HP has introduced a range of services for small- to midsize data center operations that help improve efficiency, increase the flexibility of IT budgets and ensure service-level commitments, the company says.

With this portfolio of services from HP, owners of small- to midsize data centers can maximize business return on existing assets and drive rapid change with current staff resources, according to HP. These services simplify management of multivendor environments, enabling clients to take advantage of innovative service-delivery models such as virtualization and cloud computing, the company says.

HP also introduced flexible procurement options for custom technology services that benefit clients and the reseller channel.

“Data center teams are challenged with managing increasing complexity and sprawl, especially as they implement virtualization across multiple vendor platforms and operating systems,” says Ron Silliman, principal research analyst, Gartner, Inc. “For businesses with small- to midsize data centers with economy-impacted budgets and limited staff, these challenges are amplified. Organizations should take a whole-environment approach to operational efficiency to reduce risk and drive better business outcomes,” he says.

Always-on Reliability

With the requirement of shared, virtualized technology services to be continuously available, there is a new premium on speed, efficiency, and 24/7 resource accessibility, the company notes. HP is delivering services to help clients gain control and broader, deeper visibility into every support-related function across the environment, it says.

• HP Multivendor Support Services (MVSS) help clients increase service levels and reduce the complexity and costs of managing heterogeneous technology environments. HP simplifies support with one integrated service agreement, providing management for all supplier contracts, accountability for service-level agreements, and measurable goals.
• HP Insight Remote Support provides quicker issue resolution to reduce downtime and mitigate risk through 24/7 remote monitoring, diagnostics, and problem prevention. In addition to its full range of servers and storage, HP supports select IBM and Dell servers, Sun Solaris on HP ProLiant servers, and Cisco IP telephony networks.
• HP Active Chat provides faster problem resolution with real-time Web chat on select HP server and storage products.
• HP Data Center Training Symposium helps increase staff effectiveness through a custom training plan.

Increase Capacity, Lower Energy Costs

Structured for data centers up to 5,000 square feet in size, these value assessment services identify opportunities for increasing computing capacity, while reducing energy costs.

• Basic Capacity Analysis for Smaller Footprints Assessment helps managers allocate a facility’s resources more effectively by arming them with quantitative computing capacity and availability information.
• Infrastructure Condition and Capacity Analysis for Smaller Footprints Assessment aids clients in identifying computing capacity risks and needs and in understanding what actions they need to take to effect positive change.
• Energy Efficiency Analysis for Smaller Footprints Assessment enables clients to increase energy efficiency to lower costs and decrease the environmental impact of technology infrastructure. HP claims to be unique in that its engineers can assess the whole environment–across infrastructure and facilities–to maximize results and minimize risk.

Flexible Purchase Options

HP has simplified the process for small- to midsize businesses to procure technology services that will help them better manage limited resources and drive business value from their technology infrastructures.

• HP Units of Service maximize return on technology investments and facilitate business growth. HP has simplified the ability of channel partners to resell HP-delivered services, providing custom, statement-of-work engagements as easy-to-source units of HP Care Pack Services. HP custom technology services that can be procured through this model include relocation, integration, operations and improvement.
• HP Proactive Select Services allow clients to move to a variable budget model, acquiring expert resources on-demand to address evolving needs. Adding to its menu of 90 service offerings, HP has included Server Firmware Update Installation Service, Technical Online Seminars, Virtual Tape Library Health Check, and LeftHand SAN/iQ Update Service.

“Clients can use HP services to achieve operational excellence in the data center and better align resources to focus on technology innovation to drive growth and competitive advantage for the business,” says Mary McCoy, vice president, Technology Services, HP.

These services are available directly from HP and through the company’s reseller channel. More information about data center services from HP Technology Services is available at www.hp.com/services/evolvingdatacenter.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.