HPE OEM Solutions Meet the Team: Bret Madsen

[Nabanita1]

We sat down with Bret Madsen to uncover the latest trends he’s seeing in the general computing market and learn more about HPE’s partnership with Purdue University.

Thanks for joining us, Bret. As the Senior Business Development Manager for OEM, what does your role involve?

At the heart of the role is understanding the customer. Not just what their current request is but what their key business drivers are. We then find solutions that enable them to win in the market with HPE OEM Solutions.

Can you tell us what you enjoy most about your role?

Throughout my career, I have enjoyed engaging with customers to uncover what their true needs are to meet their business objectives and find solutions that drive both of our businesses forward.

How else do you and your team advocate for OEM customers?

OEM customers have many of the same needs as other customers with some unique additions. Our specialized team understands what makes each OEM unique and supports their specific business strategy, whether that is custom hardware branding or custom service offering solutions.

Let’s change gears. As you know, strategic planning requires research into existing and new markets. Could you tell us about an interesting trend that you’re seeing.

The general computing market is beginning to widen the divergence between solutions. For example, artificial intelligence demands the highest end throughput of all components or solutions that are component-based, like embedded systems in a larger device, that are power optimized. This divergence will continue to drive solutions and system designs that are targeted to different workload types.

What’s the greatest challenge your team helped an OEM customer overcome this year?

As the world continues to recover from the pandemic—and we continue to see unprecedented demand for electronic chips in computing, phones, cars, and more—we have worked with our OEM customers to identify alternative components that meet their business needs and reduce solution lead times.

HPE GreenLake is the name on everyone’s lips. How is the edge-to-cloud platform meeting the needs of OEM customers?

HPE GreenLake provides OEMs an option to deliver as-a-service offerings to their customers while providing the agility and flexibility OEMs need to scale at speed in an ever-evolving market.

How is HPE Virtual OEM innovating ISV customers’ routes to market?

HPE’s Virtual OEM (V-OEM) program allows our customers to focus on their core business value while HPE provides the hardware that supports their solutions. A V-OEM agreement enables a simplified route to market with reduced support costs, which allows the V-OEM customer to focus on developing their intellectual property.

In addition to being a customer advocate, you also mentor students at Purdue University. What spurred you to do this?

I have always had a passion for promoting the next generation of engineers and scientists. Living close to Purdue University has given me this amazing opportunity these past nine years. HPE has a strategic partnership with the university to nurture the next generation by allowing students to work part-time on projects that relate to their degrees alongside their classes.

Finally, what do you enjoy doing most outside of work?

I enjoy volunteering as a FIRST Robotics mentor at a local high school. The students learn leadership skills; develop their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) abilities, while competing in robotics competitions throughout the year.

Thanks for your time, Bret.

Discover how HPE GreenLake and HPE Virtual OEM are driving success for our OEM partners.

Connect with Bret on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-madsen-b5b38a18.

Nabanita Maji
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

twitter.com/hpe_partner
LinkedIn/groups/6988995/
hpe.com/us/en/solutions/OEM