HP offers helping hand with blades

Servers This newsletter is sponsored by Hitachi The First True Enterprise-Class Blade Server Go inside Hitachi's BladeSymphony 1000, which combines virtualization technology, integrated management capabilities, and reliable, scalable system resources to consolidate infrastructure, optimize workloads and run mission-critical apps. Click here to download this exclusive whitepaper. Network World's Servers Newsletter, 05/17/07 HP offers helping hand with blades By Jennifer Mears While sales of blade servers continue to rise, there remains debate over the efficiency of these slim systems in various data center settings. I think it’s safe to say that if you’re going to deploy more than just a handful of blades you’ll be getting your money’s worth, especially with blade servers becoming more powerful and more energy efficient. IDC calls blades a growth driver in the volume server market and says blades should account for about 10% of server sales this year. By 2010, enterprise buyers will spend about $11 billion on blades, accounting for about a quarter of the server market. With more enterprise buyers mulling blades, it’s not surprising to see the vendors moving from just selling the hardware to offering add-on services designed to help put some cost and technology perspective around the systems. From servers to storage: Virtualization saves It's touted as one of the fastest and easiest ways to better manage and control your infrastructure. Download this guide today and see how network IT execs are making virtualization pay off in the real world; discover the 8 virtualization gotchas you need to know; and much more. Click here to download. HP last week announced the HP Proactive BladeSystem Service, which links customers with HP blade experts. The idea behind the service is to give customers a real-life, on-site helping hand when it comes to blade deployments. HP executives say their experts will help customers with areas such as blades and power and cooling, blades and consolidation and blades and virtualization. Read newsletters on blades and virtualization here and here. The HP Proactive BladeSystem Service costs $33,000 for a year and during that year enterprise buyers will have a direct line to HP and its resources. Customers will get an onsite account manager who will work with the IT department to continually evaluate and make recommendations regarding the best use of blades and associated management tools, HP says. The service, which covers HP BladeSytem blade servers, HP StorageWorks blades, blade enclosures, blade networking and storage-area network devices, as well as HP management software, is available 24x7. The HP Proactive BladeSystem Service is available now. Get more detail on the service here.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Jennifer Mears is a freelance journalist based in Arizona. She was previously senior editor at Network World focusing on server issues. E-mail her at jlmears@gmail.com.   This newsletter is sponsored by Hitachi The First True Enterprise-Class Blade Server Go inside Hitachi's BladeSymphony 1000, which combines virtualization technology, integrated management capabilities, and reliable, scalable system resources to consolidate infrastructure, optimize workloads and run mission-critical apps. Click here to download this exclusive whitepaper. ARCHIVE Archive of the Servers Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007