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Blade servers where created precisely for
this purpose. But, what are blade servers in
the first place? The term ‘blade server’ is
commonly misunderstood and generally
speaking does not ring a bell to anyone
except to IT people. However, the ‘Blade
Server’ concept is simple; they are compact,
high density servers with their own CPUs and
memory, but share common resources like
networking connectivity, power and storage
with other blade servers in a specifically
designed enclosure. The whole concept of
blades is that you can start building your
networking elements by adding blades side by
side like books in a bookshelf.
Blades, in their infancy, where initially
adopted by large enterprises and specialised
institutions, who’s operation depended on
extreme computing performance. This created
a perception amongst small and medium
enterprises that blade technology is
excessively complex and unaffordable for
their needs and budgets. Until recently,
SMBs relied mostly on stand alone or
rack-mount servers to suit their IT
requirements, but today we come across many
situations where Blade Servers prove to be a
much more cost effective solution.
Especially in small enterprises, where
common limiting factors like; tight budgets,
limited resources and restricted physical
space, frequently prove that with Blade
Servers one can brew the ideal solution.
The key driver that is making Blade Systems
ever so popular in today’s businesses is the
significant reduction in the total cost of
ownership. Studies state that on average,
standalone server operate at 15 to 20% of
their capacity, while Blades, when
efficiently managed, run at over 80% of
their capacity. The reason behind this leap
in efficiency is that Blades integrated
management enables them to be flexibly
assigned to specific tasks by pre-assignment
their priorities and utilises the shared
resources effectively. Standalone servers
cannot share assigned tasks, and while one
server might be overloaded, the rest of the
servers might be standing idle. Management
is also simpler with Blades, as the
computing power is consolidated and appears
as a single system to the user while
standalone servers have to be managed
independently. This management approach is
known as “Virtualisation”, which is the key
factor that enables the infrastructure to be
manned utilising less IT personnel.
“Virtualisation” is the futuristic approach
to computing where less weight is put in the
actual physical location of the servers but
the focus lies on how efficiently they can
interlink logically. Blade’s technological
approach is based on consolidation of
computing power to offer unmatched
efficiency, flexibility and manageability.
In multi-server environment scenarios, Blade
Systems offer exceptionally simplified
integration solutions, assisting businesses
of any size to operate efficiently, grow
flexibly and manage costs effectively. In a
nutshell, Blade system solutions offer
businesses an affordable foundation for
growth, flexibility, and best
enterprise-class technology to match the
capabilities of their largest competitors.
When compared with the traditional
rack-mount solutions, Blades are best of
breed for integrating servers, storage,
networking equipment, power and management.
They offer a consistent, modular, and
integrated approach that is easy to deploy,
easy to manage, and easy to evolve with your
business. Blade System offer affordable and
scalable solutions, which make them ideal
for companies looking to grow their
infrastructure incrementally, consolidate to
a standardised platform, or build a new
business with limited resources. Providing a
simplified experience that enables you to
focus on what really matters, Blades are
altogether better for business.
Ivan Mifsud
Business Development Executive
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