Lenovo Rolls Out ThinkServers for SMBs

Lenovo, in the wake of its $2.1 billion acquisition of IBM’s x86-based System x business, is now the world’s third-largest server maker. However, the company isn’t putting aside its own ThinkServer portfolio or its focus on small and midsize businesses.

The company on Dec. 2 rolled out its next-generation ThinkServer RD350 and RD450 rack systems that are designed to give SMBs with limited space and budgets flexible, scalable and affordable options. The two systems—the 1U (1.75-inch) RD350 and 2U (3.5-inch) RD450—offer the latest Intel Xeon E5 processors, expanded storage and memory capabilities, and prices that start at $1,249.

“Lenovo understands that while SMBs rely on servers as the backbone of their businesses, they also face unique infrastructure challenges such as small data centers and limited budgets,” Bob Galush, vice president of high-volume servers and options for Lenovo, said in a statement.

Both systems come with up to two 12-core Xeon E5-2600 v3 chips and up to 512GB of DDR4 memory through 16 DIMM slots. That’s almost three times the memory capacity of previous systems, and DDR4 enables almost twice the bandwidth and power efficiency of DDR3 memory, according to company officials. In addition, the RD350 and RD450 also come with either 2.5- or 3.5-inch drive options, which help with scalability.

The systems include built-in error-correcting code (ECC) memory, hard-disk drive (HDD) and solid-state drive (SSD) capabilities, redundant power and cooling, and integrated RAID.

In addition, the RD350 offers up to 16TB of internal storage, while the RD450 2.5-inch configuration also includes Lenovo’s ThinkServer AnyRAID adapters that enables data protection and improved performance without having to use PCI-Express slots.

The systems, which are available now, come with new software for easier management around such tasks as configuration, deployment, and power management and planning. Businesses also can leverage tools that will enable them to manage and monitor their ThinkServers via VMware’s vCenter or Microsoft’s System Center Operations Manager, according to Lenovo officials.

Lenovo closed the deal for IBM’s x86 server business Oct. 1, a move that instantly put it in third place, behind Hewlett-Packard and Dell, among the world’s top server vendors. Lenovo executives have said that, with IBM’s systems in the fold, they expect to turn Lenovo’s Enterprise Group into a profitable unit over the next year and garner more than $5 billion in revenue.