HP Offers Energy Efficiency and Increased Manageability, Significant RIM Server Updates

Hewlett-Packard Co.  (HP) released new desktops and one new notebook this past week, all of which are aimed at reducing enterprise energy and management costs using a combination of technologies including available solid-state drives (SSDs). Research In Motion, Ltd. (RIM) detailed new administrator and user features for its BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Focal Points:

• HP has introduced the HP Compaq dc7800 ultra-slim desktop and the HP Compaq dc5800 business computers, both of which meet the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool's (EPEAT) gold standards. The dc7800 is an extremely compact design that is 46 percent more compact than previous models and includes a 16 gigabyte (GB) SSD. It also includes an 85 percent efficient power supply and network-based power management tools to monitor and enforce mandated energy management profiles. The dc5800 is available in both small or microtower sizes with a standard hard drive or available SSD. Products can be remotely supported using the suite of included client management tools, and should experience far better reliability than their traditional counterparts given lower heat emissions and fewer moving parts, according to the company.
• Having completed its Neoware acquisition, HP has significantly boosted its investment in the thin client market and is making three new thin client products available. Two new desktop solutions include the HP Compaq t5730 and t5735 thin clients, the former based on Microsoft Corp. Windows XP and the latter relying on Debian Linux. Both products include HP ThinState Tools, which can use deployed thin clients to roll out software images to newly acquired thin clients. Products also include HP Client Automation software and Symantec Corp. Altiris Deployment Solution. HP also provided details on its new HP Compaq 6720t Mobile Thin Client, which is a 15.4-inch display thin client. It includes wireless local area networking (WLAN) and can be upgraded to support broadband cellular wireless access via PC expansion card.  To reduce management cost and complexity, all products are able to use the HP Consolidated Client Infrastructure platform and HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) which can support remote deployment and management of services. Pricing for the desktop thin clients starts at $450, while the Mobile Thin Client starts pricing at $725.
• RIM has announced a series of capability and administration enhancements that are incorporated into the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) 4.1.5. User functionality improvements include BlackBerry editing of Microsoft Office documents, new calendar free/busy lookup for new meetings prior to sending invites, and instant messaging and presence awareness with IBM Corp. Lotus Sametime and Microsoft Live Communications Server. A new BlackBerry Monitoring Service provides administrators with alerting, troubleshooting, and reporting capabilities to help support staff stay ahead of potential problems and quickly solve issues as they arise. Other administrative enhancements include self-correcting over-the-air software upgrades, increased control of global position system (GPS) and Bluetooth controls. Internationalization development support now allows applications to be easily deployed to the specifics of global localities, including localization of currencies, languages, and number formats.

Experton Group believes HP's new desktop and thin client solutions are very representative of things to come, and the company is on the forefront of trying to usher in a new age. This new age relies on energy efficiency and thin client solutions wherein data and applications are centrally stored and controlled to reduce security-related risks and desktop total cost of ownership – particularly support costs. The company is betting big on this strategy, having invested significantly in Neoware already, and furthering its commitment by opening up several new centers worldwide to increase development. IT executives should remain aware of the work HP and others are doing to reduce energy efficiency and promote the use of thin client solutions, as these advancements will transform desktop TCO discussions over time. Using these solutions, HP and others aim to reduce complexity and increase control by centralizing applications, data, and support tasks. Companies adopting this infrastructure should experience a drastic cut in end-user support calls – particularly those requiring deskside assistance – and be able to more easily extend hardware life cycles out to five years without cost spikes or hardware support issues. RIM's latest BES improvements have much to offer IT executives and users relying on BlackBerry devices for their mobile staffs. The company continues to demonstrate that it is listening to its customers' requests for improvement and building out new solutions aimed at improving usability and enhancing support. IT executives should begin rolling out updates to BES as they become available and demonstrate stability via a controlled pilot period.