Dell provides enterprise-class server systems management capability to small, medium businesses

Dell has announced it will offer small and medium businesses enterprise-class systems management and monitoring capabilities from just R300 per server.

The company announced the availability of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 Workgroup Edition in conjunction with the Microsoft Management Summit 2005 event in Las Vegas.

Now available directly from Dell, MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition for Dell PowerEdge servers brings simplified, consolidated monitoring capabilities to customers deterred by the price or complexity of other systems management solutions. MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition is ideal for small to medium business (SMB) customers with 10 or fewer Windows-based servers.

MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition with integrated Dell Management Pack provides a single console for proactively monitoring operating systems, hardware and Microsoft applications (including Exchange, Internet Information Services (IIS) and SQL Server) on PowerEdge servers.

A unique offering only from Dell, the seamless integrated installation of MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition with Dell Management Pack can optimise the performance and availability of critical server hardware. The software also collects, logs and manages system and application events and includes a knowledge base for quick guidance in identifying problem root causes.

"Dell continues to innovate with our partners to deliver customers more choices and greater flexibility for managing IT environments of all sizes," said Ben McDonald, Enterprise Product Manager of Dell South Africa. "Our strategic partnership with Microsoft furthers our ability to deliver standards-based solutions that help our customers simplify their server environment while keeping costs to a minimum."

MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition with integrated Dell Management Pack is available for purchase today for R2 995 excluding VAT and delivery. Software support is available directly from Dell at no additional cost for the first 90 days after purchase.

Availability of MOM 2005 Workgroup Edition marks an expansion of the systems management programme, including the introduction of Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, announced by Dell and Microsoft last year. Dell also recently announced OpenManage 4.3, which offers automated change-management capability to update bios, firmware and drivers, providing customers with complete flexibility to use this new Dell-developed change management tool or Microsoft SMS 2003. Dell is the only server provider that offers customers the ability to patch operating systems, applications and server software using just one tool.