NEWS : HP ProLiant firmware updates access change

HP are changing the way firmware updates and SSP will be accessed, This will Start in February 2014. Select server firmware on these products will only be accessed through the HP Support Center to Customers with an active support agreement, HP CarePack, or warranty linked to their HP Support Center User ID and for the specific products being updated. 

HP Support material was always provided as part of the terms of a customer’s support contract with HP, usually via Warranty periods or contractual obligations, such as Care Packs and support contacts.  HP terms stated an eligibility requirement for support was purchase of the product and a support agreement for the product.  The only change being implemented is that website access will now align with those restrictions that have always been there.  The fact that HP previously chose to make our support material available publicly through our hp.com website, without checking the entitlement of the user, doesn’t negate nor invalidate the eligibility requirement.

We encourage you to review your current support coverage to ensure you maintain uninterrupted access to firmware updates and SPP for your ProLiant products.

If you need to obtain support coverage, please do not hesitate to contact your account manager at Westcoast.

Regards

Westcoast EG Solutions Team 

EVENT : Westcoast Simply StoreIT SMB Academy

Westcoast Solutions Lab

HP Simply StoreIT is a programme designed to take the stress out of choosing the right storage products that meet your customers’ business needs. The programme provides solution guides and reference architectures for HP channel partners and SMB customers to accelerate solution delivery.

These solution assets target specific challenges in the critical areas of virtualization, backup and data protection, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server, and file consolidation. The programme includes tools, resources and incentives to help channel partners accelerate time to revenue with HP storage solutions.

Come to Westcoast’s Simply StoreIT SMB Academy and learn more about Simply StoreIT and latest storage portfolio updates.

When: Tuesday, 25th June 2013
Where: Westcoast Solutions Lab

REGISTER NOW

For more information about Simply StoreIT visit www.hp.com/go/SimplyStoreIT
If you have any questions about HP Storage call our pre-sales team on 0118 912 6336

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team 

HP LTO 6 Tape Drive £1,000 Cash Back Offer

HP are currently offering up to £1,000 end user cash back on selected LTO 6 Tape Drives and Autoloaders.
There has never been a better time to upgrade your exisitng tape backup to a larger faster unit.

For qualifing products and the claim form please click here..

If you need help with any additional details regarding LTO6 or need a solution then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

Westcoast Solutions Lab - What we can offer you..

The Westcoast Solutions Lab is Perfect if you sell to SMB's (small and medium businesses) allowing you to demonstrate the latest technology innovations from HP and Microsoft within realistic IT budgets.



If you would like more information or want to book the solutions lab then please go to http://www.westcoast.co.uk/lab for more information.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

Introducing the HP StoreEver LTO-6 Tape Family

StoreEver LTO-6 Ultrium 6650

HP has launched the sixth-generation of the HP StoreEver LTO Ultrium Tape Technology – HP LTO-6 – across its complete portfolio of tape drives, tape automation and tape media. This enables HP's Tape Partners to continue to tap into this substantial market opportunity with solutions that scale to keep pace with unpredictable data growth, provide a cost-effective data retention tier, and deliver long-term durability for archiving.

What’s new with HP StoreEver LTO-6 Tape?
HP StoreEver LTO-6 delivers twice the capacity of LTO-5 in the same cartridge footprint with up to 6.25 TB (compressed 2.5:1) on a single LTO-6 tape cartridge. As a result massive data archives can be retained in a physically small space. Keeping pace with data growth simply means adding in more data cartridges.

HP StoreEver Tape Libraries allow customers to easily scale both storage capacity and backup performance, through a simple upgrade. Store up to 50 TBs with a HP StoreEver LTO-6 Tape Autoloader, up to 600 TBs with a HP StoreEver Mid-Range Tape Library and up to 44 PBs with a HP StoreEver Enterprise Tape Library4.

HP StoreEver LTO-6 tape drives deliver compressed speeds of up to 400 MB/second or 1.4 TB/hour and therefore enable customers to spend less time ensuring that the business data on their server is protected. Furthermore, HP StoreEver LTO-6 in combination with HP StoreOpen with LTFS, delivers faster access to assets stored on tape.

Increase savings with lower energy requirements:
HP StoreEver LTO-6 tape drives feature a hibernate mode which places the drive in a low power setting when no tape cartridge is in place. Tape drives are already renowned for their extremely low energy use, especially compared with disk drives. The HP LTO-6 hibernate mode means that customers can now benefit from further energy savings while lengthening the life of their tape drive.

Assured long-term data protection:
HP StoreEver LTO-6 builds on five generations of experience and features enhanced technology that assures highly reliable data restores even after long-term archival.

The launch of LTO-6 also sees the addition of a new type of tape media – Barium Ferrite (BaFe) – which complements the traditional Metal Particle (MP) media in HP’s LTO media portfolio. Both media types are designed and tested against the most stringent LTO-6 format specifications and deliver equal levels of capacity, performance and reliability.

If you need help with any additional details regarding LTO6 or need a solution which uses this new technology then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

HP renames storage products

HP have recently changed some of the the names of their storage products.
To keep you up to date with the new names here is a list of what they were called and what they are called now (In bold)

• HP Storageworks LTO Tape Drives - HP StoreEver LTO Tape Drives
• HP Storage Servers (X1000,3000,5000) - HP StoreEasy 1000 / 3830 / 5000
• HP P4000 G2 - HP StoreVirtual 4000 Storage

If you need help with any additional details or need a HP server solution then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

HP Storage Sales Training Webinar - December 6th

Legacy storage designed 20 years ago cannot adapt to virtual, cloud, and big data demands.

The next era of IT is coming. Hear about the importance of the biggest HP Storage launch in more than a decade. This session will cover game-changing innovations that allow customers to meet any need, at any scale, with effortless simplicity.

Join us on our next channel partner webinar where you will:

• Hear about the ground-breaking news and gain deeper insight into the refreshed Converged Storage portfolio that will be announced at HP Discover
• Find out how to prepare your customers for data growth and new business initiative
• Learn about our vision for a profitable future for HP and our partners 

On the call there will be a team of experts you can ask your questions to.

Please go to this link to register for the event

If you need help with any additional details or need a HP server solution then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

New Release - HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 - T1 Storage at a midrange price.

The world’s most advanced storage platform has just extended its midrange offerings, delivering effortless, efficient, bulletproof, and futureproof storage to the entire midrange.

HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage delivers the same industry-leading architecture chosen by eight out of 10 of the world’s largest service providers at a price that makes compromises a thing of the past. It’s also the only platform that offers the performance required to double virtual machine (VM) density on your physical servers—guaranteed.1,2 Store all of your data on a single system that supports advanced features, such as storage federation and automated tiering, and that enables you to start small and grow without disruption.

StorServe 7200

With two models and a range of options including support for solid state drives (SSDs) and an all-SSD configuration, HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage is effortless to install, own, and upgrade. You’ll be up and running in just minutes. You’ll be able to meet mixed workload demands with virtually unlimited scalability options. You’ll spend less time managing your storage and increase your responsiveness to new demands. You’ll be able to meet your current block and file storage needs with an architecture that is also designed to meet your object storage needs as they emerge. You’ll eliminate tradeoffs that have forced you to sacrifice critical capabilities like performance and scalability.

The HP 3PAR Operating System Suite that comes with HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage includes everything you need to get started, including HP 3PAR Thin Technologies that set the gold standard for storage efficiency. Optional software suites are also available that offer data optimization, replication, security, reporting, and application integration—making enterprise Tier 1 features available to midrange customers like you at a price that you can afford. It’s storage that offers the performance and flexibility you need to accelerate new application deployment and support server virtualization, the cloud, ITaaS, or whatever else your future may hold—effortlessly.

Gain enterprise-class features at a midrange price with HP 3PAR StoreServ 7000 Storage.
Visit hp.com/go/storeserv7000.

If you need help with any additional details regarding the new StoreServ 7000 series or need an entire solution then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

HP Storage Pre-Launch Session - 27th November 2012

Be among the first to hear about this huge development in the Mid-Storage Market by attending this exclusive pre-launch NDA session. This event is aimed at Sales & Pre-sales professionals looking to get ahead and learn about this game changing technology first.

HP Storage has a number of developments coming this year and HP want to ensure that you and your organisation understand the true value of these announcements.

The Agenda 
A 4 hour interactive training session for reseller sales and pre-sales people, followed by a 2 hour workshop for those who want to go deeper into the technology.

The well known and highly regarded HP accredited trainer Antti Hemminki will deliver the training and also host the workshop session. As the content is confidential the detailed agenda will be provided on the day of the training.

This 1 day sales and pre-sales training session will provide you with the knowledge and confidence needed to build a significant pipeline of opportunities for a successful 2013.

So Where and When?
The Session will be held in our Solution Lab based in Milton Keynes.
It will take place on the 27th November 2012 from 9.30am until 4pm.
For more information on how to register for this event please call our Solutions Lab manager Phil Follett on 01908 685851

This is the biggest announcement surrounding HP Storage this year! So don't miss this opportunity to learn about it before its launched.

If you need any more help or information on the HP storage range of products or require a solution to fit your needs then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

NEW HP Releases: New Gen8 Server models, C-Class Interconnects, Racks, Microsoft Server 2012, Software, Graphics & Memory

Well there has been a lot of new HP releases, covering new Gen8 Servers, Microsoft Server 2012, new HP networking for C-class blades, racks, management software, VMware, SSD's, Graphics and Memory.

Here are some of the details on the new products.

HP ProLiant DL320e Gen8 Server series 
New Ideal single-application and IT infrastructure server
What’s new?

• Double memory capacity (32GB max) and higher performing 1600MHz DDR3 memory 
• HP Common Slot Platinum Plus Power Supplies for up to 94% power efficiency 
• HP Smart Array drives with up to 50% increase in storage capacity (12TB) 
• Enhanced serviceability with fast access PCIe riser solutions and HP SmartMemory 

 
HP ProLiant ML310e Gen8 Server series 
New Essential availability and expansion in a 1P tower
What’s new?

• Up to four PCIe 3.0 and Gen2 slots for additional I/O performance 
• Double memory capacity (32GB max) and higher performing 1600MHz DDR3 memory 
• Choice of hard drive cage and hot plug drives for 50% increase in storage capacity (up to 12TB) 
• iLO Management Engine (iLO 4) for enhanced manageability and reduced operational costs

HP ProLiant ML350e Gen8 Server series 
Essential performance with room to grow
What’s new?

• HP Hot-Plug 4LFF Shield Metal FIO Kit Factory integrated option kit allows 4LFF hot plug drives to be used in the 6LFF chassis with embedded controller.

HP 6125G and HP 6125G/XG Ethernet Blade Switches 
New Product
Features?

• Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) combines multiple switches into a single virtual switch at the enclosure, rack or data center level 
• Full layer 3 routing with IPv6 support for excellent investment protection 
• Comware operating system provides for a common level of management, features, and security form edge to core 

HP Intelligent Series Racks 
Achieve more compute power with limited space, power and cooling resources
What’s new? 

• New SKUs offer new dimensions and configurations with latest features 
• HP Location Discovery Services sends the rack identification number and precise U location to the servers
• HP Power Discovery Services eliminates configuration errors and precisely tracks power usage by rack and by server Reduce error-prone manual processes

HP Location Discovery Kit 
New Automated location awareness of installed servers in HP Intelligent Series Racks
What’s new?

• Provides exact U location of servers in the rack and synchronises with HP Intelligent PDUs and Insight Control to graphically show location with power topology 
• Eliminates human errors from inefficient manual documentation processes 
• Accurate location information combined with graphical power, temperature, and performance data in Insight 
• Control enables optimised workload placement Reduces unplanned downtime due to mis-wired servers in the wrong place 

Microsoft® Windows Server® 2012 
New HP and Microsoft combine the intelligence of HP ProLiant Gen8 with the virtualization and scalability of the Microsoft Windows Server 2012 product family
What’s new?

• Scale and secure workloads, cost-effectively build a private cloud, and securely connect to cloud services 
• Efficiently manage infrastructure while maximising up time and minimising failures and downtime 
• Build on an open and scalable web platform that supports applications across premises 
• Support a mobile and flexible work style 

HP Insight Control for VMware vCenter Server 7.1 
Full Interoperability with VMware’s latest version - vSphere 5.1
What’s new?

• One installer delivers both the .NET and New Web Client Graphical User Interface (NGC) 
• Active management for 3PAR arrays 
•  In context launch of HP management ecosystem tools (iLO, On board Administrator, Virtual Connect, HP Storage Management)

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for HP ProLiant & BladeSystem Servers
HP and SUSE combine for highly available computing environments
What’s new?

• SUSE has changed its packaging / pricing and HP is replacing its entire SUSE Portfolio 
• Now available for 2, 4 and 8 sockets and Physical or Virtual environments with 24x7 HP bundled support 
• HP offers greater coverage (more years/more support for less money) 

VMware vSphere from HP 
New VMware products for HP CloudSystem solutions
What’s new?

• VMware vCloud Suites Bundle of multiple VMware products such as vSphere Enterprise Plus, vCloud Director, vCenter Operations Manager, vCloud Networking & Security Suite, vCenter 
• Site Recovery Manager Offers comprehensive value for Cloud Deployments, as opposed to purchasing individual products within the bundle VMware vCenter Operations Enterprise and Enterprise Plus 
• The vCenter Operations Management Suite enables IT organisations to proactively ensure service levels, optimum resource usage, and configuration compliance in dynamic virtual and cloud environments 

HP Smart Bundles for Microsoft Hyper-V 
Pre-designed, preconfigured solutions: Servers, Storage, Networking, Management, and Software
What's new?

• New versions that Include new Microsoft® Windows® Server 2012 Essential Tower, Essential Rack HA, and Scalable Rack 
• HA Improved performance and admin productivity with new HP ProLiant Gen8 servers 
• Deploy with confidence, no worries about trying to integrate multiple vendor tools 

HP Smart Bundles for VMware 
Pre-designed, preconfigured solutions: Servers, Storage, Networking, Management, and Software
What's new?

• New versions of HP Smart Bundles for VMware Essential Tower, Essential Rack HA, and Scalable Rack HA 
• Improved performance and admin productivity with new HP ProLiant Gen8 servers 
• Deploy with confidence, no worries about trying to integrate multiple vendor tools 

HP 6G SAS Enterprise Mainstream Endurance 2.5-in SSDs 
Next generation of solid state drives using SLC NAND flash technology
What’s new?

• For HP G6, G7, and Gen8 servers and HP storage products 
• 25% more performance and 3X more endurance 10%-20% lower pricing than previous generation 
• Small form-factor (SFF) 
• Supported with SMARTSSD Wear Gauge 

 
NVIDIA Tesla K10 Dual GPU PCIe Module 
New PCIe module with two GPUs optimised for single-precision performance
What’s new?

• Available as option for HP ProLiant SL250s and SL270s servers 
• Dramatically reduces computational time for single-precision parallel applications 
• High density decreases the physical footprint required High performance per watt reduces the carbon footprint per unit of computation 

 
HP SmartMemory 
Industry first and unique technology for HP ProLiant BL460c Gen8 Server
What’s new?

• First to introduce 3 Rank DDR3 technology 
• New 24GB 3 Rank DIMM works at 1.35v @1333 MT/s Gives select HP ProLiant Gen8 Blade servers 384GB capacity at high speed and lower price 

If you need help with any additional details about any of the new releases above or need a HP server solution then please contact us and we will be happy to help you.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

Change your SAN Complexity to Simplicity with the HP P2000 G3 Fibre Channel SAN Starter Kit.

Storage Administrators are called “SAN or Storage Experts” for a reason. Deploying, managing, and maintaining traditional Fibre Channel SANs is a very specialised “art” that requires significant experience in understanding Fibre Channel protocol, zoning concepts, and SAN best practises. Similarly, these “Storage Experts” have many of the same challenges when it comes to provisioning storage resources and allocating those resources to the server systems that utilise them.

In smaller companies, there are usually none of these “experts” available and therefore deploying modern storage and storage networks has been out of the realm of their IT possibilities.

That is of course, until now. HP have launched the P2000 G3 FC DC SMB SAN Starter Kit, HP has changed SAN complexity to SAN simplicity with an SMB solution that takes significant complexity out of deploying and managing a modern storage network, which is easy to order and provides a scalable yet affordable solution for small and mid-sized customers.

The P2000 Starter kit (Part number AP847A) comes with Dual controllers, Dual power supplies, 2 x Qlogic SN6000 FC Switches, Qlogic 81Q HBA cards, Cables and SFP's, so really all you need to do is add the drives.

For more information on how this solution reduces complexity the please read the technical white paper below.

If you need help with providing a SAN solution or have questions surrounding a storage opportunity then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team

HP Half Price Tape Drive Offer - 14 March - 30 April 2011

HP’s tape technology continues to flourish because of its ability to meet the needs of the Small and Medium Business (SMB) market. Tape delivers one of the most cost-effective, reliable all-round solutions for data protection, disaster recovery, and long-term data retention.

· DAT Tape Drives, for Affordable, entry level backup
· RDX systems, for Easy-to-use removable disk backup
· Ultrium Tape Drives, for Solid performance; simple integration

Attach an HP Tape Drive to your HP ProLiant purchase* between 14 March and 30 April 2011, then simply complete the claim form and HP will refund 50% of the tape drive.
*Does not include the ML110’s and HP Microserver

Please refer to the qualifying product table for further details.

If you have any questions please do not hesiate to ask.

Regards

Technical ISS Solutions Team