HP Unveils New e-utilica Features Designed For The Capacity-On-Demand Needs Of Corporates

Hewlett-Packard Company today unveiled additional features for e-utilica that offers corporates the flexibility to meet the dynamic needs of business via enhancements to their existing IT infrastructure.

e-utilica is the world's first ever 'out-of-the-box' service provider solution designed for use by corporate organisations, providing them with a cost-effective, secure, scaleable compute and storage solution.

New features include the ability to operate within multi-operating system environments and on top of an existing IT infrastructure - critical requirements for corporate networks. Available as a complete 'out-of-the-box' solution, e-utilica is now offered with a range of bundles including extra storage, servers and software, depending on individual requirements.

"There is increasing demand within the corporate space for on-tap applications, processing power and storage - capacity on demand. With e-utilica, we're delighted to be offering corporates the unique opportunity to be as flexible as they like, creating real business benefits within a cost-effective and secure environment", said Chris Franklin, UNIX Server Category Manager for HP UK.

These comments are supported by results of a survey of 200 IT decision makers in the UK, conducted on behalf of HP at the start of May. This survey indicates that 4 out of 10 respondents had experienced surges in demand to which their dedicated compute and storage resources were unable to respond. Of these, 75% felt that this demand would continue or increase.

With e-utilica the ability to scale up or down to meet spikes in demand can be implemented almost immediately via an integrated VPN (Virtual Private Network), creating a secure pathway through the corporate firewall. e-utilica also supports broadband and public network connections. Embedded management software enables instant ignition of client nodes within a completely secure environment, compared with expensive alternative solutions which demand highly skilled technical resources and can take several days or even weeks to establish connections.

e-utilica also enables IT departments to pool their resources and dynamically reallocate them according to priority requirements, enabling quality of service prioritisation and divisional budget management. This effectively enables corporates to operate as service providers in their own right. Conversely, since full capacity metering utilities are included within the management software, should an IT division decide to outsource activity to an XSP, they have the means to best calculate what, when and how activity is outsourced.

With considerable savings over leased line connections, integrated VPN technology also carries significant cost benefits which ideally suits collaborative projects with partners and suppliers. This is all the more notable given that 76% of large companies have considered the use of such technology as a means of making connections with outlying parts of the organisation.

"This is just the beginning of our internet data centre vision", said Franklin. "There is clearly a need for on-tap computing and we're delighted to be the only vendor offering customers the flexibility to successfully adapt within today's demanding and unpredictable business environmentmen".

Initially targeted at ASPs looking for a complete 'load & go' solution, the original e-utilica was launched late last year.

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Overview & Features:

e-utilica is the world's first ever plug and play internet data centre providing:

• Always-on scalable infrastructure
• Capacity-on-demand
• Instant internet connectivity
• Total security
• End-to-end management

HP e-utilica comprises an administration rack, multiple compute racks (from 4 to 20) and/or storage racks in a space-saving 2-metre form factor. The administration rack, which connects the compute power to the internet, delivers high-level security, management and VPN administration functions. The compute racks can accommodate a range of compute systems, delivering headroom for scalable performance and capacity, as needed.

Pricing & Availability:

HP e-utilica is available now with an estimated street price starting at 163350,000. More information about HP e-utilica is available at www.hp.com/go/e-utilica

Service & Support:

All of HP e-utilica's components are fully supported by HP via the same support process as other HP products. Installation and 24 x 7 support are standard on every HP e-utilica.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at www.hp.com