Dell launches integrated appliances, midmarket storage arrays

Summary: Dell's new products illustrate how hardware vendors are all rallying around converged systems as well as storage gear that increasingly incorporates solid state storage.

Dell on Tuesday launched four new integrated systems designed to run Oracle 12c Database, an in-memory system to run Cloudera Enterprise and appliances for databases and data center building blocks. Dell also launched a series of storage arrays for the midmarket.

The product launches, which were detailed at Dell's user forum in Hollywood, FL, illustrate how hardware vendors are all rallying around converged systems as well as storage gear that increasingly incorporates solid state storage.

For Dell, the integrated systems represent an acceleration of its converged infrastructure efforts. HP, IBM, Oracle, Cisco and others are pushing integrated systems that represent a hardware stack in one rack.

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Dell said it is partnering for the most common enterprise workloads and moving quickly on the appliance front. The appliance launches include:

An acceleration appliance for databases optimized for MySQL, Sybase, Microsoft SQL and MongoDB. Dell integrates its PowerEdge Servers, storage and networking gear with Fusion-io's application acceleration technology. SanDisk just announced plans to buy Fusion-io. A set of Oracle 12c Database systems. The appliance bundles include Dell infrastructure with Oracle Linux, Oracle VM, Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Fusion Applications. An in-memory appliance for Cloudera Enterprise. The appliance is geared toward Hadoop and big data applications, includes Intel processors and ScaleMP's Versatile SMP (vSMP) architecture, which creates memory pools. A series of Web-scale appliances powered by Nutanix and its software defined storage tools. Facebook steps away from 'traditional' datacenters with building blocks approach

Dell already offers appliances and workload specific systems via partnerships with SAP, Red Hat, Oracle and Microsoft. The systems launched Tuesday will be available in the second half of 2014.

As for the storage systems, Dell launched a series of hybrid arrays that combine flash and traditional drives. Dell's data management tools are also included. The idea is that Dell will sell its SC4000 Series of arrays to midmarket companies and include its technology from its Compellent acquisition. Multiple storage vendors are targeting the midmarket as a way to grow.