What are Dell Technologies PowerEdge servers?
In this article
The first line of Dell PowerEdge servers arrived on the scene in 1996. Throughout the product's quarter-century-plus existence, numerous IT innovations have radically transformed information technology: blades, server virtualization, cloud and edge computing, containers, and the rise of the software-defined data center (SDDC), to name a few. Through it all, PowerEdge servers have evolved to remain a dedicated workhorse for enterprise administrators over the years and across generations.
In this article, we'll look at the latest family of PowerEdge servers and features that make them ideal for handling today's and tomorrow's diverse enterprise workloads.
Foundations for a robust server infrastructure
Today's forward-thinking organizations embrace innovation and digital transformation as key strategies for carving out competitive advantages. Supporting server infrastructures must therefore leverage and extend compute capabilities to the point of data and value creation—this translates to real-time business value and more connected, compelling customer experiences both inside and outside the data center.
To this end, the building blocks of a robust enterprise server infrastructure start with hardware appliances that are powerful, scalable, yet dynamic and flexible enough to support distributed business models and corresponding usage patterns. Because data and compute requirements are no longer bound to only the corporate data center, today's servers must provide a solid foundation for an adaptive infrastructure, on-premises or at the edge; subsequently, they must conform to a variety of form factors (e.g., rack mount, modular and industrial servers) depending on the deployment environment.
Introducing Dell Technologies PowerEdge Servers
The Dell Technologies PowerEdge family features Intel® Xeon® and AMD® EPYC processor-based rack, modular and tower servers capable of supporting both small and medium-sized businesses and sophisticated enterprise use cases. PowerEdge servers can scale to meet requirements no matter the size from affordable, building block servers to business-critical, mainstream machines capable of supporting advanced enterprise workloads.
Designed using office-friendly acoustics and thermal elements, Dell PowerEdge servers are equally at home inside the data center or in edge environments (e.g., remote/branch offices, retail locations, logistics facilities).
Dell PowerEdge Server options
Organizations may require various server options to accommodate any number of operating environments, from the data center to the edge. Dell PowerEdge Servers offer a myriad of compute, storage and form factor options to accommodate the range of possible scenarios. Accelerator technologies such as non-volatile memory and GPUs can be integrated for purpose-built solutions.
Rack mount and tower options
PowerEdge entry-level rack and tower servers are flexible, reliable and affordable building blocks for supporting business-critical workloads. These servers use cost effective processors and configurations for remote office, cloud infrastructures and B2C/commercial applications (e.g., point of sale transactions).
Organizations with enterprise data center needs will appreciate one-, two- or four-processor server options. These models can power a range of workloads from general server virtualization to application specific use cases. The latest 15th generation models highlight advancements in high availability features and optimized air flow for superior cooling. Purpose built configurations are designed and tested with the latest accelerator technologies to deliver proven results. For advanced scenarios such as in-memory databases, AI/ML and HPC, Dell Technologies provides chassis and modular hardware built for these demanding workloads. Working with third-party software and hardware vendors Dell Technologies is able to deliver validated solutions to meet these advanced requirements.
These are just a few of the options available within the Dell PowerEdge family of servers. The portfolio scales to meet the growing requirements of business needs.
Modular configurations
A key benefit of the PowerEdge modular server line is scalability: hardware elements such as the server chassis are highly configurable with scalable compute, storage and networking fabric modules. This modular infrastructure enables organizations to optimize existing IT infrastructures for traditional and new and emerging workloads while providing a transformation path to a contemporary software-defined data center.
The Dell Technologies PowerEdge MX offers a modular 7U form factor designed for enterprise data center density and future extensibility. The MX chassis can accommodate compute and storage nodes for workload composability.
Specialty and industrial and rugged applications
The PowerEdge line was designed to address all of an organization's potential server needs, from the data center to the edge. Within this continuum, an astonishing degree of variation exists—for example, a firm may require the deployment of server nodes to support edge-based AI/ML applications. In this scenario, the Dell PowerEdge C or XE Series is ideal for providing dense, accelerated computing resources for high-performance cognitive and storage intensive workloads.
Small offices and remote or branch satellite facilities may opt for the PowerEdge VRTX—the series that ships servers, storage, networking and management into a single office-optimized chassis. Last but not least, Dell PowerEdge XR servers were designed to withstand extreme heat, dust, shock and vibration—capabilities well-suited for manufacturing and factory environments, construction sites, mobile command centers, and other extreme environments.
Selecting the right PowerEdge Server
Today's Dell Technologies PowerEdge line allows organizations to acquire and deploy the optimal server hardware and platform for their requirements and use case; suffice to say, selecting the ideal combination of features and benefits requires a careful analysis and assessment of the organization's needs.
Check out our Advanced Technology Center (ATC) to explore more of PowerEdge's capabilities or schedule a briefing to explore the PowerEdge solutions right for your organization.