Byte and Switch Insider Explores Blade Servers

NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- As instruments of consolidation, there is ample evidence that blade servers can save data center space, reduce maintenance and cabling, and streamline management efficiency. The question many ITers face is whether the savings are substantial enough to justify a move.

For the most part, the cost per server of blades is comparable to that of rackmount servers. But disparities arise when enterprises consider the potential impact of blades on data center resources, their interaction with storage networks, and the ability to support virtualization and management software.

This month's Byte and Switch Insider (http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider) report, Blade Servers: Bargain or Bust?, explores the value of blade servers in these dimensions, with a particular focus on storage networking.

"Research shows that the real value of blade servers emerges when they're put to work with SANs," says Mary Jander, Byte and Switch Site Editor and author of the report. "Savings on HBAs, cost of cabling, maintenance, and software all factor into the SAN-plus-blade-server equation."

Key findings from the report include: * Most blade-server vendors sell more Fibre Channel switches to blade-server customers than to rackmount customers. * Most IT shops are interested in blade servers, even if they haven't tried them yet. * Software will be the determining factor in the future of blade servers. * Most blade servers trade power and cooling for density.

Public companies mentioned in this report include: Advanced Micro Devices Inc. , Brocade Communications Systems Inc. , Cisco Systems Inc. , Dell Inc. , EMC Corp. , Emulex Corp. , Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Co. , IBM Corp. , Intel Corp. , McData Corp. , Microsoft Corp. , NEC Corp. (Nasdaq: NIPNY; Tokyo: 6701), QLogic Corp. , Sun Microsystems Inc. , and VMware, a division of EMC.

Private companies mentioned in this report include: Cassatt Corp., Egenera Inc., EmBoot Inc., PlateSpin Ltd., Qlusters Inc., and Virtual Iron Software Inc.

Blade Servers: Bargain or Bust? is available as part of an annual subscription (12 monthly issues) to Byte and Switch Insider, priced at $1,350. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: http://www.byteandswitch.com/insider.

To request a free executive summary of this report, or for details on multi-user licensing options or an annual subscription to Byte and Switch Insider, please contact:

Jeff Claudino Sales Manager Insider Research Services 619-229-9940 claudino@lightreading.com For review copies, members of the media may contact: Gabriel Brown Chief Analyst Insider Research Services 44-20-7701-9330 brown@lightreading.com