HP unleashes ProLiant Gen8 servers on Australia

Seven model series packs Intel Xeons.

HP’s upgraded range of ProLiant Gen8 servers will start shipping in Australia this month following the worldwide unveiling at HP’s Global Partner Conference in February.

The servers come in seven models based on Intel’s new Xeon E5-2600 processor range, with prices starting from $2999. HP has also utilised Intel’s Xeon range for its recently released Z1 all-in-one workstation. 

The refreshed server line includes rackmount and tower versions, along with the ProLiant BL460c blade server series. It carries Intel’s Xeon E5 2609, 2620, 2640, 2650, 2650L, 2660 and 2670 processors.

The product line is one of many to be released by HP early this year, forming part of a ‘comeback campaign’ designed to increase confidence in the company following a difficult 2011. HP's net earnings for the fiscal year 2011 dropped 19 percent year on year to just over $US7 billion, thanks in part to the announcement of a possible Personal Systems Group (PSG) sell-off.

It's enterprise, storage, servers and networking (ESSN) division helped shield the company from some of the damage caused by the announcement, with growth of over $US200 million in net revenue. HP’s PSG business suffered significantly, with Gartner results showing a 3.5 percent decline in PC shipments over the year.

It is hoping to gain back lost market share with the release of a refreshed line of workstations and its foray into the ultrabook market via the Spectre and Folio.

The new products have been backed up in Australia by a new partnership with a fifth Australian distributor, Bluechip Infotech, to push PSG products into SMB and education segments locally.

HP has also confirmed it is working on a Windows 8 tablet, set to debut when the operating system is released later this year.