IT digital transformation: Getting the best TCO for your environment

[ComputeExperts]

Choosing the right server can make all the difference when it comes to your organization's overall success or failure. Here's why HPE's ProLiant DL385 Gen10 can help you get on the right path forward.

Adaptation is key to growing a business—and your choice in servers plays an increasingly critical role in your ability to accommodate the various new demands put on your organization. Server hardware can make or break the future of your organization, so you need to find the best, most cost-effective solution that both keeps your business competitive and keeps your data safe from cybercriminals.

As you look for solutions to forge the path to IT digital transformation, you must search for options that allow you to maintain a low total cost of ownership (TCO) and high ROI. Confronting and conquering the challenges you'll face will mean looking beyond just the obvious costs associated with your server choice and examining the features that will save you money over time.

Ensuring an agile IT environment

In the past, it may have seemed a tall order to find a cost-efficient server solution that didn't skimp on security or flexibility. Some options were likely ripe to tackle larger amounts of data from public and private cloud, as well as on-premises infrastructure. But the price tag? A deal-breaker. A solution like HPE's ProLiant DL385 Gen10 Server is both agile and affordable.

A recent study by Spiceworks found that close to half (44 percent) of IT departments surveyed expect their budgets to increase this year. About a third (31 percent) of your counterparts at the companies surveyed say the largest chunk of their IT budget will go toward hardware purchases. In fact, 52 percent claim their hardware budget as a whole has increased, with servers accounting for 13 percent of their total spend.

The DL385 takes a holistic view of server costs, accounting for not just upfront costs, but also maintenance and operation. Its agility supports a longer lifespan, saving you from spending on future upgrades, while its security features protect you from unexpected expenses like data breaches.

Speeding up the IT digital transformation

The DL385—based on the AMD EPYC 7000 Series processor—can modernize your data center, while adding immediate value to your business. It features a combination of performance and security features at a solid price point that can meet your budgetary needs.

According to a recent report by Moor Insights & Strategy (MI&S), this hardware is ideal if your organization runs a lot of memory-intensive applications or is looking to run virtual machines (VMs). Gen10 servers like the DL385 are key to your infrastructure modernization, as they work well in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments—delivering a significant VM density at a low cost.

HPE's solution was designed with memory-centric and virtualized workloads in mind, but it also provides you with a modular, adaptable chassis with drive flexibility. You also have the power to configure the hardware in a variety of ways to meet your unique needs as an organization.

Leveraging this server enables you to take advantage of up to 64 cores and 4TB of memory. You can even configure the server's modular drive bays with up to 30 SFF, 19 LFF, or 24 NVMe drive options. And this model can support up to three double-wide GPU options.

Watch this video on virtualization.

Lowering your total cost of ownership

While it might seem like a good idea to purchase servers based on cost—thinking they're just commodity hardware—consider this: When calculating total TCO, you need to look at not just the purchase price but also how much it will cost to operate and manage the device over its lifetime. How well your server works and whether it stays up and running directly affects the productivity of the applications and users it supports.

In addition, a server that you can easily and quickly provision to support a variety of workloads is going to have a longer lifespan than one that's less agile and customizable. It's important for you to make sure the solution you choose will actually be the most cost-effective option over the long term. To that end, HPE provides a ProLiant Business Value Calculator, which empowers you to determine the TCO by contrasting HPE servers such as the DL385 against its competitors. This calculator allows you to set parameters to match your business vertical, the type of comparison, and the number of servers and VMs you need—providing you with reliable, quantifiable results.

Whether you are looking for a server to handle general purpose application or high-performance computing, the HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen10 delivers. Go to the ProLiant Value Calculator today so how upgrading to can deliver a lower TCO in your environment.

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Meet Server Experts Blogger Karen Stealey, IT Journalist

Karen Stealey has been writing about technology for more than 15 years. Her work has appeared in top technology and business publications including InformationWeek, BusinessWeek, and Forbes.