HP’s Peter Oganesian: AI is here now, and students stand to benefit the most

The computing world is undergoing significant transformations, with AI PCs, ecosystem integration, and security at the top of everyone’s minds. To discuss how the industry is transforming, we met with Peter Oganesian, managing director of HP Middle East and East Africa, while at GITEX Global 2025.

Mr. Oganesian has led regional HP operations for years and gave us an interesting overview of the market’s shape and future. One notable take was his view that students stand to be the biggest beneficiaries of the rise of AI PCs.

How do you tailor your experience across the diverse markets you operate in?

Every user of our products expects a personalized experience. It’s not just about the country. Therefore, the products and solutions we provide are tailored to each individual user. 

When it comes to the country, it’s much more complicated. Different nations have varying dynamics and expectations. Some are ahead of the digital transformation curve, while others are slightly behind. So, we focus on understanding our customers and then tailor our offerings accordingly.

It’s difficult to generalize a country’s needs. Instead, it depends on the experience we want to provide to a specific customer. This is what is being customized.

How do you help clients who are anxious about AI get over their fear?

You can’t deny that AI is transforming our lives today. It’s no longer a matter of the future; it’s about now. Rejecting AI or failing to consider AI integration in your ecosystem is somewhat unrealistic, since we already live in an AI-enabled environment.

From our perspective, AI is transforming the way we work. Companies are noticing it now and will feel its impact even more in the future. The technology, solutions, and products we provide are AI-ready and AI-enabled, and upcoming applications and tools will build on that. 

I think the important thing is to have the conversation with the customer, enabling them, allowing them to experience the products today and prepare for tomorrow’s transformation.

How do you help your clients stay secure?

Our clients usually initiate the security conversation because it is at the top of every customer’s list. I do not need to sell the concept of cybersecurity. It is there and it is more important than anything else. 

As a customer, you have security on multiple levels. We believe that endpoint devices today are on the front line of cyber defense, as malware uses them to gain access to systems. In addition to the security software and services customers use, we provide an extra layer of security on the devices themselves.

We built our HP Wolf Security internally to defend endpoint devices through multiple layers, from the BIOS to applications. This provides our customers with an additional layer of protection that enhances their existing solutions.

Which user segment is gaining the most from using AI?

Students are absolutely getting the most out of the technology. As they are at the beginning of their journey, they will incorporate AI into everything they do and how they think.

We had to adapt and learn how to accept and use AI. However, students don’t need convincing to use AI; they already do, and it will come naturally to them. This is the future.

How did your acquisition of Poly and HyperX help your ecosystem grow?

Earlier, we didn’t work from home, so we didn’t really need video and audio collaboration tools. We were all in the meeting room, talking to each other or making phone calls and conference calls. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, we realized that hybrid work is essential and connectivity is key. We wanted to connect regardless of where each of us is.

Acquiring Poly was instrumental to our overall future-of-work strategy. Now we are integrating Poly solutions into our computing, and vice versa, to create an end-to-end solution for our users. We want customers to walk into a meeting room and connect to the overall ecosystem in 5 seconds without taking any action. With the right tools, work should not feel like work. It should be seamless and easy.

HyperX is part of the gaming experience. It’s not just about hardware, but also about user sentiments. It serves as an ecosystem for gaming, just as Poly does for work. HyperX enhances our gaming experiences and significantly improves the experience we want for our customers.