IBM on Wednesday added a group of products and capabilities to its BladeCenter offerings that's designed to make it easier for small and midsized businesses to manage the blade server platform.
"About 40% of our customers are [small and midsized businesses], and we see this space growing," says Ishan Sehgal, program director for BladeCenter at IBM. "This is really a jump-start offering for customers who either need help in deployment, or in modifying their IT infrastructure to make the most of the advantages of BladeCenter."
New BladeCenter offerings include an entry-level networking switch, called the IBM Server Connectivity Module, designed for implementation by SMBs with limited on-site networking skills or resources.
Also offered are new Windows management capabilities that let customers combine the benefits of BladeCenter and the System i business computing platform. BladeCenter integrates into System i through a standard iSCSI connection. The offering combines the virtual storage, networking, and tape resources of System i to simplify Windows server management, Sehgal says.
A new service offering called Jump Start is being provided through IBM Global Services to speed and simplify blade server deployment. IBM is also making available a financing package for SMB customers or smaller department acquisitions, with monthly payment structured through IBM Global Financing.
Making the jump from outdated legacy technology to a more modern digital infrastructure will allow businesses to innovate at the speed and scale needed in today’s marketplace.
The business world is speeding up. The longer IT leaders wait to get their needs met, the more at risk their businesses and their jobs will be.
By arming SD-WAN networks with end-to-end intelligence, analytics-driven predictions, and predictive automation solutions, IT teams can simplify infrastructure management and assure higher levels of quality experiences for users.
