Hemayun Bazaz and Amol Mitra share insights on the latest offerings, including the new “Office in a Box” campaign, and how advancements in AI, security, and service provider enablement are shaping Aruba’s strategy for 2025.
Talking about the SMBs and how has the year been business for the SMBs and in HP? ( Hemayun )
Over the past year, product supply has improved significantly, and since then, our business has really taken off. As part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, InstantON—our SMB-focused division—has been gaining momentum. In fact, over the last 3 to 5 years since the launch of InstantON as an SMB solution, we’ve been doubling down on growth and expansion.
So what is the Aruba InstantON team highlighting and doing? (0:54) Because it has been in the talks for a long time ( Hemayun )
InstantON is specifically designed for small and medium businesses (SMBs), aiming to give them confidence in choosing a solution that is smart, secure, and reliable. What we’re showcasing is our complete range of new Wi-Fi 6 access points, along with switches that are incredibly easy to deploy and manage. SMBs can quickly make decisions, implement these solutions faster, and improve both their business growth and employee satisfaction by enhancing ease of work.
As for the “Office in a Box” campaign, it’s a comprehensive solution for SMB partners worldwide. We’ve combined our networking solutions with servers and storage, offering SMBs—especially those just starting out—a reliable package that covers all their needs. This includes dependable networking, storage solutions, and servers for running robust applications. Everything is secure, easy to manage, and quick to deploy, giving SMBs the peace of mind that they are investing in a reliable, all-in-one solution that helps them get up and running smoothly.
The term “Office in a Box” reflects the bundled nature of the offering. It provides SMBs with servers, storage, and networking solutions all in one package, allowing them to implement it quickly and have their office fully operational in no time. It’s designed to be secure, smart, and easy to manage, making it the ideal solution for growing businesses.
As a vendor, how is HP Aruba InstantON business supporting the SMBs customer from skill availability point of view to managing solutions? ( Hemayun )
Like I said, the whole idea of InstantON is it’s actually on very instantly. SMBs actually don’t really need a lot of IT skill to deploy or manage the solution. You know, it’s very easy to manage and most importantly, like I said, very secure.
SMBs really don’t need a lot of skill to deploy an InstantON solution. Like we say, even a non-IT person should be able to deploy this as a solution. (Exactly, for example, our access points have a barcode behind. We just scan that barcode, add it into the app and the AP is up and running. (Interesting. What is your competitive advantage against other players in SMBs? You know, all the other players are basically coming up with solutions that are focused on SMBs.
We do that as well, but what we have done is we have taken our enterprise grade products and purpose built them for SMBs. So, the reliability, the quality of the product, the security of the product is enterprise grade. That differentiates us from all the other SMB solutions that are available out there in the market.
So, I’ll skip the last question and I want to ask you this question.
How has the year been in business-wise for SMBs? (Amol )
Two key things to highlight: our business has been thriving, doubling year over year at a global level. We launched the InstantON brand five years ago, and since 2019, we’ve experienced continuous growth, doubling our business annually. Today, we’re working with about 30,000 partners, starting from zero, which is remarkable growth.
Looking ahead to 2025, we’re focusing on three key areas. First, there’s AI—what we call “automated intelligence.” Our goal is to make our products simpler for customers by leveraging automation, which then drives artificial intelligence. By automating processes, we can learn and then apply that knowledge to enhance AI, making our solutions even smarter and more efficient.
Second, we’re emphasizing security. Security remains the number one pain point for most of our customers, so we’re focused on offering hardened security across hardware and software. What sets us apart in the SMB market is our enterprise-level security features, such as secure chips, advanced encryption, and client-secure technology, which we’ve adapted from the enterprise level to the SMB space.
The third area of innovation involves empowering service providers. We’ve been building products and tools that help service providers grow their SMB footprint, particularly in areas like smart homes, smart buildings, and smart workplaces. Recently, we released a security gateway and are launching a new MSP portal, giving service providers the tools to manage their customer networks on the InstantON platform.
These three areas of innovation—AI, security, and service provider enablement—are central to our strategy for 2025, building on the strong growth we achieved in 2024.
As for InstantON, we’ve made several significant changes. First, we rebranded from Aruba InstantON to HPE Networking InstantON to broaden our presence in the SMB space and strengthen our brand equity under HPE. This also allows us to tap into not just the networking partner base, but also server and storage partners, expanding our reach.
Secondly, we’re introducing new products that open up new addressable markets. One of these is Green Wedge, a security gateway designed for service providers. We’re also launching the MSP portal, which will attract new partners. By broadening our product portfolio, we’re not only increasing our market share but also expanding the overall market. These two major changes—our rebranding and product expansion—are pivotal in driving growth and innovation for the future.
How different did you find GITEX this year? ( Amol )
The foot traffic at this event has been overwhelming, with so many people moving between the halls. The buzz is all about AI—everyone is talking about it, and that hasn’t changed. The scale of GITEX has expanded significantly, with more countries and vendors participating than ever before. GITEX has truly become a premier show that you can’t afford to miss. Post-COVID, the focus has shifted more towards relationship-building. People are excited to meet face-to-face again, creating stronger bonds and fostering relationship-based sales rather than just product launches. This shift has been a noticeable change this year.