Nexus Technologies – IT Company providing Virtualisation Solutions, IT managed Services and IT Consultancy

PALO ALTO, CA — Hewlett-Packard yesterday unveiled new additions to its line of thin computing products that aim bring virtualization and cloud computing to more organizations, while also helping to cut the costs of expanding and maintaining computer fleets.

Among the new releases are HP MultiSeat, a hardware and software combination that lets multiple users run thin clients from the same computer, and SchoolCloud, an education-specific cloud computing platform that lets students and teachers alike access their data and applications from anywhere on campus or off.

HP also added new thin clients to its lineup yesterday, partly tied to the new school-oriented offerings, but also aiming to capture increased awareness of and interest in simpler and more affordable IT products. HP’s three new thin client models range from $199 to $429, and will all be available by Dec. 1.

The MultiSeat technology makes virtualized desktops more accessible to the masses; it allows users to power up to 10 workstations with a single PC and runs fully supported and licensed versions of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system. HP says that organizations using MultiSeat can cut their energy consumption by as much as 80 percent over a standard single-seat desktop workstation.

The additions to HP’s lineup come as more companies and organizations are embracing virtualization and cloud computing as a way to save on hardware and software costs as well as to simplify management of large or complex IT needs.

Cloud computing — the use of central servers to provide applications and data to remote and/or virtualized workstations — is at the top of Gartner’s latest Hype Cycle, but as a result is increasingly on companies’ radar for cost- and energy-saving IT measures.

And for schools, which often face the twin constraints of small IT departments and even smaller budgets, virtualized platforms like HP’s MultiSeat can give more students access to the latest technology without taking a bite out of the budget.

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HP this week launched several new products for high performance computing at the SC09 conference, including servers, storage, software and network products.A new ProLiant BL2×220c G6 blade extends the HP Extreme Scale-out (ExSO) portfolio announced last June.

“The ExSO portfolio was created to meet the demanding needs of scale-out as well as high-performance computing customers that require highly efficient and powerful computing infrastructures,” said Steve Cumings, director of Marketing for the Scalable Computing and Infrastructure organization at HP.

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HP has expanded its Total Care range of products aimed at small and medium-sized businesses with the addition of new technologies designed to make firms more agile, flexible and productive.

The new offerings include two desktop PCs, a new LaserJet printer and related printer management software, and a new networking switch.

“SMBs represent a cornerstone of the economy, and HP is partnering with SMBs to provide a technology boost as the economy rebounds,” said Charl Snyman, vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP EMEA.

“All businesses must find a reliable foundation on which to build their futures, and for SMBs, HP’s new offerings will help sustain their well-being and prepare them for upcoming growth.”

The new HP Pro 3010/3015 business PCs are joined by a thin client and Microsoft Small Business Server solution, which the firm said would bring “big business” IT capabilities to smaller firms, such as remote access, email, business applications, support for mobile devices, and data backup services.

The HP Compaq LE1711 LCD Monitor offers low power features that will help firms to reduce energy costs, HP said.

The HP Colour LaserJet Enterprise CP4525 printer can print 40 pages per minute, while the Colour LaserJet Professional CP5225 can print to A3. The third printer is an HP LaserJet Enterprise P3015 Printer, which is designed for high volume IT environments.

HP also announced a new ProCurve 2520 Switch Series, which is designed to reduce costs and help firms to roll out voice, video and wireless solutions, and new HP ProLiant ML110 and DL120 G6 servers, storage systems, an HP StorageWorks D2D Backup System and an HP LeftHand P4000 SAN Solution.

Also out are a number of Hyper-V bundles, which will help those businesses that are moving into virtualised environments reduce costs, and improve usage, according to the vendor. Finally, mobile workers may appreciate the HP Smart 65CW AC Travel Adapter, which is under 1in think and has a USB port, letting users charge multiple devices.

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It’s amazing how much attention Cloud Computing is receiving.  I was just at a data center conference in New York City the end of last week and Cloud was the topic of almost every session.  People in the audience had lots of questions and some were even wondering if they could establish their own “clouds”.  Now Cloud is pretty exciting, and the potential is enormous, but I think some folks are not only focusing on a technology that they aren’t ready for but a technology that isn’t ready for them!

Many of the people and companies that I’ve talked with that are looking into Cloud haven’t even driven shared services into their organization and some have barely done virtualization.  Not that either of these are mandatory steps to implementing Cloud but if you’ve been unable to position these technologies in your company then I think going to Cloud will be a tough sell and a challenging journey.  Cloud requires a new mindset, a new way of managing IT, and still has a lot of implementation and security concerns.  Yes, there are a lot of great cloud offerings already.  In fact, HP has workshops and consultants that can help with the evaluation, provisioning, and implementation of Cloud services but that still doesn’t mean its right for your company.  Yes, it needs to be studied, evaluated, and piloted but there is foundational work that has to be done be done if you want the transition to Cloud to be successful.  To me, Cloud is a logical extension to shared services and virtualization and both are tested and proven technologies.  If you’ve virtualized and have at least some Shared Services then you might be in a good position to go to Cloud services.  If you haven’t, you might be “biting off more than you can chew”.  Cloud requires application changes (some of which would have been done if you have shared services) and still has a lot of security concerns.   In fact, just recently there was some news on a cloud provider losing data.

Don’t get me wrong, as  I said Cloud computing is an amazing change to our industry and I fully support it, but make sure it is the right answer for your company.  What are the benefits?  How will you support it?  Are you ready for true shared services where your data and applications are in the hands of someone else?  All these and other questions must be thought out and answered before you start chasing the latest technology.  Like anything, this is a technology that needs to be investigated and implemented based on meeting business needs, not because it a brand new technology.  So, is it “technology for the sake of technology” or is it providing true value to your organization?

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In a direct challenge to computer giants IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co., data storage firm EMC Corp. of Hopkinton has allied with Cisco Systems Inc., the world’s leading computer networking company.

In a joint venture, EMC, its majority-owned subsidiary VMware Inc., and Cisco will sell prefabricated business computer systems. The new products will be built with computer servers from Cisco, data storage hardware and software from EMC, and server management software from VMware. “Wherever you touch any one of the three of us, we will look like one company,’’ said Cisco chief executive John Chambers.

Cisco, long known for its equipment used in computer networks, this year started making servers, large computers that store and process information. IBM and HP are the industry leaders when it comes to selling computer servers to businesses. By joining forces, EMC and Cisco can expand into that market quickly, offering integrated systems built with technology from both.

“Basically we are removing risk,’’ said EMC chief executive Joe Tucci. “This is all about efficiency, control and choice.’’

The integrated systems, called VBlock Infrastructure Packages, will allow customers to buy all the equipment and software they need together, from one seller. Big businesses use data centers – large arrays of computers and storage gear – that are often cobbled together with products from various vendors, and are difficult to manage. EMC and Cisco will offer systems that would allow customers to install new software or manage company information from a single control center.

Tucci said VBlock would transform the company’s data center into a “private cloud,’’ similar to the cloud computing services found on the Internet, where users run software that is stored online instead of on their own desktops. In companies with a private cloud, computing and storage resources would be centrally managed and easily accessed by workers in various departments.

The alliance could be a major boost to Cisco’s effort to expand beyond the networking equipment business. Earlier this year, Cisco launched the Unified Computing System, a new line of server computers. This put Cisco in competition against industry titans IBM and HP, which sell integrated computers and storage products. EMC and VMware are dominant players in storage and server virtualization, technology that allows many computers to run together as efficiently as one machine, but can’t match IBM and HP in servers or Cisco in networking.

Mark Bowker, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group in Milford, said the new coalition will let the three companies offer customers one-stop shopping – a fully-integrated package that they could not offer on their own. “They’ve taken server, networking, and storage and put them together into a single unit,’’ Bowker said.

EMC and Cisco also announced a joint venture called Acadia, which will build and manage VBlock data centers. Acadia workers would oversee the installation of VBlock systems and train employees to operate them. VMware and chip maker Intel Corp. are investors in the Acadia joint venture.

EMC shares rose 12 cents yesterday to close at $16.55 on the New York Stock Exchange. Cisco fell 9 cents to $22.91 on the Nasdaq exchange.

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HP has unveiled its latest line of wirelessly-connected screen display systems.

The new line of DreamScreen displays allow users to wirelessly connect their systems to a stand-alone external display. The screen can then be used to display information such as presentations and multimedia files.

Additionally, the company has included a number of pre-installed components which allow users to stream data from web services such as Facebook, Pandora Radio and the Snapfish photo service. Additionally, the screen can be connected to a local network to stream photos and multimedia files.

The company hopes that the new systems will better allow users to present information and share multimedia files without necessarily requiring them to be near a PC.

“Constant, always-on access to friends, information and entertainment is a common expectation today,” explained Satijiv Chahil, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for HP’s personal systems group.

“With HP DreamScreen, social media, web services and digital entertainment can be enjoyed in more areas.”

The company plans to begin offering a 10-inch DreamScreen 100 model in the US early next month at a cost of $249. Later this year HP is also planning to introduce a 13-inch model at a cost of $299.

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What does a data center “container farm” look like? Daniel Bower of HP’s Eye on Blades blog has posted photos of the construction of a pad that will house five HP POD(Performance Optimized Datacenter) containers. The facility will apparently be used to test PODs, and features a concrete pad and connections for power and chilled water.

There’s no sign of walls or a roof as yet. While these could be added later, the ability to house containers in outdoor areas alongside existing data centers is one use case being advanced for these “data center in a box” container offerings. HP is partnering with CoreSite(formerly CRG West), which can provide secured space either outdoor or indoor space for PODs.

For more on the POD, see our video walk-through of the HP container.

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In a surprising move, HP announced that they have opened a MVNO operation in Japan. The company is renting network from Japan Communications (JCI), and offers its netbooks from $50 to $100, for customers who sign up to prepaid data service.

It could prove as a game-changing plan, and we’ve no doubts if proves successful, the California-based company will transfer the model to other countries, as well. We don’t any additional information at the moment, but we do know one thing – HP’s netbooks look super-cool. If I haven’t bought my Dell Mini 9 before the HP Mini 1000 series was unveiled, I would definitely grab one of those (most likely the Linux-powered one).

Anyway, we’re hoping this practice will work for HP and we’ll see other computer makers joining the wave, making the service more available due to increased competition. We’ll certainly watch this space…

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