The Benefits of Virtualization for Small and Medium Businesses [ Source: VMware ]
March 2010- Small and medium businesses (SMBs) of all sizes are rapidly adopting virtualization and achieving significant benefits in a number of areas. This survey white paper provides SMBs with the benefits and key findings as to why virtualization is rapidly growing in the SMB market.

Itanium: Slip/Sliding Away [ Source: IBM ]
November 2011- Oracle has followed the trend of other major ISVs and terminated further software development for the Itanium platform. Looking at the decline in revenue of HP's Itanium-based servers, combined with loss of support by Microsoft, Red Hat, VMware and Fujitsu (in addition to Oracle), it's clear that the Itanium ecosystem is collapsing quickly.<br><br> Due to HP Itanium's decline to date, Microsoft and Oracle have already pulled out to avoid ...

Optimizing HP Servers with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 [ Source: HP ]
March 2008- With the introduction of SQL Server 2000, then with SQL Server 2005, and now with SQL Server 2008, Microsoft is providing its database engine in a 64-bit version. Processors, such as the Xeon and the Itanium from Intel, or the Opteron from AMD, provide 64-bit capabilities that can be used by Windows Server and SQL Server.

With 64-bit configurations, consolidating the corporate data on one single device is now a valid option. The financial benefits are ...

Backup and Recovery Best Practices for Microsoft Exchange Server [ Source: Data Domain ]
August 2008- The 24x7 uptime expectation of Exchange messaging systems in enterprise environments is now the norm. With global operations and advanced telecommunications (e.g., smart phones, etc.), individuals and corporations are communicating around the clock. This leaves administrators with the challenge of tighter data protection and system maintenance windows.

Protecting Exchange information is critical and backup is still the primary method used. Combining traditional backup with other methods such as clustering, replication and continuous ...

Best Practices for Migrating from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint [ Source: Quest Software ]
September 2008- Is your business planning a migration from IBM Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint? Many companies are for a number of reasons: Microsoft’s rich and varied features, the business value of becoming a Microsoft partner and the high availability of IT staff trained on Microsoft technology. However, it’s one of the most complex, labor-intensive projects your enterprise can undertake. If not properly planned and executed, it can lead to disaster.

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Technology Brief: The Right Platform for Midsize Businesses to Provision IT Services [ Source: AMD ]
May 2012- IT administrators in midsize companies are being asked to do more with less. Users expect speedy access to applications and services. Virtualization needs to be applied to respond quickly to business changes and reduce server sprawl. The IT infrastructure must be optimized to support growth. Yet with today's limited budgets, too many IT organizations are struggling just to maintain the status quo. <br><br> To move beyond this impasse, IT departments ...

Flexible Scale-Out with Lightweight Micro Servers [ Source: Dell & Intel ]
April 2011- The micro server represents a new server architecture characterized by many lightweight server nodes bundled together in a shared chassis infrastructure.<br><br> This topology is designed specifically for density, lower power per node, reduced costs, and increased operational efficiency.<br><br> By sharing common fans, switching, power supplies, and the metal chassis, micro servers streamline rack infrastructure and improve density over standard rack options.

Best Practices Guide: Microsoft Exchange 2010 on VMware [ Source: VMware ]
March 2011- This guide provides best practice guidelines for deploying Exchange Server 2010 on vSphere. The recommendations in this guide are not specific to any particular set of hardware or to the size and scope of any particular Exchange implementation.

The examples and considerations in this document provide guidance only and do not represent strict design requirements, as the flexibility of Exchange Server 2010 on vSphere allows for a wide variety of valid configurations.

The ...

Forrester Report - Windows 7 Commercial Adoption [ Source: Dell ]
February 2011- More than one year after its general availability (GA) launch, Windows 7 powers one out of every 10 PCs within North American and European companies.<br><br> While far from overwhelming — especially considering that Windows XP still powers 75%. IT managers worldwide are preparing for a significant desktop transformation over the next three years. <br><br> Why? As firms naturally refresh their PCs, IT managers are already deploying Windows 7 on 31% ...

Managing the Server Migration Process: The HP Insight Control Approach [ Source: HP/Intel ]
December 2010- This IDC White Paper examines the process of server migration, with a focus on transferring existing operating systems and application software to new server hardware environments. It examines IT concerns about critical factors for achieving successful and economically viable server migration, and it explores the need for solutions that support migration. It leverages IDC research on platform change — and the impact of change on IT computing environments — to provide IT managers with insights to assess ...