Dell launches superior servers, switches for SMBs

BANGALORE: Priced as low as Rs.58,946, the new single-processor Dell

PowerEdge servers is designed to deliver enterprise-class performance and

capacity to small and medium businesses and remote offices. The two models

introduced are the PowerEdge 700, a tower server, and the PowerEdge 750, a 1U

rackmount system.

Combined with new PowerConnect Fast Ethernet switches, growing organizations

can increase the speed and efficiency of their networks with the ability to

upgrade the network to faster Gigabit networks easily down the road.

The rich feature set and affordability of these new servers indicate Dell's

steadfast focus on delivering advanced capabilities on even entry-level systems,

said Amit Midha, director of enterprise marketing and business development for

Dell Asia Pacific and Japan. "Dell is working to provide small businesses

with the same class of technologies as the enterprise. A full suite of support

services complement Dell's trademark easy-to-use features and server systems

management tools to help small companies build and maintain business solutions

that differentiate them in the marketplace."

"SMB customers are deploying and using more advanced technologies to

drive and grow sophisticated businesses on the Internet and the storefront, and

running applications that drive the business," said Jamie Gruener, Senior

Analyst, The Yankee Group. Dell is committed to lowering overall costs while

providing the latest standards-based platforms makes it a strong partner for

this customer segment.

Designed for SMB and corporate workgroup requirements, the new systems are

ideal for small workgroups and remote offices with limited IT resources or

space. The PowerEdge 700 and PowerEdge 750 servers feature Intel's latest

Pentium® 4 processors with 1MB cache for the performance demands of e-mail,

Web, file, and print serving applications. The PowerConnect 2216, 2224 and 2324

switches' plug-and-play simplicity requires little installation time, enabling

SMBs or educational institutions to easily connect their servers, PCs and

printers in a network.

The servers' new features have dramatically improved overall system

performance. For example, the PowerEdge 750, starting at India - Rs60, 240,

performs nearly 20 percent faster at a lower cost than the last-generation Dell

server. The PowerEdge 700, priced at India - Rs58, 946, can hold up to 1TB of

data internally to accommodate a growing business' storage needs. The servers

come with Dell OpenManage standards-based systems management tools, and

customers with remote offices can upgrade their servers with remote management

cards to maximize limited IT resources. The new servers and switches are all

backed by Dell's comprehensive support service plans.

Additional PowerEdge server product specifications include:

• Single Pentium 4 processor up to 3.2GHz or Celeron processor
• Intel 7210 chipset supporting 800MHz front side bus
• Up to 4GB 400MHz DDR dual-channel memory
• Serial ATA and SCSI RAID options
• Factory installation of Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003
  
  and Red Hat® Linux Enterprise 3.0; support for Novell NetWare 5.1, 6.5

Additional PowerConnect switch product specifications include:

• PowerConnect 2216 offers 16 ports
• PowerConnect 2224 and 2324 offer 24 ports, all at wire-speeds
• PowerConnect 2324 provides two Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports
• For upgrading to Gigabit networks or for server connectivity
• Switches can be rack- or wall-mounted

Worldwide, the PowerEdge 700 and PowerEdge 750 will be available immediately.

Additional information on Dell servers is available at www.dell.com/poweredge.

The pricing and availability for the PowerConnect 2216, 2224, and 2324 will be

announced around April this year. For more information please visit www.dell.com/networking.