Elevology Blog

The client/server relationship goes back decades and even as the cloud permeates our culture, it's very unlikely to stop anytime soon. A server holds files and programs closer than the Internet, but not quite as close as your local hard drive, so it's all sharable and yet imminently accessible. That's why in our recent survey covering network-attached storage (NAS) devices and servers, we took time to ask PCMag readers specifically how they feel about the servers they use at the office, from SOHOs up to big enterprises. The results are below.

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There's no hard drive or operating system, but even with those additional costs, this is still a top-notch value.

This is a little bit of a DIY project, but most of the work here is already done.

On July 14 Microsoft will terminate extended support for Windows Server 2003. This means that there will be "no more patches fixing security vulnerabilities, non-security defects," etc. If Windows Server 2003 and the applications running on it play a critical role in your infrastructure, you need to start migrating to a new server platform now (if you haven't already).

While migration begins with the physical or virtual server and the operating system, it doesn't stop there. Ensuring a smooth upgrade path for applications will minimize downtime. It's important to understand the ramifications of migration up and down the stack, from operating system to database to application to Web front end. There are plenty of places to break the stack during migration, so careful planning and testing are requirements that need to be built into your project timeline.

July 14, 2015. That's the date. Microsoft will terminate extended support for Windows Server 2003. And it's right around the corner. This means that there will be no more patches for security vulnerabilities or non-security defects from Microsoft. Nor will there be support for third-party applications, as defects in the underlying OS can't be addressed.

Yet there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation for what to do with all of your Windows Server 2003 servers. The migration process could take months depending on how complex existing systems are. And options abound. You could migrate to a newer Windows Server OS, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, another cloud provider, or even another server OS. With so many options it may be difficult to make a choice and take action.

Intel on Tuesday announced the availability of the Xeon E7 v3 processor family for scale-out data center operations and big data analytics solutions that are increasingly transforming how people do business.

Xeon E7 v3 chips boast up to 18 dual-threaded cores and up to 45MB of L3 cache, helping these processors deliver a 40 percent performance boost over the preceding generation of Xeon E7 v2 parts, according to Intel.

Microsoft is putting Windows Server 2003 out to pasture on July 14, 2015. As the server operating system goes end-of-life, Microsoft will drop support and stop issuing security and other patches. Many third-party application providers will stop supporting the platform as well. Continuing to rely on Windows Server 2003 will put your business at risk of falling out of compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and PCI. It's pretty clear that you need to migrate away from Windows Server 2003.

In the first part in this series, we provided a methodology for planning and executing a successful migration. In this article, we'll talk about your options for migration and how to choose the right platform.

If you're running Windows Server 2003 on production systems, you need to etch the date July 14, 2015 into your brain, because that's when Microsoft will terminate extended support for the venerable OS. That date is rapidly approaching, so it's time to get moving on your migration plans. The more complex your operation is and the more heavily you rely on Windows Server 2003 to run production systems, the more time and effort you're going to have to put into migration. It's possible that your operation will require three or more months to make the switch, which means that you'd better get on this now.

Migrating from Windows Server 2003 is critically important as extended support for Standard, Enterprise and Data Center (32-bit and 64-bit) will end. This means that there will be no more patches of security vulnerabilities or non-security defects or operational issues. Moreover, third-party products such as business applications will not be supported on Windows Server 2003. No third party could guarantee that their software would continue to run on unsupported systems, because defects might arise in the underlying OS that can't be addressed.

After several false starts, hyper-converged infrastructure developer Nutanix on Friday finally completed its IPO.

And, in a time when tech IPOs have not been doing well, Nutanix's IPO stands out for a surprising opening day success.

NetApp is in the process of rolling out a "hard deck" program and other changes to its channel program, targeting accelerated growth in the storage vendor's small and midsize business market.

A "hard deck" in channel terms is a program in which a vendor sets aside a certain number of customers or potential customers, typically its largest, as targets for either its direct sales team or direct sales working with partners, and leaving the rest to be handled exclusively by solution providers.

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Deloitte Introduces New Apple Practice to Help Businesses Design & Implement iPhone & iPad Solutions

Apple and Deloitte will also collaborate on the development of a new service offering from Deloitte Consulting called EnterpriseNext, designed to help clients fully take advantage of the iOS ecosystem of hardware, software and services in the workplace. The new offering will help customers discover the highest impact possibilities within their industries and quickly develop custom solutions through rapid prototyping.

“We know that iOS is the best mobile platform for business because we’ve experienced the benefit ourselves with over 100,000 iOS devices in use by Deloitte’s workforce, running 75 custom apps,” said Punit Renjen, CEO of Deloitte Global. “Our dedicated Apple practice will give global businesses the expertise and resources they need to empower their mobile workforce to take advantage of the powerful ecosystem iOS, iPhone and iPad offer, and help them achieve their ambitions, while driving efficiency and productivity.”

Have no fear channel partners, the "C" in VCE is staying intact. Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins and Dell CEO Michael Dell shook hands and pledged their allegiance to their VCE alliance and its $3 billion Vblock business in a face-to-face video interview.

"Everywhere I go our customers have asked, ‘What's the commitment to Vblock?'" said Robbins in a one-on-one sit-down with Michael Dell posted on YouTube by Dell EMC. "From our perspective it drives UCS, it drives our Nexus portfolio, it drives our ACI portfolio -- so we are committed. … We both feel like our customers and our partners can continue to invest with confidence."

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Siri Comes to Mac with All-New Capabilities for the Desktop

Siri on the Mac can help send messages and email, find documents, look up information, search a user’s photo library, adjust system preferences and more. Users can also drag and drop Siri results into documents or pin them into their Today view for later reference. Universal Clipboard allows users to copy content from an app on one Apple device and paste it into another app on a different Apple device. With iCloud Desktop and Documents users can now access the files on their Desktop from iPhone and iPad. And Auto Unlock lets users automatically log into their Mac when they are wearing an authenticated Apple Watch®.

Apple Pay on the web makes the online shopping experience in Safari® more convenient and secure than ever. Shoppers can now click the Apple Pay button at checkout on nearly 300,000 participating websites, including 1-800-Flowers, Gilt, Instacart, Lululemon, Warby Parker and more, and then complete their purchase with Touch ID® on iPhone 6 or later or with Apple Watch. Users’ credit or debit card information is not shared with online merchants and strong encryption protects all communication between a user’s device and Apple Pay servers.

Hyper-converged infrastructure developer Nutanix is making yet another run at an IPO, according to a new S-1 filing.

In the fifth amendment of its S-1, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Monday, Nutanix said it expects to sell up to 16.1 million shares of Class A common stock at between $11.00 and $13.00 per share.

Surveying The Server Scene

Dell made gains while Hewlett Packard Enterprise saw steep year-over-year declines but retained its position atop the revenue mountain in the global server market in the second quarter, according to research firm Gartner.

Apple is breaking from tradition with the sale of its new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones in that it won't disclose first-weekend sales numbers.

In years past, Apple has proudly touted the number of sales during phone launches.

Channel partners Wednesday get their first official look at the changes Dell Technologies is making to its partner program as it races to establish a new, integrated program by the beginning of its next fiscal year.

Details about the program began to emerge as soon as Dell completed its $58 billion acquisition of EMC last week. The changes were generally well received by partners, who said the company has done a good job of listening to the channel and taking action to ensure partners are treated fairly.

Veritas Technologies on Tuesday went on the offensive against a wide range of storage competitors, from EMC to SimpliVity, saying those vendors stand in the way of the kind of digital transformation that customers need -- and some are already undertaking.

Dell's acquisition of EMC has positioned the newly combined companies, now known as Dell Technologies, among the leaders on all major fronts for supplying technology to build cloud systems, according to a report released Tuesday by Synergy Research Group.

Synergy's compilation of Q2 financial disclosures reveals that had Dell and EMC been tabulated together in the quarter, the combined entity would have been nipping on the heels of the two dominant players in cloud hardware.

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New iPad App Makes Learning to Code Easy & Fun for Everyone

The Swift Playgrounds app is approachable enough for students with no previous programming experience to begin exploring key coding concepts, but also powerful enough for skilled programmers to experiment and express their creativity using Swift.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to learn coding, and we are excited to bring Swift Playgrounds to the next generation of programmers looking for a fun and easy way to explore key coding concepts using real code,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “More than 100 schools around the world have already committed to adding Swift Playgrounds to their fall curriculum, and we can’t wait to see what students create with it.”