Dell Helps Customers Reduce Spending on Power, Hardware ...



“With virtualization and the increased efficiency of Windows Server 2008 R2, customers can extend hardware life and reduce costs.”

Terry Storey, Senior Global Architect, Dell Microsoft Practice

Companies that seek infrastructure consulting from Dell often want to cut expenditures. Dell can help customers reduce costs by taking advantage of Windows Server® 2008 R2, Windows® 7, and Dell™ products and services. With offerings from Microsoft and Dell, customers have the ability to save money through power savings, virtualization, extended hardware life, and efficient software spending.

Business Needs

Dell Global Infrastructure Consulting, a services organization, provides technology architectural, consulting, and implementation services to help customers implement effective, scalable IT solutions to support their business. Dell uses innovative tools, automated analysis, and its own intellectual property to give customers insight into what is driving IT complexity. Dell takes a practice-based approach to working with customers, focusing both on the data center and the end-user computing environment.

Customers who come to Dell for infrastructure consulting are generally medium to large organizations that are seeking to simplify IT, says Terry Storey, Senior Global Architect for the Dell Microsoft Practice. To do so, they may look for several different capabilities in a server solution. “They may be looking at virtualization, consolidation, power savings, space savings, or cooling savings,” he says. “Some hope to reduce third-party software spending, and others hope to reduce costs through improved management. Customers also want to extend the life of hardware.”

In every case, Storey says, “They’re looking for value and cost savings. For example, in the case of third-party software, customers want to see if the added benefits that a software package provides are enough to justify the extra spending and maintenance costs. A lot of customers are evaluating issues such as these currently, and I think it’s a rational and healthy step.”

To help in such evaluations and otherwise meet customer needs, Dell wanted to offer a robust set of solution offerings that customers could use to reduce their overall expenditures.

Solution

In April 2008, Storey started helping customers design implementations that use Windows Server® 2008 R2. This new release of the Windows Server 2008 operating system offers features that organizations can use to improve power management, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.

For example, Storey says, “Windows Server 2008 R2 includes power management features, such as Core Parking, that can reduce overall power consumption. Core Parking consolidates processing for light loads, leaving several processor cores unused so that they can be switched off.” For example, a 16-way server with a light workload can function as a 4-way server, with the other cores drawing minimal power in sleep mode. Yet when workloads change, Windows Server 2008 R2 can pull a core out of dormancy in milliseconds.

Windows Server 2008 R2 also includes a new version of the Hyper-V™ virtualization technology that offers increased availability through the Live Migration and Cluster Shared Volumes features. Hyper-V used with Microsoft® System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 offers improved management functions and simplified bulk deployment. In addition, Windows Server 2008 R2 includes advanced Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) technology for client computer virtualization. Some companies may consider postponing hardware upgrades at individual users’ desks by using VDI and Hyper-V to provide them with virtual desktops.

Some Dell customers are implementing Windows Server 2008 R2 in combination with Windows® 7, the next version of the Windows client operating system. When running a Windows 7 client with a Windows Server 2008 R2 server, an organization can simplify remote connectivity using the DirectAccess feature, which doesn’t require a virtual private network connection.

“DirectAccess enables employees to access corporate data and business applications as if they were working in the office—no matter where they may be in the world,” Storey says. “The central IT department can also manage and update computers that are connected via DirectAccess as if they were located in the office because of Internet Protocol version 6 capabilities, simplifying overall management of business-critical remote systems.”

Benefits

When companies deploy Windows Server 2008 R2 as part of a solution designed with help from Dell, they can potentially reduce IT complexity and costs by reducing power consumption, extending hardware life, and reducing expenditures on redundant software packages.

Reduced power consumption. Features such as Core Parking can help companies lower power costs. “Depending on the server workload, results will vary,” says Storey. “But Dell is working to provide a set of tools that customers can use to predict how much they will save and what sort of return they will get.” Companies can also reduce demand for power by using Windows Server 2008 R2 to virtualize their client and server environment, set active power policies to adjust processor usage, and centralize power management on storage area networks.

Extended hardware life. Storey had one customer running Dell computers that were approximately 2−3 years old with the Windows XP operating system. By increasing the memory from 512 KB to 1 GB and using VDI, the customer was able to move to Windows 7, refreshing the desktop experience while extending the longevity of its hardware. “With virtualization and the increased efficiency of Windows Server 2008 R2, customers can extend hardware life and reduce costs while taking advantage of the performance and innovation benefits of Windows 7,” Storey says.

Reduced software spending. Customers can also save by eliminating third-party products that become unnecessary after a Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 deployment. “I’ve walked some companies through the features of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7, and that has led them to analyze their environment,” Storey says. “Windows Server 2008 R2 offers customers many of the same features they get from third-party virtualization products and removable media encryption products. So which of those other products do customers really need? This type of analysis can lead to substantial cost savings over a period of time.”

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the latest version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. With Windows Server 2008 R2, you can create solutions that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than with previous versions of Windows Server. Building on the features, security, reliability, and performance provided by Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 extends connectivity and control to local and remote resources. This means that your organization can benefit from reduced costs and increased efficiencies gained through enhanced management and control over resources across the enterprise.

For more information, go to:

WindowsServer2008R2

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Partner: Dell

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Partner Size: 75,000 employees

Country or Region: United States

Industry: Professional services—Information technology

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Dell is a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner based in Round Ro[pic][?]„…±ÃÄf g q x y [?].2 ................
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