The cloud is a popular place to be. That’s because even organizations that do not traditionally operate in the virtualized digital realm, such as auto manufacturers and supermarkets, want what the cloud provides: agility, efficiency, and the ability to glean intelligence like never before. With the cloud, these organizations can achieve their goals thanks to AI and data analytics, making use of large amounts of data stored in different locations.
This trend toward cloud adoption has led to the rise of cloud service providers (CSPs), who serve not only as public cloud hosts (including providing hyperscale solutions like Microsoft Azure® and Amazon Web Services® [AWS®]), but who also offer “as-a-service” products like business-to-business or consumer software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solutions. These CSPs face immense, unique challenges in managing servers in their data centers around the world. Operating and managing data centers is difficult enough for typical enterprises, and CSPs’ needs are multiplied due to the size and number of their facilities and the components housed within those facilities.
As a result, CSPs must rely on high-quality, high-performing products that can provide a high degree of serviceability, interoperability, and sustainability benefits. This is true for CSPs of all sizes, especially those that do not have the massive resources of hyperscalers. Failure to meet these requirements can cost a CSP in revenue, business opportunities, and customers.
Because increasing numbers of enterprises depend on CSP platforms to operate day to day, Prowess Consulting conducted a study to examine how two major platforms from Dell Technologies and Supermicro compare in helping CSPs run efficiently while meeting incredible demands:
• Dell™ PowerEdge™ HS5610 (1U, with cold-aisle support) and HS5620 (2U) servers with Broadcom® BRCM5720 network interface controllers (NICs)
• Supermicro® SuperServer® SYS-121C-TN10R (1U) and SYS-621C-TN12R (2U) servers with Supermicro® AOCA25G-12SM NICs