Cloud based data management

In years past, major hardware makers often hid their AMD-based gear as some kind of secret shame. They buried AMD-based PCs on special web sites that only the most persistent customers could find. Such times have passed - at least for HP.

HP pulled out all the stops today to celebrate a 10-year relationship with the little chipmaker that could. It dashed off a new thin client and refreshed its admired ProLiant server line with fresh Opteron chips. HP even went so far as to dedicate an entire web site to its decade long AMD love.

"In 1996, HP and AMD began their collaboration with the introduction of the HP Pavilion 6330, the first AMD processor-based consumer PC from a major manufacturer," HP said. "The turn of the millennium brought a multitude of AMD processor-based industry firsts from HP, starting with the first business desktop featuring AMD Athlon XP processors in 2002."

And now HP boasts a Geode, Athlon64 and Opteron feast.

The latest addition to HP's product line is in fact a Geode-based thin client. The t5720 ships with the Geode NX 1500 processor running at 1.0GHz. This puppy runs Windows XP Embedded and is both "small and attractive," according to HP. You all know the standard security and management benefits pitch for thin clients by now, so we present you with a different selling angle being pushed by HP.

"This client is at home on the desktop or mounted conveniently on the wall or under a desk."

That statement begs for some kind of mounted thin client modern art piece.

Turning to products people actually buy, HP cheered the refresh of its entire ProLiant server line with the new 2.6GHz Opteron chips from AMD. In case you've lost track of HP's vast Opteron portfolio, we're talking about the DL145, DL385, DL585 servers and the ProLiant BL25p, BL35p and BL45p blades. These bad boys officially go on sale next week.

Of all the Tier 1 vendors, HP has proved the most open to AMD and should be congratulated for that whether you're an AMD fanboy or Intel worshipper. Variety is the spice of life.

That is unless you're Michael Dell. Then you have to rely on your billions to jazz things up a bit. ®

Agentless Backup is Not a Myth