HEWLETT-PACKARD plans to harness its considerable expertise in finance security, cloud computing and data analysis software and services to help major companies in Shanghai, the world's No. 1 personal computer maker said yesterday.

HP, whose global enterprise business contributes 48 percent of its revenue, aims to tap the opportunity for information technology services that banks, insurance firms and the stock exchange in the city require.

It will help the US-based giant to diversify its business and boost revenue in China especially when sales in the industry have fallen due to the popularity of iPads and smartphones, industry insiders said.

"The ability of data processing and security are key factors for a city to become international financial centers," said Yu Zhiwei, general manager of HP China's software division.

He said HP is the only IT service provider experienced in managing more than 10,000 computer servers in China. With its software and IT research center in Shanghai, HP has clients among the top-10 global financial institutions and media giants, such as Bloomberg and AIG.

Shanghai's software and IT revenue, which was 362.8 billion yuan (US$58 billion) in 2012, may hit 600 billion yuan in 2015 and 1 trillion yuan in 2020, according to the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Information Technology.