Dell today introduced next-generation data center infrastructure products designed to help customers simplify and manage their data center environment while improving energy efficiency. The Dell PowerEdge 4220 and PowerEdge 2420 rack enclosures support Dell's broad portfolio of servers and storage systems and can be used in virtually any environment, including data centers, remote offices, wiring closets or even factory floors.The News:

• Rack design plays a key role in building an efficient and manageable data center. Data center racks now incorporate technologies designed to efficiently store, power, cool, manage and secure hardware. These features enable each rack to function as its own small data center.
• Dell's new rack enclosures are designed to help customers enhance hardware utilization, create effective power and cooling, and reduce the server footprint in their data center.
• The PowerEdge 4220 and PowerEdge 2420 rack enclosures incorporate several new innovative features including:
  - Efficient Power and Cooling : 80 percent front-and-rear-door perforation lowers the cold air restraint to the server to enhance efficiency. The new racks are deeper than previous Dell racks (1071mm vs. 1000mm), so there's more space for hot air to move out of the rack. The new Dell racks also feature air dams at the front mounting posts to prevent hot air at the back of the servers from leaking back to the front of the servers, which can increase server inlet air temperatures.
  - Effective Power Distribution : Flexible rear and side-rack power distribution unit (PDU) options gives IT staff easy access to power outlets within the rack and doesn't take up valuable rack space designated for IT equipment.
  - Simplified Cable Management : Cable management options such as adjustable cable rings and removable "tail-bars" at the top and bottom of the rack back frame simplify power and cable routing.
  - Strong and Secure : The PowerEdge 4220 rack has a static load rating of 2,500 pounds and the PowerEdge 2420 has a static load rating of 1,500 pounds. Stabilizer bars to secure the rack to the floor, or 'ganging kits' to bolt adjacent racks to each other are also available.

Reveal Your Hidden Data Center

• These new products enable customers to improve the energy efficiency of their data center infrastructure. Businesses can achieve optimal data center performance by also focusing on IT productivity or the amount of useful work they are getting out of the data center.
• Dell's Reveal Your Hidden Data Center strategy focuses on server virtualization and consolidation, decommissioning out-of-use equipment, refreshing legacy systems, finding the optimal data center temperature, utilizing containment and moving cooling closer to IT to help businesses improve productivity and energy efficiency in their existing data centers.
• Dell's goal is to first help customers find a way to prolong the use of their current data centers instead of building new ones. This ties into our larger goal of helping customers simplify and save.

Data Center Optimization Services

• Dell offers Data Center Optimization Services through its data center consulting practice including virtualization and storage consulting, data center consolidation and migration and data center design, layout and configuration. These new services help customers further improve productivity, energy efficiency and capacity in existing facilities and avoid the significant costs associated with building a new data center.
• Dell today announced that its data center consulting practice will utilize Future Facilities' 6SigmaDC software suite to design and simulate data centers that maximize space utilization and energy efficiency through the optimal configuration and placement of IT hardware, racks, cabinets and power and cooling equipment.

Quote:

"Data center racks are no longer just cabinets that house servers and storage - they are an integral part of building a powerful and flexible data center infrastructure to maximize IT productivity," said Dr. Albert Esser, vice president of Data Center Infrastructure at Dell. "With the launch of our new rack enclosures, businesses of all sizes can best manage their data centers in a cost effective and energy efficient way."