote: Option Packs. Instead of starting a new quote with a System Unit Part Number it is now possible to apply “Option Packs” to apply logical groups of options and/or services.
For PSG, as an example, HP or the HP iQuote Host can define logical bundles. If you want to offer a solution for every HP 5330m Notebook for a very mobile user: exec carry case, extra battery, travel power, accidental damage Care Pack e.t.c. it is possible to make that solution a single click add.
In Europe we’ve worked with the TS organization to implement their HP ProLiant Solutions: Basic, Standard and Optimized. Here’s how it works:
A. In the Family (Range) List there is a link that states “Support Option Packs Available”:
B. Choose the Services and Number of Years you want to apply – click and HP iQuote provides a plain English summary of the configuration:
C. See how HP iQuote applies the Option Pack (in this case Support) in the Cart/Basket:
HP iQuote still invokes Auto Add unless the Option Pack contains an Option Type that would be added. The Option Packs 100% respect the configuration rules and of course items can be removed from the Cart/Basket. They work on any supported Option or Service and combinations of course.
HP iQuote v1.9: Tape Drive Controller Auto Add
April 4, 2012
When adding SAS Tape Drives to a ProLiant server configuration HP iQuote auto adds a P212/Zero PCI SAS Controller. The rule is one SAS Tape Drive per P212 Controller so if you increment the Tape Drive the P212 quantity is also incremented. As with all of our Auto Add functions the P212 can be removed from the Cart/Basket by the user.
This new feature ensures that the configuration has a dedicated SAS Controller for each Tape Drive. It also helps to drive HP Options Attach Rate for those who have a focus on revenue and margin.
HP iQuote v1.9: Power Sizing
April 2, 2012As part of our 1·9 version release there is a new addition to Validation Checklist for HP ProLiant Servers. Power Sizing is an incredibly useful new function that calculates the Wattage draw of a ProLiant and its installed options on-the-fly. See the image below: the interface could not be simpler.
If the power draw of the Server exceeds the capacity of the Power Supply Unit (PSU) HP iQuote will error and suggest a higher capacity PSU. For Uninterruptable Power Supply sizing Wattage often equals VA (though local environment may need to be factored in).
1.9 also saw a number of other improvements so look out for more Blog articles coming soon.
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