Small enterprises don't necessarily have small computing needs. Such organizations are finding that the number of servers needed to support business operations continues to grow but available resources remain fixed. Technologies initially targeted at large data centers can also solve small enterprise space, power, and cooling problems.

New x86-based dense server technologies are available that resolve many issues facing data centers with limited physical space. While rack-mount servers have been the standard for many enterprises, the latest server packaging and platforms offer:

• Significantly smaller physical footprints.
• Lower energy use for the same computing power.
• Reduced cooling requirements.

For smaller enterprises, these may be real limiting factors in supporting the kind of processing power required. Dense server technologies, even some marketed heavily to larger enterprises, may help resolve these problems.