Dell Targets Small Business With Low-Cost Server

Dell Computer has released a low-cost network server for small- and medium-sized businesses that includes features previously only available on costly midrange servers.

The dual-processor PowerEdge 1500SC is equipped with Microsoft Windows 2000 server, Windows NT 4.0, and Red Hat Linux 7.2. The server features ServerWorks' HE-SL chipset, which supports a 1.13-GHz Intel Pentium III processor, and the Intel PRO/1000 XT network connection on the motherboard, which enables the PowerEdge 1500SC to transfer up to 1 Gbit of data per second over copper wires. The PowerEdge 1500SC comes standard with error-correcting-code memory and hot-plug hard drives. It also provides optional support for advanced Redundant Array of Independent Disks and hot-plug and redundant power supplies. Pricing for the server, which can handle E-mail, file sharing, and Web serving, starts at $1,400.

The PowerEdge server is also compatible with Dell's workgroup switches, which can connect client workgroups to servers or create low-cost local area networks in branch offices.

While all of the PowerEdge 1500SC features may be overkill for businesses with fewer than 50 users, those features coupled with the low price makes it a tempting offer for medium-sized businesses, says Brooks Gray, an analyst with Technology Business Research. Brooks says it's a smart move for Dell to bundle its PowerEdge servers with its PowerConnect switches because of rising demand for switches in the small- and medium-sized business market.