Avnet?s New Blade Server Sharpens Consolidation Process

Avnet Partner Solutions introduced a blade server this week that simplifies consolidation efforts for the end user. Based upon Hewlett-Packard’s technology, the solution is the distributor’s latest attempt to equip VARs with the products and services that meet the consolidation requirements in the enterprise.

Avnet’s Datacenter in a Box incorporates the HP BladeSystem, HP StoragWorks SAN, VMWare ESX Server software and Brocade SAN switch, and offers assessment, installation and three years of maintenance services. The standardized components are available in three different sizes to best fit customer requirements.

“HP’s been in the blade business since the beginning,” says Steve Tepedino, president of Avnet Technology Solutions for the Americas. “When blades were replacing ProLiants, the CDWs of the world were a great route to market. But as blades begin to take on a role in the virtual environment of business-critical computing, you need your channel to bring the products to market. HP recognized that and is working with us to build a more value play around BladeSystem.”

For HP solution providers, the server helps simplify what can often be a daunting task for enterprise customers.

“A lot of customers figure that server consolidation could save them a lot of money in terms of IT, but they’re often hesitant to invest,” says Mark Darlington, chief operating officer of Cranbury, N.J.-based Trilogy Solutions. “They need to know how they can get from point A to point B, and that’s where we come in.”In that sense, Datacenter in a Box goes hand in hand with Avnet’s Consolidation Impact Assessment (CIA) offering. Introduced about a year ago, CIA is a system-analysis tool that enables VARs to assess a customer’s IT environment and provide recommendations for improving utilization and reducing bottlenecks. More than 90 consolidation assessments were conducted in the past year, with more than half resulting in new engagements for VARs.

“We’re looking at consolidation and virtualization as a logical extension for infrastructure partners,” Tepedino says. “The Datacenter in a Box provides the virtual solutions that are identified in the CIA, offering a one-two punch for partners helping customers make better decisions about their IT environments and better decisions about how to spend IT dollars.”