CEO Neri: Discover Will Showcase How HPE Is Helping Customers Make The Most Of Their Data, From Any Edge To Any Cloud

Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri said that the company's blockbuster Discover conference, which starts on Monday in Las Vegas, will showcase how the hybrid IT-intelligent edge powerhouse is helping customers "make the most of their data" from every edge to any cloud.

"Data is now your most valuable asset," said Neri in a blog post, referring to how HPE is powering an edge-centric, cloud-enabled and data-driven world. "That means you should never throw a byte away, or worse yet, give it over to someone else. We intend to help our customers harvest the economic potential of every single byte everywhere—wherever it lives, from every edge to any cloud."

Neri said HPE will announce new offerings at Discover that accelerate its innovation at the edge, build on its multiyear lead in consumption computing and "turbocharge" the critical transition to memory-driven computing,

"Our news reinforces the fact that we are building, and are continuing to refine, the industry’s most complete, software-defined portfolio that extends from edge to cloud," said Neri in the blog post titled "A View From the Edge: One of the Most Exciting Times In History Is…Right Now." "It gives our customers the ability to build and connect their next-gen apps and services and to wring all the value from their data in ways that accelerate and differentiate their entire enterprises."

Neri said that those enterprises that are able to "act fast on all of their data, at the right moment" will win in the future.

"Once upon a time, companies collected data, processed and analyzed it, and then used the insights to make essential decisions weeks or months later," he said. "Over the years, organizations got better at using their data, moving faster to drive 'just-in-time' processes and decisions. Today, real-time is the new just-in-time."

In fact, Neri said now the "goal is to use our data" instantly to move businesses forward. "Accelerating time to value is the ultimate goal," he said. "Time to discovery. Time to market. Time to innovation. Time to action!"

Neri, the primary architect behind HPE's reinvention as a software-defined, hybrid cloud, intelligent edge computing power, is hosting his first Discover conference since taking the helm on Feb. 1. Before Discover kicks off, Neri will address partners at the Global Partner Summit on Monday.

Neri, who started at HPE 23 years ago as a customer service engineer in a Europe, Middle East, Africa call center, said that after more than two decades with HPE, this is the "most exciting time" of his career.

"The Intelligent Edge. Artificial Intelligence. Memory-Driven Computing, these may have once seemed to be futuristic concepts, but no more," he said. "They are pragmatic solutions that are making the formerly impossible, possible. What we once dreamed of, is now actionable, to advance the way we all live and work."

Neri said that now is one of the most exhilarating times in history. "You’ll see what I mean, starting tomorrow, at HPE Discover 2018 in Las Vegas," he said.

Solution providers, for their part, said Neri's technology vision has given HPE the leadership position in defining a new era of edge computing in a software-defined, mobile and cloud-first world.

Al Chien, president of Dasher Technologies, one of Silicon Valley's top system integrators, No. 161 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500, credited Neri with driving high-growth acquisitions - including Aruba, SimpliVity and Nimble - that are providing world-class solutions that are helping customers manage their infrastructure seamlessly. "Antonio gets it," he said. "HPE has acquired assets and innovated around those core competencies in a way that gives the company a deeper and wider story. It is not piece parts."

As for the intelligent edge innovation, Chien said the last five solution architects the company has hired are Aruba specialists.

With Aruba leading the charge, Chien said Dasher is expecting another year of 25 percent sales growth powered by what he called the best product portfolio he has ever seen at HPE.

Chien also credited his optimism for 2018 to the sales leadership in the field from North America Sales Chief Dan Belanger and North America Channel Chief Terry Richardson.

Chien said Belanger has boosted the confidence of partners and has given the company back some of its sales swagger. "The portfolio is so strong now that it is about showing up and executing," said Chien.