ENGINEERING

Dell announced new PowerEdge servers, PowerVault storage, and PowerConnect networking solutions that help growing businesses update their technology infrastructures with easy integration, minimal downtime, and the ability to scale -- all while driving business performance under constrained budgets.

"Because of their limitation in IT resources, midsized businesses have always favored IT solutions that are: easy to install, configure and manage; are simple to use and require minimal customization; don't increase demand on already limited IT resources; are easy to integrate with existing systems; and have straightforward and easy pricing," said Jim Browning(1) of Gartner.

Gartner's research reflects what Dell is hearing from its hundreds of thousands of customers around the world. According to Dell's Erik Dithmer, vice president and general manager, Dell Americas Small and Medium Business, "The economy still continues to be challenging, but businesses are finding they can no longer postpone technology updates. As they look to make investments, customers are telling us they are concerned about business continuity and data protection, with return on investment being a more important consideration than price. The products we are launching today are specifically designed to address those needs."

What's more, Dell's new PowerVault storage, PowerEdge servers, and PowerConnect networking solutions offer technology that small and medium businesses can easily integrate into their current infrastructure for greater productivity. To further help businesses more efficiently and cost-effectively manage their IT systems, Dell also announced the global availability of Dell OEM Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010, which helps customers consolidate servers, proactively monitor systems, and manage hardware, software and services through a unified console.

All Dell Powervault, PowerEdge, and PowerConnect products and solutions mentioned are available through Dell or any of the company's global PartnerDirect channel partners.

New PowerEdge R415, R515 Servers

Globally, Dell's customers and partners say they need servers that deliver performance and value but also inspire confidence through efficiency and reliability. To meet this need, Dell is expanding its AMD portfolio by offering two new servers aimed at bringing enterprise-class features at a reasonable cost to growing businesses that need them. The PowerEdge R415 and R515 servers are designed to help growing businesses increase productivity, improve security and continuity, simplify management and usability, and improve reliability, all while reducing complexity and driving down costs.

With enterprise-class features including the Dell Server Deployment Pack, Microsoft Systems Center Configuration Manager, and Lifecycle Controller, businesses can spend less time setting up and running IT, because pre-OS deployment can be up to 53 percent faster on similar systems, according to recent third party studies, than the leading competitor. The PowerEdge R415 and R515 also offer full redundancy in power supplies, and "hot swap" hard drives that provide important availability options for better business data protection. Additional advanced features include the interactive LCD screen for easy system monitoring and Energy Smart technologies to help businesses use power effectively without compromising business productivity.

Both servers will be available for purchase starting October 11.

(1) Gartner, Market Insight: Midsize businesses Cite Key Selection Criteria for IT Investments, 27 July 2010

The PowerEdge R415 is a 2-socket, 1U server. Featuring the latest AMD Opteron 4100 series processor, it is optimized to run typical business applications-- such as file/print, email, web service, IT infrastructure, and small virtualization deployments -- and to meet entry high-performance computing (HPC) demands. This server is squarely targeted at growing small and medium businesses that need a balance of processing power and value.

Designed for mid-sized organizations, the PowerEdge R515 is a 2-socket, 2U server ideal for customers looking to consolidate their infrastructure, improve server efficiency and availability, and promote consolidation through virtualization. With the latest AMD Opteron 4100 series processors and the choice of an eight- or 12-hard drive configuration delivering up to 25TB of internal storage space, the R515 is well-suited for database, email, virtualization, workload consolidation, and other applications requiring large amounts of local storage.

Both the R415 and R515 build on Dell's reputation for high-performing servers. In August, Dell received a leading channel industry award for its server quality.

"Just as we are a trusted advisor to our customers, we look to Dell as a trusted advisor to ensure we are delivering the best solutions," said David Cantu, co-founder and vice president, Redapt Systems, a Dell Certified Partner. "These servers are ideal for partners and businesses looking to deploy open, capable and affordable technologies--a necessity in this challenging economic environment."

PowerVault NX200 Storage

Smaller businesses now can get the storage performance and protection their businesses require. With the PowerVault NX200 Network Attached Storage tower, small businesses can move beyond saving data on individual client PCs and access simple file storage on a centralized device to store, protect and manage the explosion of data everyone is facing, at a price that suits most budgets. High-speed Intel processors enable quick client PC backups and retrieval of large files, making it easier to find, backup, recover, and maintain information.

Configuration of the PowerVault NX200 is simple, only requiring customers to choose the capacity needed, and using its automated installation wizard, have the PowerVault NX200 up and running in as little as 15 minutes. In addition, the NX200 features 2GB of RAM where comparable systems offer only 512MB, providing an additional performance boost for data access, storage and retrieval.

"A centralized storage approach saves businesses time and money and makes storage easier to manage," said John Jordan, president of BusinesSuites, a company that provides executive suites and virtual office services in 16 locations nationwide. "This approach is ideal for service businesses like ours and others that operate in data-rich environments, such as real estate, insurance, accounting, law and medical offices."

Dell PowerConnect W-Series Wireless Networking Solutions

The Dell PowerConnect W-Series Wireless Networking Solutions helps small and medium businesses dynamically scale their networks by delivering enterprise-class connectivity and security to mobile workers. An intuitive, centralized management console enables customers to manage thousands of wireless access points, and allows employees and authorized guests to connect wirelessly. The PowerConnect W-series allows businesses anywhere, anytime access to critical information and applications when they're needed most.

The PowerConnect W-Series solutions are designed to be easily deployed and integrated into existing networks, offering reduced set-up time and uninterrupted data delivery. Small and medium businesses build their network using Small Business Controllers and access points based on 802.11n technology, the industry's leading wireless standard, which transports up to 300Mbps data rates to deliver productivity with coverage, performance and security. Furthermore, with ease of deployment and management, businesses immediately realize savings in time, cost, and productivity.

Dell Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010

Designed for small and medium businesses with up to 50 physical and virtual server operating system instances and 500 client devices, Microsoft System Center Essentials (SCE) 2010 provides management for virtualized and non-virtualized servers in Microsoft Hyper-V environments. The SCE solution assesses the physical environment and determines whether non-virtualized servers should be virtualized. If a server does encounter a hardware alert, the Dell Server PRO Management Pack with PRO Tips recommends a remedial action such as live migration of VMs to enable optimal management of virtual resources. Dell OEM Microsoft System Center Essentials Console Management Suite licenses are available with the purchase of most models of Dell PowerEdge servers.

Combining the Dell OpenManage Integration Suite, a portfolio of complementary, downloadable software tools, with Systems Center Essentials 2010, small and medium businesses can use Dell Hardware Update Catalogs to automate the update of Dell servers and clients, and Dell Management Packs to proactively monitor Dell PowerEdge servers, Dell PowerVault MD series and EqualLogic storage arrays; printers; and client devices through a single management console. Systems Center Essentials also automatically discovers newly-commissioned Dell hardware instead of relying on manual processes to bring hardware under management.