The only thing IT managers like more than good tech support is never needing to call it. IT also isn’t too fond of the headaches and downtime entailed with conventional system upgrades. One way you can help customers tackle both problems simultaneously is by offering a platform that has undergone best-of-breed QA testing and validation yet provides a robust business platform that can scale as a business requires. One of the few boards on today’s market able to meet these criteria is Intel’s DB43LD.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Intel’s DB43LD supports a broad feature set aimed at both high-performance and legacy needs, all while staying affordable for tight IT budgets
Like all Executive Series Intel motherboards, the DB43LD goes through an extensive design and analysis process before shipping. In touring Intel’s motherboard testing facilities, we got to see first-hand many of the electrical and mechanical torture tests that Intel boards undergo.
Intel knows that systems can be kicked or dropped, that they can end up in environments prone to extreme swings of temperature and humidity. Even under such conditions, business has to continue. The first step in making sure that IT gets left alone is ensuring that parts don’t fail. Intel commercial platforms keep workers productive with the industry’s top stability and reliability.
Intel covers both forward- and back-looking features for a wide range of business needs. For example, the DB43LD supports six 3 Gb/sec SATA slots, one of which is an internal eSATA header for high-speed external storage expansion. Users also get Gigabit Ethernet capability. On the other hand, the back panel still supports legacy parallel and PS/2 connections."
Of course, particularly in a difficult economy, many businesses perceive that they can’t afford “the industry’s best.” This simply isn’t true. The DB43LD was designed to hit budget-friendly price points yet still deliver more than enough performance and flexibility to suit any business productivity need.
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It’s the Windows way. Users can upgrade their OS from the prior version but not from two versions prior. Everyone still running Windows XP has no choice: If they want Windows 7, they’re going to have to do it from a clean install, regardless of whether or not they purchased an “upgrade” Windows 7 license.
A high-caliber OS needs an equally capable hardware foundation. Intel’s DP55WB motherboard backed by the Core i5-750 processor will keep clients running at peak efficiency well into the future.
For a 64-bit configuration, figure at least 2GB of system memory and 20GB of hard disk space. Windows XP Mode guarantees backward compatibility with legacy applications, but because it entails running a full copy of XP as a virtual OS within Windows 7, you can add another gigabyte of RAM (3GB total) and extra 15GB of disk space, not to mention a CPU with hardware virtualization support. And forget discussing resolution—Windows 7 requires at least DirectX 9- and WDDM 1.0-compliant graphics.
Obviously, the world has moved on. Old Windows XP-era hardware can’t keep up with today’s demands for performance and productivity. Windows 7 is everything that Vista should have been, and there’s a heap of reasons why businesses (and consumers) can benefit from stepping into Microsoft’s new OS.
Keep in mind that in February of this year, Forrester pegged enterprise adoption of Windows Vista at only 8.8% while 87.1% clung to XP. So the opportunity to capitalize on Win7's arrival is huge, but you’re going to need more than the operating system alone to create a compelling package.
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I think most of us will agree. Intel’s Nehalem architecture is a game changer. There is a whole new lineup of CPUs , new motherboards to support the CPUs, (both from Intel and Intel board partners) plus a new lineup of chipsets from the P55 to the 5500. There are new technologies like QPI and the re-introduction of updated earlier technologies like Turbo Boost.
There will be other vendors at the ICC events, representing motherboards, hard drives, video cards, virtualization, and much more. With the introduction of the P55 platform , the northbridge has gone away and now there’s a PCH. And it’s a two chip solution instead of three like the X58 chipset. There’s on-board video in the Xeon 3400 while the Xeon 5500 has an on-die PCI Express 2.0 controller. (so does the Xeon 3400). There is a Core i7 800 that uses 2 channel DDR3 memory while the Core i7 900 uses 3 channel DDR3 memory.
The Xeon 5500 series uses QPI technology while the Core i5 / Core i7 800 series uses DMI technology. The Core i7 900 is socket 775 compatible while the Core i7 800 takes advantage of the new LGA 1156.
Ok. That’s a lot of information. And if you are like me, you’ve got lots of questions, some that can be clarified with a good read of the articles available online but that can be a tough way to get information. There always seems to be some piece of the puzzle missing or details later on that I wish I would have paid more attention to but I didn’t and now it’s too late because I can’t remember where I read it.
I like talking to the experts. I like asking lots of questions and when I’m done, I like getting their business cards so as things come up, as they always do, I have a great resource to help solve problems.
Where do you find these types of people? A great place to start is at an Intel Channel Conference, coming soon to a city near you. There are a ton of things going on. In the morning, there’s a presentation on the 45nm technologies, plus roadmap updates and the latest on Intel program benefits.
In the afternoon, there are several sessions to choose from, depending on your involvement with the Intel reseller program and the city where the event will be held. For example, Associate and Premier level members can get a chance to build an entry level system based on the new Xeon 3400 series processor while all attendees can attend the session on how to increase profitability by partnering up with a Mobile Authorized integrator.
There will be other vendors at the ICC events, representing motherboards, hard drives, video cards, virtualization, and much more. Plus, if you and your company are part of the Intel reseller program, you can earn Flex+ points just for attending.
And best of all, there are key Intel people there who would be great members of your EXPERT Team. Search them out, ask them questions, and make sure you get a business card. |
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There’s no such thing as a playbook for making it big in this industry. Valuable lessons aren’t free—you usually have to learn them the hard way (and they usually come harder and faster when the chips are down). But in spite of today’s business climate, there are still lots of opportunities out there for resellers to excel. We talk to four vendors who continue to do well, and document the reasons they say they’re so resilient.
Every reseller’s path to success is different. What worked for one VAR might not be the winning recipe for another. It’s hardly a surprise, then, that when we sat down to talk with four resellers and distributors, their own tales of perseverance were very much different. What they all share in common, however, is an emphasis on specialization—picking an element of the market and addressing it in a way that tier ones simply cannot replicate.
Making Modular Server Work
Our first conversation was with Chuck Orcutt, server product manager of Seneca Data’s own Nexlink brand. According to Chuck, much of the company’s traction in the past six months has centered on virtualization.
SMBs able to take advantage of the Modular Server’s scalability should be introduced to it. Using Intel’s Xeon 5500-series CPUs is a great way to bolster virtualized performance.
Now, it’s pretty clear that virtualization is most aptly suited to medium-sized businesses and larger, which save the most from cutting infrastructure costs. However, as SMBs procure more and more enterprise-class technology, a single server might grow to three or four in order to support a more complex network of applications. Microsoft’s Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 packages are a perfect example of this, requiring as many as two or four different machines, respectively.
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There are lots of interesting opportunities in the embedded space. No, I’m not talking about one-off type technology built into tomorrow’s space ships. Sure, there are oppotunites there, but I’m talking more about developing low heat, focused usage technology for things like digital signage or point of sale, applications where a desktop may be too much technology, too high a price point, or physically just too big.