Every once in a while a new technology comes along that completely changes the way we do things. The mobile phone is one of those new technologies. For the first time since the invention of the phone, a phone number was no longer a fixed destination. Genius. Liberating.
Virtualization is another of those technologies. Its introduction has freed digital information and computing applications from a physical computer and in so doing, made it possible for one computer to act like many. Genius. Liberating.
But, like the early versions of mobile phones — those clunky brick phones that had limited functionality — virtualization has been somewhat cumbersome. Advances in virtualization hypervisors, in systems management software and in the server and storage hardware have made it easier to run and more effective to operate a virtualized environment.
Dell was one of the first companies to design servers specifically tailored for optimal virtualization performance to help companies get more out of their IT resources.
On March 25, we announced our strategy for bringing efficiency to enterprise computing with a new portfolio of servers, storage, workstations, systems management and services.
Today, we’re building on that portfolio with new solutions designed to help companies of all sizes simplify IT in three key areas: virtualization, high performance computing (HPC) and a differentiated approach to small and medium business customers and their distinctive needs. The commonality with all of these technologies is simple: we’re fast tracking the path to efficiency.
Because of its previous complexity, many companies are just starting to take virtualization out of test development and into real-world production application environments. We are now making it a lot more efficient. We are introducing virtualization solutions that are as big of a leap forward as the smart phone is to the brick phone. Here are the new solutions and services to reduce planning time, accelerate virtualization deployment and simplify management of virtual environments:
- Two business-ready virtualization configurations – one for large enterprise and public-sector organizations, and another for small and medium businesses – to cut months out of the process to design, buy and deploy virtual infrastructures;
- Support for the latest hypervisors including VMware vSphere 4 and Citrix Essentials for XenServer 5.0, and Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V;
- We have validated virtualized workloads for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server as well as new capabilities from Platespin and Vizioncore;
- Five new Dell ProConsult and ProManage virtualization services can dramatically cut total cost of ownership, provision virtual machines in minutes instead of weeks and reduce the cost of implementations.
Today we are introducing new servers, storage and services not only enable small and medium businesses success, but accelerate it — all in the most efficient way possible:
- The PowerEdge T410 tower server is an ideal choice for small businesses. It’s quiet and compact with an interactive LCD panel, the embedded management features so business owners can spend less time managing technology;
- The PowerEdgeT710 is an ideal for server virtualization with simplified embedded management and 71 percent better performance to run intensive applications better. We like to say that the PowerEdge offers a data center under your desk;
- The new Equalogic PS4000 storage array and the PowerVault NX3000 networked attached storage (NAS) device deliver a best in class solution for small and medium businesses and remote offices that have growing demands for storage at affordable prices;
- These products, combined with the virtualization configurations and ProConsult and ProManage services give business owners the technology they need to run their businesses efficiently without the headaches of running their IT.
Today’s announcement adds the PowerEdge R410 rack server to our high performance computing (HPC) portfolio. This new rack server provides the right balance of features in form and function– both of which return tangible results to customers.
- The R410 has refined performance for the most demanding research computations and an advanced architecture for improved computing scalability. Its inspired design makes for easier and faster node deployments and management;
- We have placed a lot of attention on function such as onboard management tools, Energy Smart components and factory-integrated, HPC tested and validated solutions to reduce the cost and complexity of deploying, maintaining, and scaling technology.
I had a chance to talk with Brad Anderson, senior vice president, Dell Enterprise Product Group, about the Fast Track to Efficiency launch. Here is what he had to say.