IBM Corp. is releasing eight new servers in its Power Systems lineups that are targeted at small to mid-sized businesses looking to tap into big data applications and cloud storage technology, the firm announced in South Africa last week.
Big Blue’s Power Systems and feature its own Power7+ processors and are crafted to run IBM’s own analytics software efficiently. The systems include features that allow SMBs without a skilled IT department to do things like create a private cloud for serving company applications, or virtualize servers to make better use of hardware.
The new Power Systems start at $5,847 USD and include the Power Express 710, 720, 730, and 740 models. The servers includes a Web-based self service portal that allows employees to create an account and set up their own cloud storage space.
In targeting the SMB market with its analytics servers, IBM is competing with Oracle and HP for its customer’s hardware budget.