HP banks on server flexibility

By Warwick Ashford for HP

Johannesburg, 16 Oct 2006

Extended multi-operating system capability and increased processing capacity are the key elements of the latest refresh of HP`s Integrity servers for driving business value, says Kevin Barnard, Itanium product manager, HP SA.

"The new dual-core Itanium 2 processors bring a lot more answers to getting projects up and running faster, giving the customer a quicker, easier choice for delivering back into the business. From a scalability point of view, the sky is the limit," he says.

However, Barnard says apart from dual-core solving these historical challenges, the real business value of the refreshed Integrity server line is derived from the extended multi-operating system capabilities.

"The entire Integrity line now gives companies an alternative to Unix in the server environment, enabling them to consider the cost advantages of running a combination of Unix, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and OpenVMS simultaneously on a single server," he says.

According to Barnard, the multi-operating system environment that HP`s Integrity product range brings to the market is a differentiator from the traditional IBM, Sun and Dell world. "A variety of operating systems can be run on a single server without the need for third-party emulation layers that consume processing power, which means [the best possible] performance can be achieved on a Windows-oriented front-end, as well as the back-end," he explains.

Barnard says Integrity servers running the HP virtual server environment and multiple operating systems enable companies to optimise IT investments dynamically across various enterprise applications, moving organisations closer to achieving the HP vision of adaptive enterprises.