Yours Truly has been following NEI for quite a while now, as I did the former Alliance Systems (News - Alert) which became part of the NEI empire. NEI continues to be a leading of application platforms, appliances and support services for software developers, OEMs and service providers worldwide. Indeed, NEI’s Smart Services was recently the recipient of TMC’s (News - Alert) 2008 Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award.
NEI offers computing platforms for every shape and size. Just recently they’ve extended their reach into the low-cost appliance world by announcing availability of two such appliance platforms. The S-650 and S-1100 are designed to host and better manage branch office and remote applications that require advanced network computing and connectivity in a low profile, purpose-built box.
Branch office and remote environments often present unique performance and network challenges. This segment of the market demands devices that are small and inexpensive, but they must have sufficient power to work well in scalable, highly distributed environments often consisting of a hierarchy of devices.
Fortunately, NEI’s customers will find that they can address these challenges head-on with the S-650 and S-1100. They interoperate seamlessly with NEI’s mid-range appliances in scalable, common distributed networking requirements.
Both of these new “S” series solutions are powered by the immensely popular Intel (News - Alert) Atom 330 processor, which yields not just affordable performance, but quiet operation and five-year market availability.
The S-650 is a set-top box that houses up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a single fixed 2.5-inch SATA hard disk drive and two high-speed Gigabit Ethernet ports. The S-1100 is offered as a mini 1U high (1.75-inch) rack mount device with user-specified front or rear-facing I/O ports, up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, a single fixed 3.5-inch or dual fixed 2.5-inch SATA HDDs. Both systems support Microsoft (News - Alert) Windows and Linux operating systems and are covered by a standard two-year limited warranty.
When integrated with NEI’s award-winning Smart Services (optional), these new appliances can be remotely monitored, managed and updated.
S-650 and S-1100 evaluation units are now available. Base configuration pricing starts at $500. NEI offers customers various lifecycle services and maintenance programs to ensure high availability and rapid response in a choice of coverage plans.
Richard Grigonis is Executive Editor of TMC�s IP Communications Group. To read more of Richard’s articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi