A small enterprise requires compact, scalable and easily available servers for its data center. Mid-range servers, based on x64 processors, can easily fill this requirement. Because these mid-range offerings all use industry-standard components, the differentiation between the hardware of the different vendors is minimal. Competition is now primarily on price and support. And even here there is less and less difference between offerings from the Tier 1 vendors. This note discusses the areas that the small enterprise should focus on when selecting a mid-range server and vendor. These include:
- Base server capabilities.
- Future expansion needs.
- Availability of local service and support.
- Pricing.
- Operating costs.
With the convergence of hardware features, the support and pricing will often be the deciding factors in a mid-range server purchase.