Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Dell Sharpens Focus On Virtualization

Round Rock-based Dell is sharpening its focus on the hot server virtualization market, saying today that it has rolled out a new line of blade servers, tied into Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization software, and added new services for deploying virtualized environments. Dell said that it has rolled out two new, full-height blade servers, the PowerEdge M905 and M805, specifically targeted at supporting virtualization. The new servers run Citrix XenServer, VMware, and Microsoft Hyper-V. The firm also said it has tied in 10Gb Ethernet and 8Gb Fibre Channel switches and software from partner PlateSpin as part of its virtualization offerings. In addition, Dell said it will support Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V as a factory-installed option on its PowerEdge line. Among other announcements, Dell also said it would add new services to simplify design, deployment, security and management of virtualized environments. Those services include a consulting service focused on helping users implement Microsoft Hyper-V, an automated disaster recovery service for VMware environments, and implementation planning services for VMware.