HP Launches New Blade Technology for SMB

HP (www.hp.com) today announced the availability of new HP BladeSystem solutions for small and medium business (SMB) customers and new training materials to help channel partners more effectively sell blade solutions.

Highlighting the offering is the availability of a new, affordable 1U power enclosure with up to six hot-plug power supplies that is ideal for smaller, single enclosure deployments of server and network blades. The power supply provides both power and AC line cord redundancy.

This HP BladeSystem solution also provides backward compatibility, allowing SMBs to leverage previous IT investments by fitting into the same rack as existing HP servers, storage and networking devices.

The power supply can also be purchased as part of a bundled solution to help a business get started on an HP BladeSystem implementation. The bundle includes one HP ProLiant server blade, an HP BladeSystem enclosure, a new 1U power enclosure with two power supplies, and management software. Pricing for this entry-level bundle starts at $3,099.

The new solutions and training are part of HP's Blades for Business program, one of three simple categories of the HP ProLiant Business Advantage program, which provides industry-standard server solutions for SMB customers.

Originally announced in March, the HP ProLiant Business Advantage Program expands on the HP Smart Office initiative, which provides SMB customers and the channel partners that serve them with education, services, marketing tools and expert guidance to simplify IT purchasing decisions.