Dell and Intel Enterprise Resource Centre

After more than a year of playing budgetary defense in a down economy, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are finally beginning to find opportunities to move forward with strategic IT initiatives. As they examine their needs and pain points, one top priority is emerging: the need to refresh both client and back office software, particularly Microsoft SQL Server and Exchange.

NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR VIRTUALIZATION? THINK AGAIN! Survey shows SMBs reap the same benefits as the enterprise, including reduced costs, improved reliability and disaster recovery, and a measurable ROI.

Even amidst the enforced frugality of a recession, some expenditures are worthwhile. For the cost-conscious IT departments of small and midsize businesses (SMBs), refreshing server hardware is one of those things. Deploying up-to-date server hardware delivers benefits that far outweigh the total cost of ownership. Yet as SMBs plan their upgrade path, they must also prepare for the budgetary and technical issues that may arise in order to maximize their return on investment. A recent survey of 116 IT decision makers in SMBs by IDG Research Services taken in January 2010 examines these issues and suggests ways to address them

From increased IT efficiency to disaster recovery and cost savings, virtualization has lots to offer small- and medium-size businesses