HP, IBM Add To Small and Midsize Business ArsenalHP, IBM Add To Small and Midsize Business Arsenal

Hewlett-Packard and IBM this week each introduced new products aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. HP is introducing the ProLiant ML150 dual-processor, 5U tower server, and IBM is adding a low-cost eServer BladeCenter chassis and a set of "business-in-a-box" products.

HP's new server is part of a line of servers aimed at the small and midsize market that the company first introduced a year ago, says Vince Gayman, director of small and midsize product solutions for HP. "The whole theme is geared towards simplicity and affordability as the cornerstones," Gayman says. The ML150 features dual Xeon processors, six I/O adapter cards, six hard drives, and four memory slots, and is priced at $1,129.

In addition, HP is rebranding its storage products associated with the small and midsize market from Storage NAS to the ProLiant storage server product line. "We were finding that customers really associated the product line with the ProLiant," Gayman says. The ProLiant 100 series has been designed specifically to meet the needs of small and midsize customers, adds Jeff Carlat, group manager of product marketing for HP. The company also plans to later introduce a serial ATA storage option for small and midsize customers.

For IBM's part, the company says that 30% of its blade-server business comes from the small and midsize market, according to Juhi Jotwani, director of IBM eServer BladeCenter alliances. "We want to dispel the industry notion that blade servers are only a large-enterprise play," Jotwani says. "It's not technology for technology's sake. It's a progressive tool for progressive businesses, and we're seeing more and more customers from different industries that are reaping the benefits." IBM is adding an entry-level BladeCenter chassis priced at about $1,000.

IBM's "business-in-a-box" products are designed to simplify infrastructure deployments for specific environments such a Linux or Microsoft.