Cisco takes on HP, IBM

Networking vendor Cisco is hoping to gain server market share with the second generation of its unified computing system, reports Computing.co.uk.

For the past 10 years, IBM and HP have provided servers, relying on Cisco for the networking and communications infrastructure and typically using another partner, such as EMC, in the storage solutions area.

Gartner vice-president Andrew Butler says Cisco faces “a long, slow battle to get to any level of volume leadership in the server market. Cisco does not do small and cheap. With Cisco's x86 platform, it's concentrating on high-end or mid-market data centre platforms.”

Microsoft will end support for Intel's Itanium IA64 architecture after Windows Server 2008 R2's extended support runs out in eight years' time, states Tom's Hardware.

Intel claims Microsoft Windows represents less than 6% of current Itanium sales, according to the IDC 2009 server tracker report.

Intel rolled out its Nehalem-EX architecture in its latest Xeon 7500 processor line; however, the chipmaker still sees the Itanium as the choice for mission critical customers.

IBM is offering a package of servers, software and financing to turn Oracle-Sun resellers and system integrators into IBM partners, says eWeek.

The tech giant says it's planning to spend up to $500 million to help credit credit-worthy Sun business partners become resellers of the IBM server and software packages.

IBM has begun a major push to win over new system integration partners, especially integrators specialising in Oracle databases and Sun Microsystems hardware with the introduction of two server models, including an x86 Unix System and a System Z mainframe scale system.