SmallBizResource Blog -- Hardware

Dell Serves Up PowerEdge Server For Small Biz

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Sep 9, 2008, 02:51 PM ET

In the market for your first server? Then Dell wants you.

Billed by the Round Rock, Texas-based hardware maker as "an ideal first server for businesses looking to build a networked server environment to enhance productivity, flexibility and security -- a top-of-mind issue among SMBs globally," the PowerEdge T100 server starts at $499, though for a limited time only it looks like Dell is sweetening the deal with some discounts.

Among the PowerEdge T100's features:

• Enhanced Productivity: Latest Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor to handle day-to-day computing and file storage demands.

• Security and Data Protection: Internal, locked-down USB 2.0 port, chassis intrusion switch, Trusted Platform Module chip, and RAID architecture that can prevent data loss by transparently performing data backups. ("Based on a nine-country survey the vendor sponsored, Dell decided that small businesses are worried about backups and security," says bMighty blogger Lamont Wood.)

• Flexibility: Works in a variety of business environments, from a desktop to storage closet.

• Scalability: Up to 8 GB of memory, I/O technology and internal storage capacity of up to 2 TB.
  
  
• Simplicity: Easy-access chassis and color-coded internal components make the T100 easy to use -- the No. 1 issue driving IT investments among small businesses (according to the aforementioned survey).

The entry-level server appears to be a good value, according to Warren Shiau, an associate partner and senior analyst at The Strategic Counsel, who spoke to ConnectIT. The biggest challenge for Dell, he says, is not in having an offering but in convincing small- and home-office workers to buy a server in the first place.

If your one of those people who needs some convincing, I suggest you read bMighty's FAQ: Your Server Questions Answered, which starts with the most basic of questions: What kinds of things can a server do? (Registration is brief but required for free access to the info.)

Hardware