It seems that small really is beautiful these days. Not content to offer just blade servers, Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) has unveiled a new data center solution based on blade PCs, which it says can slash the cost of traditional enterprise computing (see IBM's BladeServer Blitz and HP Intros Blade PCs).
The HP Blade PC bc1000 is now being offered as part of HPs Consolidated Client Infrastructure (CCI) strategy, which centralizes customers desktop and storage resources into data centers. Like traditional blade servers, which provide high-density computing in tight spaces, the bc1000 blade PCs are rackmounted in the data center and typically linked to a networked storage infrastructure. They are accessed through a thin-client device, such as the HP Compaq Thin Client.
In some ways, this is a new spin on utility computing -- a dynamic allocation engine inside the data center stack assigns the next available blade to users as they log on, as well as automatically reassigning users if a blade fails.
But the biggest benefits will be felt in corporate IT budgets, if HPs marketing spiel is correct. In a statement, the Palo Alto, Calif., firm says CCI can save up to $1,200 in support costs per user per year, compared to a traditional desktop PC.
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