Global CIO: HP & Microsoft Launch Broad Fleet Of Application Appliances

"Up to 200 times faster queries and 10 times the scalability of traditional SQL Server deployments."

I had wondered if by sticking closely with the term "appliance" instead of the term made popular by Oracle and IBM—"optimized systems"—perhaps HP was trying to draw a distinction between two different types of machines, with the "appliance" label possibly signifying smaller and lighter-weight devices while "optimized systems" would encompass the upper end of the market with very high-performance machines ranging up to $1million and beyond.

But that's clearly not the case because here's what HP and Microsoft had to say about the pricing for the HP Enterprise Data Warehouse Appliance: for "less than $2 million," customers get not only the machine itself but also site assessment, installation, startup, plus 3 years of HP 24/7 hardware and software support services. It's available now.

On the BI side, the HP Business Decision Appliance carries a price tag of $28,000, which includes 3 years of the HP 24/7 support. The press release said HP and Microsoft pledge that with this appliance, they have "greatly reduced the time and effort it takes for IT to configure, deploy, and manage a comprehensive business-intelligence solution."

Also—and I'm not sure this next one is going to win any "name of the year" prizes—the HP E5000 Messaging System for Microsoft Exchange Server (breathe!) can be deployed "in as little as a few hours" and is priced at $36,000 with 3 years of the HP 24/7 support.

A smaller version of the Enterprise Data Warehouse Appliance aimed at mid-sized companies is scheduled to be out in June, and the Database Consolidation Appliance should be ready sometime in the second half of the year, HP said.

Leland and Miller said the appliances have gained significant interest among retailers, financial-services companies, and telcos, and mentioned Aflac and Red Wing Shoe Company among early adopters.

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