Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking
    • Storage

    RLX Plans to Change Gears

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    January 10, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      As RLX Technologies Inc. moves forward with its plans to exit the blade server hardware business, a key challenge will be persuading a major OEM to adopt its Control Tower server management software suite.

      In a blade market dominated by the likes of Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM and now Dell Inc., RLX late last month announced it was leaving the space it helped create almost four years ago to focus on its management software.

      In a recent interview, CEO Doug Erwin said RLXs goal is to sell Control Tower through OEM deals with major server vendors that want to supplement their management software. RLX will offer Control Tower as a product that can plug in to other management software, such as Computer Associates International Inc.s Unicenter or IBMs Tivoli products.

      Erwin expects by March to announce a deal with a major hardware vendor, which will put aside some of its own management software and sell Control Tower, he said. Though he declined to name the vendor, he said his hope is that the move will compel others to follow.

      Industry observers said RLX, of The Woodlands, Texas, had little choice but to make the move to software, particularly now that Dell has jumped back into the blade server space. However, some wondered if Control Tower offers enough unique features to persuade the larger systems makers to sign on.

      “The problem is that there are not that many big server OEMs out there, and though Control Tower is a good product, it doesnt fill any obvious holes in the big OEMs product lines,” said Gordon Haff, an analyst with Illuminata Inc., in Nashua, N.H.

      In 2001, RLX was among the first companies to offer blades, with its System 324. Since then, most of the major OEMs have followed, pushing the blade server market to an estimated $9 billion by 2008, according to IDC, of Framingham, Mass.

      Erwin said the consolidating environment was the latest sign that the products are becoming increasingly commoditized.

      “Its going to be a price war between the big boys, and we dont have the volume or scale to compete with the big boys,” Erwin said. “A small software company can compete with a large software company because customers will bet on who they think has the best product. A small hardware company competing with a large hardware company has large hurdles to overcome in volume and scale.”

      RLX, which has already begun laying off many of the 115 employees it had before the announcement, will continue supporting the hardware in its installed base. Still, the move took some customers by surprise. ECI Conference Call Services LLC, in Wayne, N.J., has been using RLXs ServerBlades for about a year, said Chief Technology Officer B.J. Weschke.

      “Its definitely disappointing,” Weschke said. “I was fond of the whole package. With Control Tower coming with the hardware, there was no finger-pointing when something went wrong.”

      Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×