Dell offers complete data centres

Dell is to deliver preconfigured data centres to heavy consumers of compute power

Dell has formed a new business unit that aims to deliver preconfigured data centres to heavy consumers of compute power such as Web 2.0 startups, national government agencies and research facilities.

The new Data Center Solutions Division will sell hardware preconfigured for the required task. The company claimed that the offer is an evolution from a " build-to-order" to a "design-to-order" business model.

Dell is traditionally known for selling bare hardware that the buyer configures and sets up. Adding preconfigured hardware to the mix marks a departure from the computer maker's traditional business model.

Factory configured data centres offer improved energy consumption, reduced overhead and improved optimisation, Dell claimed.

Competing system vendors such as IBM, HP and Sun Microsystems already offer preconfigured and optimised hardware bundles.