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Do you wonder how making the move to implement a modern Server Infrastructure can dramatically accelerate IT transformation?

In today’s digital economy, faster IT typically results in a competitive business advantage. A modern IT infrastructure is critical if you want to stay ahead of the game, because it comes with higher levels of process automation—which, in turn, drives increased speed, agility, scalability, reliability and cost-savings.

Implementing a modernised infrastructure is one of the fundamental steps in the journey towards transforming IT. Dell EMC offer Server Solutions designed to deliver IT transformation without compromise.
 

What makes for a modern Server Environment?

Essentially, it’s an infrastructure that focuses on operational cost-efficiency and puts automation at the forefront, this is achieved technology that can offer:

• Scalable business architecture
• Intelligent automation
• Integrated security

 
Implementing a smart server refresh to the latest Dell EMC technology is a decision that’s likely to pay for itself several times over in terms of operational improvements and cost efficiencies and IT maturity.

Additionally to this, organisations that operate modern server environments can see many tangible benefits:

• Faster application deployments that are more responsive to the rest of the business.
• Ability to move staff away from routine management to focus on more strategic IT projects.
• Operate compute environments they believe are as good as or better than public cloud services in terms of cost, agility, scalability and security.

 
If you want to discuss the benefits of Dell EMC Server Solutions, contact us on 0115 846 4000.
 
If you’d like to find out more about refreshing your Server Technology, use the contact form below to get in touch today.

With many Schools, Universities and Education Establishments needing to provide fast, effective systems, there is pressure on the budgets to upgrade their technology. The good news is Intel have ‘broken the rules’ of previous system memory and introduced breakthrough technology  that allows users to take advantage of unprecedented responsiveness and amazing performance.

When used with HDD, Intel Optane memory offers SSD like PC experience that delivers high speed and responsiveness without compromising on storage capacity. The cost for Intel Optane starts from around £37 which means that you can add an accelerator to your system without the high expense of SSD, especially if you need high capacity storage. Optane is compatible with Intel 7th Gen technology motherboards/processors and later, with so many different types of users that can benefit from this.

What is Intel® Optane™?

Available in 16GB or 32GB modules which simply ‘slot’ into your motherboard, Intel Optane acts as an accelerator for your system. It works with a unique combination of 3D XPoint memory media with Intel’s advanced system memory controller, interface hardware, and software IP. What does this mean?  It means a smart and adaptable system accelerator that adjusts to your computing tasks — making everything you do faster, smoother, and easier. The intelligent software automatically learns your computing behaviours to accelerate frequent tasks and customise your computer experience, meaning faster searching, faster loading, and a faster system.

How does it benefit me?

Performance gains of upto 28% Faster overall system performance, upto 14x Faster hard drive access, and upto 2x faster everyday task responsiveness

Operational excellence with 3d XPoint Technology gives better endurance and faster than previous NAND Memory.

Predictability where Intel Optane learns to prioritise your files accessed regularly to have them available for you when you need them.

Fast SSD like transfer interface to rival SSD storage. Why not look at options to increase your storage capacity with HDD for lower cost than SSD.

How do I buy?

The best way to upgrade to Intel Optane is to speak to one of our specialists who can talk to you more about the benefits and explain the next steps. If however you want to buy Optane without speaking to our team you can make a purchase via the XMA store.

store.xma.co.uk

Contact us on 0115 846 4000 or use the contact form below to get in touch today

With the unveiling of the 2018 budget last week, it was announced that the government would be investing an additional £400m into schools across England and Wales.

This additional investment was described as giving schools the extra budget for “the odd little piece of kit that they need*” – more specifically, “whiteboards and a couple of computers*”. This will be a one off capital payment direct to schools, averaging £10k per primary and £50k per secondary school.

The government have experienced a huge backlash across the country, with Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, saying “It is a sign of the government’s priorities that it is spending more on fixing potholes than on fixing the school funding crisis.”**

We agree that it is a small investment, and it certainly isn’t enough to help schools stretch to all the necessities they need. However, with our help we can make that additional budget go a lot further than just “a few little extras”. Our experience in doing more with less has supported schools in meeting their goals despite restricted budgets. Innovative technology solutions needn’t cost the earth. They just require careful planning, consideration and future proofing.

We pride ourselves in taking a consultative approach, by taking the time to understand your environment, challenges you currently face, and what your objectives are as a school.

Our specialist Schools team are ready to help you do a little extra with your “little extras”. Get in touch with us today so we can help your budget stretch further.

If you would like a member of our Schools team to contact you to discuss doing a little extra with “Little Extras”, please complete the fields below:

*The Guardian, 2018

** Schools Week, 2018

Today’s organisations must have the infrastructure in place to handle both current and emerging workloads.
 
Here are 5 ways that organisations can look at to meet changing demands in IT.

1. Flexible architecture

Meet today’s workload demands and easily reconfigure your system to respond to changing needs without disruption.

2. Agile IT management

Get unified control, simplified administration and intelligent automation of all system resources across 1000s of nodes and 100s of chassis with Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition.

3. Storage density for data-intensive applications

Optimize storage capacity at a granular level for specific workloads, and add solid-state flash and hard-disk drive resources as needed.

4. Responsive design

Responsive Design. Protect your investment with support for at least three future technology cycles with Multi-Generation Assurance.

5. Scaleable fabric and fast networking interconnects

Transfer even the largest data sets quickly and efficiently with support for high-speed interconnects such as PCI-e Gen 4, 25/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCOE).
 

Download this FREE report and find out how the modular design of Dell EMC PowerEdge MX can help you scale, secure and simplify your IT.

We’ve got more than 30 years’ experience providing IT solutions for organisations of all sizes.

A well-considered investment in new technology is an investment in your business’ long-term future.

It’s an exciting time for any organisation. The right tech, whether hardware or software, can transform a firm’s growth potential, helping your business take the next step in its success story. However, it can also be a stressful time as smaller firms don’t necessarily have the kind of in-house IT procurement expertise needed to make important tech investment decisions with confidence.

With so many alternatives on offer, working out the best IT solution for your business isn’t always straightforward – and the implications of getting it wrong can be costly. Here are our thoughts on some of the steps that smart SMEs are taking in order to make sure their technology investment decisions have the desired impact

1. Start at the end

Just like any kind of capital expenditure, the intended benefits of the investment should be well understood before the procurement process starts. The primary reason that SMEs buy new technology is the need to improve performance or optimise a business process, so look at the processes in your business and ask, what should or could be done better, more quickly or more efficiently?

Often the best people to identify these pain points are your workforce. A staff survey can be an effective way to work out how much time is being spent on different activities, which can help to identify and prioritise inefficiencies.

Then you can ask yourself, could technology help to address this?

Are staff spending hours on end in team meetings, for example? Perhaps they need a more effective tool for collaborating, like an Instant Messaging system or a project management app?

Are they taking an age to locate customer files in filing cabinets? In that case, a scanning solution could make that process far more efficient and productive, freeing them up to make an impact elsewhere in the business. A business should only invest once it has clearly identified the processes it needs to change and how new technology can effect that change.

2. Consult and report

So, now you know what you want your new technology to be able to accomplish, it’s essential to consult all the staff who will ultimately be using it about the functions they need.

These are not vague ambitions, but clear objectives that tie in to the needs of the business.

You can also ask them about any other desirable features that would help them do their jobs better.

All these factors should also be ranked according to importance, as budget limitations may not allow you to tick every box, so prioritise the most critical.Some of the issues you will want to consider include usability, security, scalability, functionality, reliability, quality, the provision of support and compatibility with existing systems.

Once your analysis is complete, create a written report that lays out exactly what the investment is designed to achieve, that can be shared with, and signed off by everyone that will be affected. This document will prove invaluable when it comes to navigating through the huge variety of potential solutions that are available.

3. A systematic solution

The huge amount of technology aimed at SMEs can be seen as both a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, it makes it more likely that there is a product out there that precisely suits your circumstances, on the other, finding it could be a real challenge.

Now you have your comprehensive list of requirements, one option is to create a spreadsheet comparing them against a selection of potential solutions.

You can then start narrowing down the list by working out which option fulfils the most criteria to find the best solution.

Of course, cost will be a factor too, but look beyond the initial investment to consider the long-term value, such as the print cost per page provided by a new printer.

If this still seems a little overwhelming, then teaming up with a technology supplier could be the way forward.

4. A helping hand

Don’t think of us just as a supplier with a sharp salesman who’s trying to sell you the most expensive solution they can, regardless of its suitability.

We function more like a trusted procurement partner, who can support you through the decision-making process, installation and bedding in of any new technology.

We want to build a long-term relationship with your business, so it’s in our interest to ensure we provide the right long-term solution for you.

We work hard to understand what businesses need from their technology and develop integrated solutions that enable customers to achieve their goals. And work with you to understand the challenges you face, then introduce services and products that will help you to work smarter and stay ahead of your rivals.

5. Teething troubles and training

Most IT professionals will tell you that, however well planned an installation is, some degree of teething troubles are inevitable.
For small businesses, any period of downtime can have a huge impact, so ready access to technical support and training is essential, especially in the first few months.

Again, we can provide some added value by managing the installation process.

Training ensures that your staff are getting all they can out of a new technology, using it to its full potential and generating the maximum positive impact on productivity, as well as delivering a better Return On Investment (ROI). We can offer training, so you have plenty of options to get the right solution for your business.

Learn how organisations from various sectors are deploying technology to their advantage by visiting our Success in Action page.

HPE Synergy is the world’s first truly Composable Infrastructure and today’s new hybrid IT engine. Synergy enables you to maintain the structure and security of traditional IT, whilst still having flexibility and speed for new applications.

1. Cloud-like speed Composable Infrastructure enables DevOps teams to spin up new services in minutes to get new experiences into customers’ hands faster, delivering cloud-like speed from your own secure datacentre.	2. Single platform Run traditional applications and cloud-native apps from a single platform that supports everything from bare-metal deployment to virtual machines and containers. This allows IT to align behind a single platform to reduce datacentre complexity and cost.
3. Software-defined Intelligent software recognises and automatically integrates compute, storage, and fabric into resource pools that can be aggregated and disaggregated to meet the needs of any application. Template-driven provisioning helps ensure policy compliance and reduces risk exposure.	4. Operational efficiency Remove the need to stand up separate siloed environments for different applications. Automated provisioning via templates and a unified API enables application infrastructure provisioning in minutes instead of days, bringing cloud-giant efficiency to your datacentre.
5. Continuous development Developers can request exactly the amount of compute, storage, and networking fabric their applications need, directly from code. The unified API aggregates physical resources just like virtual and public-cloud resources, giving developers true infrastructure-as-code capabilities.	6. Fluid IT Accelerate application development by giving DevOps teams more control over their environments. Fluid resource pools allow developers to execute non-disruptive changes and to continuously refine applications to meet customer needs as they arise.
7. IT economics Template-driven provisioning and non-disruptive updates mean IT spends less time maintaining infrastructure, reducing labour costs. Fluid pools of resources that can be aggregated on demand increase utilisation and reduce over-provisioning and stranded capacity.	8. Competitive advantages Bridging the performance and control of dedicated infrastructure with the flexibility of the cloud allows lines-of-business to accelerate delivery of new customer experiences and revenue opportunities to stay ahead of the competition.
9. Future-proofed datacentre Be ready for whatever the future might bring with a scalable and extendable infrastructure and robust partner ecosystem that provides a firm foundation for today’s hybrid IT and the capacity and flexibility to take future innovations in stride.	10. Seamless evolution Starting with as little as a half-rack of gear, Composable Infrastructure can be deployed easily and incrementally, side-by-side with your existing infrastructure. Deploy it as part of your standard refresh cycle to grow your capabilities at a pace that makes sense for your business.

If you would like to learn more about any of the technologies mentioned or discuss other ideas for revolutionising your infrastructure, our team are on hand to help. Contact us at info@xma.co.uk or call 0115 846 4000. Alternatively, you can complete our contact form below.

In its 25th year, many will have been anxiously awaiting this years’ shortlist for the CRN Channel Awards 2018. The awards are the perfect opportunity to share acheivements and recognise those who have made outstanding contributions to the channel.  XMA are proud to announce our shortlisting at this years awards.

As the current reigning winners of the CRN Public Sector VAR award in 2017, we have continued to deliver value to our public sector customers. As a result, XMA have been named one of the finalists in the running to be named this years winners. Further to this, XMA have also been shortlisted under the ‘Reseller of the Year (£51m+)’ category, a prestigious title for any reseller in the channel.

Ian Cunningham, Director of Sales & Marketing at XMA had this to say on the news of our shortlistings:

“As competition for the CRN Reseller of the Year and Public Sector VAR of the Year awards is so incredibly high, I am delighted XMA have been shortlisted for both awards for the second year in a row. Last year I was incredibly proud to accept the CRN Award for Public Sector VAR of the year on behalf of XMA, particularly in front of an audience of industry peers.”

“XMA is powered by our people and it is them who make these awards possible through their hard work and focus on our customers.  They live our values and make a difference.”

The awards ceremony will take place on the 15th November, where we look forward to celebrating success with other industry peers from across the channel.

There are two rules when it comes to modernising your datacentre but what it boils down to is focusing on a good outcome.

Rule #1: Keep it simple

When technology needs an update, some organisations choose to modernise over time, following the same problem-by-problem approach they used to build the original data centre. This piecemeal approach is complex and can be agonisingly slow. What’s worse, all that time and effort won’t necessarily lead to a better end product or even lower costs.

Instead of focusing on daily problems that arise, hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) lets you focus on the outcome: a simpler data centre that’s cost-effective and easy to manage. HCI takes a building block approach to architecture, consolidating compute, storage, network switching, replication, and backup in a single integrated system. The consolidation of these IT functions onto virtualized hardware can greatly simplify environments that have been divided by siloed point solutions.

VM-centric HCI systems are also simple for IT administrators to manage, and require much less data centre space than traditional IT devices.

Rule #2: Don’t overspend

Hyperconvergence requires some upfront investment, but it can deliver a huge return on that investment. In this study based on research with real world customers, Forrester Consulting found that HCI reduces TCO by 69% on average compared to traditional IT. Converging the entire IT stack – firmware, hypervisor, and data virtualisation software – has additional advantages, according to that same study. Data centre footprint can be reduced 10:1, backups and disaster recovery become simple and straightforward, and upgrades are managed for the whole stack. The most efficient solutions also free up significant staff time, boosting the economic benefits even further. IDC reports an 81% increase in time available to focus on new projects as a direct result of hyperconverged deployment.

Our data centre solutions guarantee high availability, reliability and security for your infrastructure

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With GCSE results out today and expected to have been the toughest yet with the new grading system, it got us thinking. How essential is technology to the way our students learn? 

When I think back to my school days, which actually weren’t too long ago (no, really!), the overhead projector was the latest mod-con to hit the assembly hall and the chalkboard was still the smartest way to share real-time lesson content.

Well, technology has come a long way since those days, yet we still managed back then. Students were still learning, achieving and prospering from their education. So if we were able to nurture success before the technology boom, why is it so important in today’s classroom?

Here are 4 reasons why we believe technology now plays a critical role in learning:

1. Students demand it

Teens spend nearly 9 hours every day consuming media and have grown up immersed in technology, so keeping up with this demand is essential. The innovative adoption of technology can also play a key role in the recruitment of the next student body but IT departments should ensure that core infrastructures and applications have the flexibility to support these changes.

2. Learn at their own pace

Traditional learning could often be fast paced, risking a drop off of concentration and understanding. With the integration of technology in the classroom and learning concepts such as flipped learning, students can learn at their own speed, pause, and recap whenever they need, meaning that the more advanced student can go ahead, freeing up the teacher to provide support 1:1 to those who need it.

3. Enhance Engagement

Feedback from our customers over the years suggests that students learn best being more interactive. This is particularly apparent in STEAM subjects where content is often more complex. Technologies such as 3D print and robotics are leading the way in STEAM by breaking down the learning barriers and offering more practical methods of learning, whilst future-proofing students as they enter the workplace.

4. Enable Collaboration

Technology permits a connected world and in this case, a connected learning environment. With intelligent applications such as Office 365 and G Suite, students and teachers can communicate, collaborate, chat and use the familiar productivity applications in a secure environment.

As experts in education technology, we are close to the market and its trends. Here are a few technologies that are already making a real impact in the classroom:

Chromebooks

Chromebooks are taking over the classroom and the reasons are simple. They are cost effective and affordable, feature an all-day battery life and instant on functionality; and with Chromecast, students and teachers can instantly share their screen.

If you are interested in Chromebook, you should check out our latest offer! You can get a HP Chromebook for as little as £65.00!

3D print

For reasons we’ve previously discussed, 3D printing can play a valuable part in STEAM subjects, transforming the classroom into an interactive learning environment.

iPad

iPad is the ideal computing companion both inside and outside of the classroom. Its portable format, instant load up time and touch screen makes life easy for teachers and students alike. Perfect for internet research, making videos and music, taking lesson notes and sharing and managing content.  What’s more, iPad is now much more cost effective and has full integration with cloud platforms such as Google and Microsoft.

So it’s clear, we have come a long way since school days were guided by a text book and piece of chalk. The dawn of the internet revolutionised the way we gained information and technology evolved around us – so much so, that teens today are technology native and would probably rather swap their right kidney than sacrifice their mobile phone.

That said, technology has enabled personalised, engaging and even mobile learning. Its enhanced collaboration and takes traditional subjects such as science, engineering and technology to the next level. Without it, the classroom struggles to thrive which is why building a technology environment that supports these trends is essential.

Is your tech up to the task?

Not sure how to enable cloud managed mobility, whether your network can support the load or how flipped learning can really make a difference? Our specialists have the answers and can help determine whether your existing IT is up to the job.

Ben Brown
Head of Schools

Simplifying All-flash with HPE Nimble

The path to an all-flash data centre and cloud may be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be disruptive. Like many other organisations, you may be planning to move to all flash as your primary storage technology because of the many advantages over traditional storage.

But there are many obstacles related to application performance, availability, manageability, scalability, investment protection, and disaster recovery that need to be considered first. With a few simple recommendations, your organisation can avoid the most common missteps and make the transition painless.

Download this FREE check list and find out how to overcome the obstacles related to the all flash data centre.