Datacenter modularity is one of the hot-topics for us at 451 Research’s Datacenter Technologies team. I have just completed a couple of reports back to back on what HP and Dell offer in this area. There are certain similarities but also big differences. Dell is going down a mainly services route while HP sees containerized datacenters as a natural extension of the server, rack and row.

However some critics have written off containers as a dead-end technology. We think that containers are selling, and will continue to do so for the immediate future but prefabricated IT, power and cooling modules (similar to Dell’s offering or HP’s Butterfly product) are more likely replacements for traditional bricks and mortar builds.

Check out these two reports for more (451 Research subscribers only I am afraid)

451 Research report: Dell eschews containers in favor of modular datacenter services

Dell’s competitors sell a range of modular datacenter products, such as Hewlett-Packard’s Performance Optimized Datacenter and IBM’s Portable Modular Data Center. However, Dell’s Modular Data Center group (part of Dell Data Center Solutions, or DCS) prefers to provide products and services with an emphasis on customization and best fit for the customer.(MORE)

451 Research report: HP talks up Performance Optimized Datacenters, but should it be chasing the Butterfly?

Hewlett-Packard recently asserted some ambitious potential market-size data for its container-based Performance Optimized Datacenters (PODs). The supplier believes PODs could be a relevant option for up to 45% of new total capital expenditure on datacenters over the next few years (up to $13bn in 2012). (MORE)

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