IBM Unveils Lowest-Priced Server for Small and Medium Business Market

The xSeries 100 Express Offers New Levels of Affordability; IBM Brings Xtended Design Architecture to SMBs

ARMONK, NY -- Sep 27, 2005 -- IBM is further extending its server family with the introduction today of a complete line of new entry servers including the new IBM xSeries 100 server. The x100, the newest member of IBM’s expanding Express Portfolio for small-medium businesses (SMB), is the most affordable server entry point available from a top-tier server vendor. The x100, along with the new xSeries 206m and xSeries 306m systems, provide enterprise-class capabilities to more SMB customers than ever before.

Designed specifically for small businesses up to 50 users, the x100 combines built-to-last server quality with the latest technologies such as dual core processing, in an affordable, easy-to-configure, and easy-to-use system. The x100 can help manage and protect vital business data such as inventory records and e-mail applications, as well as delivering basic functions such as file and print serving or Web site hosting.

“Small businesses have a daunting task trying to make technology decisions while managing the important details of their business,” said Susan Whitney, general manager, xSeries division, IBM Systems and Technology Group. “IBM’s extensive network of business partners, alongside industry-leading IBM service and support, ensure that the easy-to-use xSeries 100 is a confident server choice.”

“Windows Small Business Server 2003 provides a complete networking solution that helps small business owners protect their business information and make the most of their limited resources,” said Bob Muglia, senior vice president, Windows Server Division at Microsoft. “The new IBM xSeries 100, available pre-installed with Windows Small Business Server 2003, provides advanced server technology in an affordable and easy-to-use package for small business customers.”

“Small businesses are looking for more affordable options to expand their ability to share computing resources with employees, customers, and partners,” said Adam Reiter, senior director of small business sales at CDW Corporation, a FORTUNE 500 provider of technology products and services to businesses, government and education institutions. “The IBM xSeries x100 Express is a great affordable choice for a company’s first server because it addresses concerns such as reducing downtime and increasing employee productivity today, while having expansion capabilities to protect the user’s investment as their IT needs evolve.”

For small business customers who demand greater levels of availability and performance, the new x206m is a great solution for distributed and retail environments, while the new x306m is ideal for datacenters, Web traffic and network infrastructure.

The new xSeries 206m and xSeries 306m are built on the second generation of IBM’s Xtended Design Architecture (XDA), characterized by industry standard server innovation that delivers outstanding performance, availability, manageability and flexibility. New high availability features help keep small businesses up and running even if the hard drive or power supply fails, or if a power circuit overloads. Those features, available in this class of server only from IBM, include:

* A choice of affordable or high performance Hot Swap hard drives for enhanced ease of use and increased uptime.
* Redundant server power supply options to help maximize data availability.
* Standard integrated IBM ServeRAID 8e delivers non-OS based hard drive data redundancy.
* New integrated open standards based (IPMI) management controller for remote server control from anywhere on the network.

These three new servers are part of the IBM Express Portfolio, developed to meet the needs of start-up, small and mid-sized companies. Express Offerings provide robust capabilities while taking into account the limited resources many SMBs face. IBM Express Offerings enable SMBs to better serve customers, increase revenue and reduce acquisition and maintenance costs with open, easy-to-purchase solutions.

Pricing and Availability
The x100 is available to order today and will begin shipping this week, at a starting price of $599 in the U.S. The x206m is planned to be available in mid-October, with a starting price of $699 in the U.S. The x306m is planned to be available in mid-October, starting at $1,159 in the U.S.

All three servers will be available with Microsoft Small Business Server, Microsoft Server 2003, Red Hat or Novell SUSE Linux operating systems.

More information is available at http://www.ibm.com/businesscenter/smb/us/en/.

About IBM
IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key IBM Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com.





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IBM news releases and fact sheets are available at http://www.ibm.com. The following are either trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States or other countries or both: IBM, xSeries and Xtended Design Architecture. Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. All statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals and objectives only. Prices are subject to change without notice. Starting price may not include a hard drive, operating system or other features.

Contact Information

Tim Willeford

IBM Media Relations

IBM

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