HP announced its server and storage consolidation offerings in the country, which would enable businesses to have – or transition to – a modular IT infrastructure design and implementation that would drastically reduce their cost of operations and provide more efficient management of the ever-growing storage requirements of everyone.

Consolidation of Windows File Servers – enterprise file servers deployed for user’s home network drives, shared data repositories, workgroup drives and file and print servers – enables IT departments to pool disparate storage "puddles" and associated file servers into a cost-effective, scalable and easy-to-manage file server cluster, said Ricky Chu, ISS Business Director,

Technology Solutions Group, HP – Asia Pacific.

HP PolyServe’s file serving software runs on Windows Server System enables administrators to maintain their current IT practices, rather than forcing them to switch to a proprietary architecture. Based on industry-standard building blocks – servers, storage, FC SAN or iSCSA – it is the only consolidation solution with the high availability, instant mobility and management automation required for mission critical databases.

"Both HP and Microsoft will continue to promote the new server and storage consolidation offerings, as well as associated training and services," said Imran Vilcassim, Microsoft Enterprise Account Manager, Sri Lanka.

"HP’s strategy of integrating leading NAS solutions with [storage-area networks] to provide a single, managed storage pool has advanced our market position considerably," said Steven Kim, General Manager, HP TSG, Asia Emerging Countries. "It’s a part of our strategy to deliver solutions that would help our customers achieve their business objectives through IT," added Kim.

Cost is lowered through physical device consolidation, so less technology is needed to do a better job, as well as through the efficiencies that enhanced manageability brings – enabled by virtualization technology, he said.