Providing services to meet the needs of small businesses is a key part of Hewlett-Packard's new approach to the development of packages.

The days when small- and medium-sized firms bought technology ad-hoc and entrusted its management to a staff member, invariably an owner or senior manager, who displayed an interest, are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

They are getting increasingly sophisticated in their information technology (IT) requirements and, just as large firms are employing outsourcing models, they are also looking for technology service providers to partner with them, so that they can focus on their core business.

Hewlett-Packard's (HP) growth in this sector has largely been a result of realising that the needs of small businesses are just as complex as those of large corporations, says Martin Cullen, head of HP Ireland's personal systems group.

"Corporate customers have their own IT capability but small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are on their own so they have a lot more of a dependence on their IT provider," says Cullen.

"The challenge for SMBs is that they need to be fast and agile but they don't have the IT support that large organisations have."

Rather than simply selling discreet pieces of technology such as PCs or printers, HP has focused on providing services to smaller firms through their network of resellers around the country.

"Built into our own technology are the features such as security and reliability," says Cullen. "We then have to take them and wrap around a local service provided by a reseller."

One of the major trends in the sector is mobility, partly driven by the fact that individuals in SMBs often fill more than one role and so need the flexibility that mobile working can provide.

"They need to be mobile but it also has to be secure, reliable and there has to be ease of use attached," says Cullen.

A key product that HP uses to support this demand for secure and reliable access to data on the go is Microsoft's Small Business Server family of products.

Cullen says one of the key advantages of it is that while it provides most of the common features that an SMB may require, it can also be easily customised for each customers individual requirements.

The customer then has a number of options on how to access their office e-mail when on the road - whether from a HP iPaq handheld device or a corporate notebook that has a mobile Sim card built in for mobile broadband.

"The reality is that most customers require a blended approach so that staff can use the device that most suits them at a particular time to get the information they need," says Cullen.

While data security is a key issue for businesses of all sizes, losing a laptop or other device with key information on it can potentially wipe out a small firm.

A properly configured Microsoft Small Business Service can ensure computers connected to the network are backed up at regular intervals.

Cullen also points out that HP's notebooks offer optional features such as drive encryption, which ensures data on a portable computer cannot be read by anyone who may find or steal it, and fingerprint readers, which scan at a deep level to ensure only the authorised user can log on.

"Ease of use is a really big factor - there is no point in a firm having access to all of this technology if they can't use it," says Cullen.

In addition to focusing on ease of use, HP has also in recent times looked at making it as easy as possible for customers to buy HP products.

For customers who already know their requirements and don't need to consult with a partner, it is possible to log onto the HP Ireland website and buy online through a number of different suppliers.

"It's a step forward for us because we have always focused on the solution piece," explains Cullen. "But if an individual has a level of knowledge, they can just log on and buy what they need.

Time management is such a big issue for everyone, so if it's not core infrastructure we need to make it convenient for people to buy."

One firm that has availed of HP's services for SMBs is bathroom products distributor Aquality.

Employing just eight people and distributing high end products from German manufacturers, managing director Andrew Murphy says that effective use of technology is essential for his firm.

"As a small company we live or die based on the service we are able to give our customers," says Murphy. "We wanted to make sure we were using a strongly branded product as we sell on the strength of our brands."

When the company was established two years ago, they went to HP partner CDSoft to establish their IT infrastructure. Murphy was already familiar with HP technology as a sister company PHD had used HP servers to run their accounts infrastructure. As such, he was comfortable to go with CDSoft's recommendation of having HP server technology at the core of his infrastructure.

Murphy says he has found the HP platform to be extremely reliable in supporting his three staff on the road. The three sales staff all use Windows Mobile-based phones to access their diaries and e-mail while on the road, while Murphy can also access the server at any time to ensure he has visibility of where his staff are and which customers they are meeting.

"The German manufacturers are very sophisticated and are always feeding leads through to us which we have to respond to quickly," says Murphy.

"These are premium brands as well so we have to look the part when we go to an architects office and give a presentation.

"The HP notebooks are very robust and have never let us down," he says.