In my previous blog, I introduced the Dell PowerEdge VRTX server and outlined some reasons why small and mid-sized businesses may want to deploy it in place of four separate servers.
Though I do acknowledge that the VRTX server might not be suitable for very small businesses with low storage requirements, my prior experiences as a system administrator means that I can think of a number of scenarios where SMBs can benefit from it.
Check out my three use cases for deploying the PowerEdge VRTX below.
As the Primary Server
Small businesses will find that the PowerEdge VRTX delivers sufficient oomph to function as the primary server on their network. This include running as a local file server, application server, telephony server, or even as a couple of virtualization server nodes deployed with automatic virtualization-level failover. The versatile deployment scenarios works due to the sheer flexibility of the architecture: Individual storage bays and even PCIe cards can be assigned to different server nodes as necessary.
One legitimate consideration is the possible failure of the entire VRTX chassis. While the amount of over-engineering does make this somewhat less likely, an SMB with very high uptime requirements can conceivably keep a second VRTX for use as a cold standby – more on that below.
At Remote Offices
The PowerEdge VRTX is hardly limited to small businesses though, and can readily be put to work at a remote or branch office of a larger organization. Thanks to its out-of-band management capabilities, IT staffers located at a remote location can easily maintain or reconfigure a remote VRTX server from a central CMC console without having to make a physical trip.
Where tight central control or security is desired, a combination of services such as a firewall, proxy server or VPN server can be loaded as a virtual appliance or on a dedicated node. Moreover, a fast-expanding business can also deploy requisite applications onto a PowerEdge VRTX Server as a means to quickly provision them for a new outlet or office. Examples could be retailers such as supermarket operator, or the country office of a larger enterprise.
As a Backup Server
A mid-sized or even large business can make use of the PowerEdge VRTX as a cold backup server in the event of a catastrophic outage with its core infrastructure. Obviously, this will require careful planning to ensure that crucial services will not be too severely degraded, and to implement virtualization as necessary.
Ultimately, the integration inherent to the PowerEdge VRTX and its sizeable support for onboard storage does make it more appealing than having to configure four separate servers and a standalone storage array. At a time when every minute counts, a preconfigured VRTX server can be brought up to speed relatively quickly while repairs are affected on an organization’s core infrastructure.
Obviously, the ability for the PowerEdge VRTX to be used as a backup server continues to ring true for SMBs that deploys it as a core server.
This is a paid post in conjunction with IDG, Dell, and Microsoft SQL Server