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Be cost-savvy and change-ready Not to mention energy-thrifty and time-smart. Newly announced HP BladeSystems deliver a best-run IT infrastructure right out of the box. » HP BladeSystem c-Class Evaluation Center

Read how these HP customers defy time and space as they adapt quickly and keenly to changing demands, decrease costs, increase floor space and improve service delivery.

It's all made possible by an HP BladeSystems approach that integrates computing, storage, power and network resources into a virtualized, self-aware and automated environment — which can be managed as a flexible pool of resources as simply as one machine.

A few manage the many

The out-of-the-box functionality of HP blade servers speeds deployment at Ariba. "We can go from a box sitting on the shipping dock to up-and-running in a day. Before, it took a whole day just to get things out of the box, and more days to get things assembled, run wires and roll out a server. With the HP BladeSystem hardware quality and design superiority, deployment is an order of magnitude easier." — Francois Bouchard, Senior Systems Engineer of Development IT Ariba Inc.

When you make spend management solutions, you know a lot about effective resource management. That's why California-based Ariba knew it needed a more space-saving, cost-efficient alternative to the overflowing racks of aging servers that supported its development group.

Ariba's move to a leaner, more powerful configuration of .75U HP ProLiant server blades solved the overcrowding and even left some empty datacenter racks.

Ariba's Senior Manager of Development IT Craig Kennedy says life is now a bit more enjoyable for his small staff of system administrators, thanks to the BladeSystem and HP Integrated Lights-Out management.

IT managers installing blades

"In the past, if we had a problem with a critical server at 9:30 at night, they had to go back into the office to deal with it," Kennedy explains. "With the BladeSystem, you can manage the solution completely from anywhere you have web access, including from home. You can power it off, power it back on and do everything you need to do. With only two staffers running several hundred servers, that's key."

Smart money

Moving to BladeSystems was a smart move for Kognitio, vendor of the business intelligence analytical database WX2. In addition to a huge performance boost, the Bracknell, U.K. company estimates it will save approximately 1 to 1.5 million British pounds (or 2 to 2.5 million US dollars) per year.

Kognitio anticipates its HP BladeSystem will save approximately 1 to 1.5 million British pounds (or 2 to 2.5 million US dollars) per year.

"Thanks to BladeSystem technology, we reduced the number of servers we need to do the same job by 3:1 or 4:1," says Director of Development Roger Gaskell. "Even with the much smaller number of servers, we now run three to five times faster."

The incredible reliability of the HP blade servers mean there is less staff needed to maintain systems and meet service level agreements. As part of the BladeSystem solution, HP Systems Insight Manager and Integrated Lights Out make managing server resources more flexible and efficient. A single "drag and drop" interface within HP ProLiant Essential Rapid Deployment Pack lets Kognitio redeploy a single server blade, then replicate it as many times as needed.

"The BladeSystem allows us to repurpose processing resources from one customer to another without having to go into the computer room and crawl around and move cables about — it's all virtual. From a single control console, we can basically move the resources from one client to another as required to meet peaks and demands or to do one-off projects."

Scaling on demand

"The HP BladeSystem allowed us to grow from 0 to 60 customers with install times as short as a couple of weeks, instead of a couple of months." — Treb Ryan, CEO, OpSource

When it comes to on-demand delivery of IT services, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider OpSource says high availability is critical. "If the system isn't running, we're not getting paid," says OpSource CEO Treb Ryan. So, the California company consolidated its mixed, unwieldy and managed hosting environment onto a new BladeSystem used for all its SaaS customers.

ProLiant blade servers, HP VMware Virtualization Software and Systems Insight Manager help OpSource meet service level agreements and manage 60 different customer applications. The high-density blade solution scales up easily, speeding resource allocation as OpSource manages and monitors its IT holdings at worldwide sites as one unified system.

Datacenter in a 17" box

A smaller footprint, less power consumption and cooler temperatures all help to reduce service delivery costs. Management costs are low, so OpSource can cost-effectively add new services and customers to grow business.

"The BladeSystem improves our gross margins because the time to install a new customer goes down significantly," Ryan says. "A big portion of our cost is associated with the time it takes to get a new customer onboard. Being able to do automated deployment really shortens the time needed, which means we don't spend as much money and can be far more effective, get better gross margins and be more competitive in our pricing."

As easy as sliding in a blade

"We're able to take our highly trained technical staff out of racking and stacking, allowing them to concentrate on things that are more productive and aligned with our business goals." — Steve Keselring, IT Infrastructure Manager, Quixtar » Learn more about Quixtar

Change is at the core of any entrepreneurial business. That's why Michigan-based Quixtar, which helps entrepreneurs build web-based businesses, wanted more nimble and responsive IT systems.

Adding five or six new racks to the environment would make both space and power an issue. And, IT staff would still have to travel back and forth between two datacenters.

Today, ProLiant blade servers let Quixtar quickly repurpose computing power when and where it's needed to support to its clients' new sales promotions or programs.

A single-console view of all components means a staff of six can support and administer some 500 server blades — and all from one datacenter with Systems Insight Manager.

Integrated Lights Out is also a big time saver. "Server technicians can manage the environment and make changes from their desks, or even from home if needed," IT Infrastructure Manager Steve Keselring says. "Time between a failure occurring and getting it resolved has been reduced by about 70 percent in most cases."

IT managers inserting blades

A Rapid Deployment Pack helps reduce server build-time across the board by more than 75 percent. "Installation of a new server is as easy as sliding a blade into an existing enclosure," says Keselring. "I'm not sure we could run our business today with the number of people we have on our server team if we weren't using the HP BladeSystem."

These customers' results depended upon their unique business and IT environments, the way they used HP products and services and other factors. These results may not be typical: your results may vary.

© Copyright 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.