Lenovo Targets Data Centre Expansion With Enterprise Server And Network Updates

Lenovo is updating its portfolio of server, networking and hypercoverged infrastructure hardware and software as it seeks to secure a greater share of the enterprise and data centre markets.

The Chinese manufacturer is currently the world’s fourth biggest server manufacturer by revenue and third largest by shipments, however it suffered drops on both during the most previous quarter, according to Gartner.

“This dramatically expanded portfolio is a powerful demonstration of Lenovo’s commitment to creating purposeful data centre innovation in a truly open ecosystem,” said Tom Shell, senior vice president, data centre product group, Lenovo.

Lenovo data centre

“With the latest advancements in server performance, software-defined storage, hyper-convergence and rejuvenated networking capabilities, all delivered seamlessly in a partner-centric model, Lenovo is striving to redefine the data centre inside and out.”

The x3850 and x3950 x6 servers have been updated with Intel Xeon processors which it is claimed are 39 percent faster than the previous generation.  The servers can support memory of up to 12TB, which Lenovo says is ideal for SAP HANA or Hadoop deployments, large virtualisation projects and other big data or analytical workloads.

The company has also expanded its range of HX hyperconverged appliances based on Nutanix software with the HX1000 series for remote offices and the HX2000 series for SMBs.

Lenovo’s latest server platform has been integrated into the HX3000 series for smaller virtualisation workloads and the HX5000 series is designed for server virtualisation workloads that require more capacity.

With regards to storage, Lenovo is inviting third party developers to integrate their software defined storage (SDS) applications into Lenovo hardware as part of the StorSelect partnership programme. Lenovo has also detailed its first mid-range storage systems, which come in hybrid or full flash varieties.

Juniper Networks partnership

And finally, the company has revealed more about its partnership with Juniper Networks which will see Lenovo provide its data centre products and Juniper its switches, routers and network management software.

The two companies will start combining these products from the third quarter of this year and have also joint-published a virtualised data centre reference architecture.

Lenovo claims this partnership will help ‘rejuvenate’ its range of enterprise networking products.

“With this new reference architecture and reseller agreement, Juniper and Lenovo are bringing together our industry leading networking and data centre infrastructure technologies to help customers embrace a world in which networking is integral to every workload and application,” said Mike Marcellin, chief marketing officer, Juniper Networks.

“Lenovo is a strong partner with a reputation for innovation and global reach, giving customers more ways to transform their businesses through the cloud and next generation IT.”

Lenovo is moving some of its hardware manufacturing to Hungary, claiming the move will benefit its European customers by allowing for faster delivery times and more configuration options.

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