HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE
where autonomous agents make decisions and take actions independently. Some customers are bypassing basic implementations like chatbots and knowledge bases altogether, as they look to focus on more sophisticated applications that can deliver measurable business impacts right away.
The shift toward serious AI implementation is evidenced by customers’ increased focus on data quality and infrastructure requirements. Previously, organisations would discuss AI concepts without addressing underlying data challenges. Now, conversations immediately turn to data location, quality, accessibility and governance frameworks.
“ Here’ s how I know they’ re serious in 2025,” Chad says.“ Last year, I knew people weren’ t really serious about their AI use cases, because they weren’ t actually asking us questions about their data. Now they are.”
This change indicates that organisations have moved beyond experimental phases toward productionready implementations that require robust data foundations and enterprise-grade infrastructure.
The partnership imperative at scale HPE’ s global reach creates a series of scale challenges that no single organisation can address independently. The company serves customers across all continents, industries and use case categories. As such, it needs an extensive network of partners that can help it to maintain service quality while it meets growing demand.
“ We just can’ t execute without them,” Chad says, regarding HPE’ s many collaborators. A general shortage of qualified AI and data science professionals across the global economy only compounds this challenge, with much talent concentrated in specific organisations rather than distributed across the broader market.
Trace3, a Denver-based systems integrator with more than 90 technology partners, represents the type of strategic relationship HPE requires to serve enterprise customers effectively. The company has built a dedicated AI practice over 13 years, predating the current AI boom and providing credibility with customers who recognise the difference between established expertise and opportunistic positioning.
Josh Lindstrom, the Senior Director of Data & Analytics at Trace3, explains how the partnership addresses real customer needs.“ We’ ve been doing this for a long
112 October 2025