Lenovo gets Wyse on HP market
Lenovo Group, the world's third-largest personal computer supplier, is expanding its product portfolio with help from United States-based Wyse Technology, as competition against Hewlett-Packard heats up in the enterprise market.
A newly formed alliance between Lenovo and Wyse will allow the mainland computer maker to resell the US firm's global market-leading 'thin-client' computing systems, in a belated response to HP's US$214 million acquisition in July of No3 thin client supplier Neoware.
Thin-client computers are stripped-down, networked terminals - with small operating software, a low-power processor and no hard disk - that depend on servers to process applications and store data needed by their users.
This enables companies that use the devices to lower maintenance costs, have minimal software updates and attain greater security compared with traditional desktop and notebook computers.
'With customers in all industries, especially healthcare and finance, utilising thin client technology, this partnership helps integrate a customer's thin client and other PC requirements,' said Steve Petracca, the senior vice-president for Lenovo's software and peripherals business unit.
'Adding solutions from Wyse Technology to our ThinkPad notebook and ThinkCentre desktop portfolio will give our customers a complete ... solution.'
Market research firm International Data Corp projected worldwide thin-client computer shipments will grow 20 per cent annually to reach 7.4 million units by 2011. It also said Wyse is the world's No1 supplier of thin clients, with about a 40 per cent share in this niche market segment, while HP remains the world's No2 supplier.
Lenovo sales worldwide are expected to total HK$127.7 billion for the year to March, up 12.03 per cent from HK$113.99 billion a year ago, according to Thomson Financial estimates.
