Dell EMC, the data center infrastructure unit of Dell Technologies, has introduced new PowerEdge servers featuring the 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors and Intel Optane DC persistent memory unveiled earlier today, as well as an array of systems management enhancements.
The new products are designed to offer customers faster performance, greater control over server infrastructure, and reinforced protection against security threats, according to Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, president of server and infrastructure systems for Dell EMC.
“As organizations rapidly keep pace with growing sets of information and data, they’re also adopting more advanced applications to generate greater insights with digital transformation efforts,” said Gorakhpurwalla in a press statement. “Making the industry-leading PowerEdge server portfolio even stronger, we are enabling our customers to benefit from additional automation, control and security with more responsive and powerful systems.”
According to Dell EMC, PowerEdge servers bearing Intel’s latest data center processors offer up to a 40 percent performance increase for core business applications. Intel Optane DC persistent memory allows customers to accelerate in-memory databases, virtualization, and data analytics workloads with up to 2.5 times more memory capacity in select PowerEdge Servers.
Manageability enhancements in the new PowerEdge SKUs include the ability to discover, monitor, configure, and update supported Intel Optane DC persistent memory and Intel Optane solid-state drives using Dell EMC’s OpenManage administration software. According to Dell EMC, the new functionality saves customers time by automating BIOS, drive, and memory configuration and then replicating configurations across multiple servers without manual intervention.
In addition, a new FlexSelect Manage architecture lets customers mix and match OpenManage Enterprise capabilities to suit their requirements. New augmented reality capabilities in OpenManage Mobile are designed to help administrators pinpoint server issues more rapidly by providing a graphical representation of exactly where incidents occur from any mobile device. According to Dell EMC, the new feature can reduce time to maintain server health by 28 percent.
Dell EMC’s new OpenManage FlexSelect Secure solution similarly augments flexibility, the company says, by enabling businesses to adapt and scale security solutions as needed. New security and encryption options in the integrated Dell Remote Access Controller, for example, allow communication among server components and outside connectivity based on company-specific security policies.
Other security-related features introduced today include the launch of OpenManage Secure Enterprise Key Manager, which enables users to manage self-encrypting drive keys centrally.
PowerEdge servers featuring 2nd-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors will ship in the second quarter of 2019, as will the updates to Dell EMC’s OpenManage software announced today. Intel Optane DC persistent memory will be available for hands-on trials through a Dell EMC customer proof of concept program and through Dell Technologies Customer Solution Centers beginning in April, and will become generally available later in the second quarter of 2019 on select two- and four-socket PowerEdge servers.
Dell’s Infrastructure Solutions Group grew revenues 19 percent in the company’s fiscal 2019 year, with the servers and networking segment specifically recording 28 percent gains, according to an interview with ChannelPro yesterday by channel chief Joyce Mullen.
