IBM White Paper Sample

In tough economic times like these, when you need more computing capacity it’s easy to say, Order some more commodity low-end servers. They’re cheap, so we can save money. Besides, they’re all the same anyway.” But is this really true? Are uni- and dual-processor servers all the same?

In fact, they’re not. There are many differences between cheap cookie-cutter bare-bones servers and servers loaded with features designed to run reliably and save you money. What’s most important isn’t the entry hardware cost, but the long-term cost of operating that hardware. You should ask yourself, “What are they leaving out of those cheap servers to keep the purchase price down?”

It may be systems management hardware and software that can save you money on administration costs. It may be redundant hot-swap and simple-swap hardware that can increase availability and reduce service time. It may be energy-efficient components that can save you money on power and cooling. It may be toolless components that can save you time during installation. It may be extensive reliability and compatibility testing that helps maximize system uptime. There are many design features that add slightly to the initial hardware cost but can save you a lot more money in the long run. And isn’t that your ultimate goal: to reduce your costs as much as possible long-term, while getting the job done?...