HP, Box.net Offer Free Cloud Storage On HP Business Desktops
The two companies Monday said the partnership offers integrated content management, cloud storage and collaboration to customers who buy select HP Compaq Elite and HP Compaq Pro business desktops via increased storage capacity and enterprise sync.
"With the massive market opportunity for enterprise collaboration in the cloud, HP and Box are focused on redefining the way organizations manage and share information," Box Vice President of Business Development Karen Appleton wrote in a blog post unveiling the Box-HP partnership. Appleton added that Gartner predicts data growth, mobility and cloud collaboration platforms will be fundamental in pushing worldwide IT spending to $2.7 trillion next year.
As part of the deal, Appleton wrote, U.S. customers who buy an HP Compaq 6005 or 6200 Pro Series PC through the HP Smart Buy program can choose a free Box account with 10 GB of storage, with the option to upgrade to more capacity at a discounted rate. For customers who buy HP Compaq 8200 Elite Service PCs through HP Smart Buy can open a Box account with unlimited storage and sync at no cost for a year. For the free storage offers, Box accounts must be activated within 60 days of PC purchase, Box said.
The integration with HP PCs comes on the heels of HP CEO Meg Whitman revealing that HP won't spin off or sell its $40.7 billion Personal Systems Group (PSG) a move that HP said it was exploring earlier this year.
"Our customers are entering a new era of data management and storage, and they need a simple, cost-effective way to collaborate and share information in the cloud," Stephen DiFranco, HP's senior vice president and general manager, Americas Personal Systems Group, said in a statement. "HP's broad range of PCs plus Box's scalable service provides the desirable security, functionality and features to meet the needs and budgets of our customers."
Offering Box subscriptions and discounts on devices has become a major marketing tactic for Box, which has launched programs and promotions offering 50 GB of free storage on LG Android devices; free storage for buyers of the ill-fated HP TouchPad; and, in a competitive jab against Apple iCloud, Box also offered free cloud storage on the iPad and iPhone.
The HP desktop integration comes at a busy time for 6-year-old Box, which has made a major splash of late. Box boasts that more than 100,000 businesses use its cloud platform. Box also reportedly turned down a $600 million acquisition offer from Citrix and just recently added new funding that pushes its funding total to $162 million. Box has also been busy from a products and services standpoint. The company launched the Box Innovation Network last month and added a host of new syncing capabilities just months before. Box this year also launched its first official partner program to bring its cloud storage, content management and file sharing play to market through the channel.