Hewlett-Packard has joined SmartCity Malta where it will have a project office implementing the firm’s latest products and services in the region.

Leading the cloud computing era, HP said it would be offering the hybrid cloud services for SmartCity Malta and its business partners to balance the affordability and flexibility found in the public cloud and the security and confidentiality assured by the private cloud models.

A company spokesman said Malta was the rising destination for technology firms to serve the EU and North African markets and SmartCity Malta was a focal part of the country’s vision to be the regional excellence centre toward the knowledge-based economy. “Smart City and Malta are an ideal choice for a technology company like HP. HP’s capabilities to empower business and governments to reach more customers and create instant-on experience is especially important in an area where communication across continents is demanded”, said Franz Scherz, managing director for HP CDG.

For SmartCity Malta CEO Fareed Abdulrahman HP “is the ideal business partner as SmartCity Malta offers the best in terms of quality, connectivity and access to key markets”. He said the growth potential in Malta, the Mediterranean region and in North Africa made SmartCity Malta a very strategic location for a company like HP.