HP is the leader of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for modular servers

In a recent Gartner report, analysts called HP the world's leading manufacturer of modular servers. In the quadrant, it is ahead of Dell, and with a large margin - the company Lenovo. Download the report here .

The modular servers, to which Gartner analysts refer blade and multi-node systems, have a modular architecture with components in a common chassis. In addition to the basic computing components, the modular server chassis can hold data storage devices and network components. From the point of view of Gartner, these servers are easy to manage, high performance and density.

In addition, they are able to handle growing workloads in a cloud environment. The special design of modular servers allows you to install in them the necessary number of hardware components and a variety of software for managing infrastructure. Modular servers are suitable for combining and updating data centers, they can be used to create integrated systems. Today, the market has a large selection of modular servers, which differ in the type of CPU and memory size, data storage and switching technologies.

In 2014, the share of modular servers in the volume of server shipments was 26%, and the cumulative sales of these systems reached $ 13.3 billion. According to Gartner, by 2018, the total revenue of players in this segment will reach $ 15.5 billion, or 29% of the global server market. Large customer companies appreciate this architecture for its ease of management, equipment density and ease of installation. Modular servers help reduce costs and increase business agility, deliver IT services using simple, replicable system configurations.
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HP has an extensive portfolio of modular servers that can meet different requirements and can be used in different scenarios. The most famous product line of the company is the BladeSystem class C system.

The new HP Superdome X platform (based on Integrity server blades based on Intel Xeon processors) is a high-performance x86 system. HP is positioning it as the optimal solution for any x86 workloads requiring eight or more processors.

For example, for work with databases and calculations in memory. HP Superdome X allows you to deploy systems containing up to 16 processors and up to 12 TB of memory. Competing systems scale only up to 8 processors.

HP also launches the NonStop X system, which provides uninterrupted operation of critical systems in industries such as transport management, financial services and manufacturing. In addition, the company offers a wide variety of modular servers for scalable workloads: the Apollo platform (for high-performance computing clusters and processing large amounts of data), Moonshot (a system that blurs the boundaries between blade systems and multi-node servers and is designed for VDI infrastructure, web services and workloads requiring extremely low-power servers). The breadth of the HP portfolio allows the company to offer a solution for any workload.

According to Gartner analysts, HP is a reliable supplier of blade servers and the leader of this market in many countries. The company has a broad portfolio of multi-node servers that can handle scalable workloads. As part of HP, there is a group whose employees are involved in hyper-scalable systems and are well aware of the specifics of this market and the needs of customers. The older HP Superdome X and NonStop systems provide the best solutions for critical x86 workloads, including SAP HANA consolidation and migration from UNIX.


Magic quadrant for modular servers

Data center managers need modular servers that are suitable for specific workloads. As a rule, modular servers are designed for tasks with horizontal scaling and have several advantages in terms of: optimal use of space, excellent density, and the ability to replace components. Having determined the appropriate conditions for the use of modular servers, managers need to choose the type of device: blade server or multi-node server. Blade servers are an ideal choice for virtualization tasks, as well as help modernize data centers. This is evidenced by the demand from companies that use hyper-scalable systems, and enterprises deploying cloud environments, implementing data analysis tools and high-performance computing.

For a number of tasks, it is optimal to use rapidly deployable convergent systems that combine server, network components, data storage systems and management software. The development of HP's converged infrastructure has become the so-called tunable (composable) infrastructure, on the basis of which new HP servers will be developed. In such a tunable architecture, the rules and the order of assembling the components determine the purpose of the system, and the components can be used both independently and as part of an integrated system. Flexible resource pools, software-defined logic, and unified APIs help improve IT efficiency and speed up service deployment.

Criteria for inclusion in the quadrant of modular servers Gartner

To get to the Magic Quadrant, a supplier must:

• Offer a server product with a chassis or chassis that allows you to quickly and easily add or replace server components.
• To offer a server product with publicly available SKUs, therefore, “private” SKUs and user systems created for one company or a limited group of companies are excluded.
• Sell ​​servers under its own brand. Thus, suppliers who sell products manufactured by other companies are excluded.
• Have an income of at least $ 50 million from sales of modular servers.
• Actively sell your modular servers in at least two countries.
• Have modular servers operating in a customer’s production environment.
• Have customer feedback.

The vendor is evaluated on the whole portfolio of products and services, migration strategies, support for virtualization, and resolution of scalability issues are also taken into account. It takes into account the general financial condition of the vendor, the likelihood of continued investment in products and the expansion of the decision portfolio, the market strategy of the vendor and its partners, interaction with potential customers and the ability to propose an optimal solution.

In addition, the vendor’s ability to respond to the market situation, change strategy in accordance with customer needs and market dynamics, as well as the influence of the vendor on the market in terms of key trends, is taken into account. A vendor must have a full vision - understand the future market conditions and be ready for them, foresee the future and implement new ideas in their plans and products. The investments of the vendor in R & D for the introduction of key innovations, as well as the investments of the vendor in new technologies that contribute to the further development of business and the market, are taken into account. The key factor is the vendor's innovations in technological areas that best meet the needs of the market.

Gartner analysts study the quality and efficiency of the processes, systems, methods and procedures by which various suppliers achieve the desired results in the market and in production, and also strive to increase profits and gain the trust of customers. Ultimately, the conclusion is made about the ability of suppliers to make a profit from their vision.

The leaders

Leaders (where HP ranks first) demonstrate a willingness to meet changing demands, have the ability to shape the market, and maintain strong ties with trading partners and customers. The market leaders in modular servers offer services that can be adapted for different companies, and also set high goals. Their level of service is always at their best, they occupy a stable position in the market and have an impressive base of satisfied customers. Since the boundary between the markets for blade and multi-node servers is not clearly outlined, the leaders offer different types of services. Wherein
they may not have extensive experience in all areas, they may not be the best in absolutely all industries, perhaps they do not offer some services at all. But when the main part of the market becomes interested in multi-node servers, leaders will be able to satisfy any needs of customers.

Challengers

Applicants demonstrate stable operation in the market, have a clear strategy, but do not form a market. Applicants offer services that are in demand in the market at the moment. They serve a certain range of customers and provide fairly high results in their field. However, they do not always have time to adapt to market changes or set themselves modest goals.

The seers

There are no seers in this "Magic Quadrant". Seers boldly look to the future and invest heavily in the development of unique technologies. Seer may be new market participants or existing suppliers who are seeking to offer the market something revolutionary. Seers demonstrate the ability to increase the functionality of their proposals, offering the market a unique approach that distinguishes their products from competitors. Seers are characterized by innovations in one or more key areas of the data center, such as management, security, operational efficiency, and cost reduction. However, they are still developing their services, so many opportunities are not yet available to them. Even if they serve many customers, the scope of their services is still quite narrow.

Niche players

In the Magic Quadrant, niche players are all providers that consistently offer a certain kind of service. However, the scope of their services, as well as the development strategy, are very limited. They may be new market participants or suppliers that do not have a large customer base. Niche players have a wide range of products, but do not have strong opportunities to promote them. Niche players offer competitive products and in some of these offers may be the best choice.