Fujitsu VISIT 2010

At its annual global conference in Munich on 24-25th November, 2010, Fujitsu introduced technologies to drive enterprise cloud adoption and also unveiled latest components for datacenters, server rooms and desktops.

Datacenters in a box - Blade Computing for Mid-size Companies

As per Jens-Peter Seick, Senior Vice President, Datacenter Systems, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, ”Midsize companies with large data volumes have similar IT needs to enterprises, but are more constrained by available IT expertise and budgets. The need is of an infrastructure comprising of servers, storage blades and network components supported with services to extend into the cloud environment.”

Fujitsu launched PRIMENERGY BX400 which is a datacenter in a box, providing a combination of 8 servers or storage blades. It integrates applications in both physical environment and virtualized environment in partnership with NetApp. BX400 incorporates Intel Xeon 5600 series processors and ServerView software suite for integrated system management and monitoring. It supports OS like Windows and Linux, as well as hypervisers like MicroSoft Hyper-V, VMware and Citrix Zen. The datacenter is available in 'rack' and 'floorstand' versions. Fujitsu claims BX400 to reduce power bills by up to 30% while cutting CO2 emissions. For larger enterprises, BX900 with 18 server blades is a better option. PRIMENERGY BX400 will be available globally from December 2010.

Micro Servers for Small Businesses

Jens-Peter Seick says “A micro server is a great starting point for growing businesses that are outgrowing patchwork networks and looking for the security and reliability of server based computing, without the price tag they feared.” Fujitsu introduced PRIMENERGY MX130 S1, an AMD-based platform for file, web and print services, is an alternative to sharing business data via error-prone combination of peer-to-peer networks, easily stolen USB drives and inter-office e-mails. It comes with MS Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation OS and features up to 16GB of professional server-grade memory that can cope with running shared office server applications. System upgrades to memory size, hard disk space, add-on cards and back-up options can be added as business needs demand. It also gets the benefits of the entire PRIMENERGY line-up, such as 24x7 reliability and RAID capabilities. Available to order from December 1, 2010, the model will start shipping later in December 2010.

Zero Client for VDI

In a Zero Client environment, all operating systems, applications, data, computing power and memory are located on a centralized server instead of individual machines. Zero clients offer reliability, better energy efficiency and can be managed and administered centrally, saving significant time and cost. Fujitsu Zero Clients support hypervisors like VMware ESX(i), Microsoft Hyper-V and as of January 2011, Citrix Zen Desktop. Portable Zero Client MZ900 comes in the form of a USB stick and enables plug-and play ease of use and allows desktop virtualization on the go. On the hardware front, the two new models launched are Zero Client DZ22-2 and Zero Client DZ19-2 available in 22-inch and 19-inch display panels. A unique feature in DZ22-2 is Power over Ethernet (PoE) in which a single Ethernet cable provides power and Ethernet. Both models support VoIP and webcams.

Rajat Kakar, Vice-President, Workplace Systems, Fujitsu Technology Solutions says, “As virtualized desktop environments continue to gain popularity, innovations should happen along Zero Client models. The solution provider should provide everything necessary for a seamless transition transition to a scalable Zero Client environment, from software and hardware with an open and independent platform, to services that simplify installation

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Dynamic Cloud Computing

Dynamic cloud is a new set of pre-integrated and configured services enabling migration to private or hybrid cloud-based services. Fujitsu Dynamic Cloud of globally linked standardized offerings builds on the IaaS platform. By providing policy and business requirement based choice over factors like physical location and future portability of data, Fujitsu intends to remove major stalling points of compliance and lock-in. Enabling local hosting and data mirroring at strategic geographical points overcomes latency issues for services delivered remotely.

Andre Kiehne, Vice President Services, Fujitsu Technology Solutions says,” No matter where you are in the world, a delivery platform for cloud services should be standardized. Dynamic Cloud is based on a comprehensive framework and provides cloud enabling technology by provisioning the right mix of traditional and cloud IT services.”

Cloud Bursting

'Private' cloud is an enterprise-specific environment and 'Trusted' cloud is used by Fujitsu and other vendors to refer to an environment where a limited number of customers share a single cloud. The new infrastructure from Fujitsu enables customers to switch data and services between private and trusted clouds, in a process known as 'cloud bursting'. By allowing the exchange of data and interface between private and trusted cloud, and between hosted and on-premise services, customers are able to offload entire IT infrastructures to cloud environments benefits in terms of cost control and service availability.

Besides the product launches, the event co-sponsored by Intel, Microsoft, NetApp, Oracle, Symantec TDS, VMware, SAP, Brocade, Citrix, Samsung, EMC2, Novell, Quantum and GDATA, comprised of various keynote sessions, expert talks and breakout sessions to showcase the future ready technology solutions for enterprises and small-medium businesses. There was a Demo Center to showcase the latest products and enterprise solutions from Fujitsu.

Dr. Joseph Reger, CTO, Fujitsu Technology Solutions in a one-to-one with PCQuest talked about cloud computing in next 5 years, saying,“ Beyond doubt, I see cloud computing having a breakthrough in the consumer space in next 5 years. In the IT enterprise space as well, it is expected to leave a similar impact but 5 years down the line, the adoption will still be close to 50%.”

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