Intel Channel Chief Outlines Tech Trends For Resellers

Eric Thompson, Intel's director of North America channels and distribution, addressed a full house of resellers and system builders at the Tech Symposium Sunday at XChange '08 in Dallas, Texas., outlining three important trends for resesllers.

Thompson highlighted Intel's business philosophy and the trends that are driving innovation and growth in the company. Noting that Intel is not risk averse, Thompson discussed the ways Intel has embraced three major trends in front of resellers: virtualization, green computing and low-cost usage.

"We're risk friendly," said Thompson. "It takes three years to build an Intel fab. Market demand has to be there three years out. Trends are important because we have to deliver the technology in that time." One of the more familiar offshoots of this innovation driven approach is virtualization, and it is a trend Intel has targeted in their next development cycle.

"Virtualization is very important to my customers," said Bill LaFlamme, vice president technology solutions for Sysix Solutions. "Virtualization involves an all-encompassing infrastructure that's going to benefit both my customer and myself," LaFlamme said.

In terms of current trends, virtualization may be being overtaken by green computing. Thompson pointed out that in 2004, for a customer to achieve 5.1 million business operations per second they would require an infrastructure that consisted of six full racks of 126 servers, 240 square feet or data center space and 48 kW of power generation. Today customers can achieve 5.1 million bops with one rack, 17 servers, 40 square feet of data center space and using six kW of power.

"That's an 83 percent reduction in floor space and an annual savings of $53,000 in energy consumption," said Thompson. "It's also an 87 percent reduction in energy costs -- and those numbers don't take into account cost savings in the deployment of these servers."

Carmine Taglialatela, business development director for Innovative Solutions Group, noted that, while being notoriously slow moving, even the government is going green.

"We're bringing new products, techniques and evaluation process to government agencies so that they can go green," said Taglialatela. "It's everywhere."

Reducing the footprint of the technology customers are using dovetails nicely with another trend Thompson pointed out: low cost usage and ultra small technology.

"The technology is based on core microarchitecture," said Thompson. "It isn't designed to take low-cost, low- margin client products and bring it down, it's about compatibility and low costs around Intel infrastructure and expanding it to different environments with ultra small form factor."

Smaller processors will likely translate to new technology that resellers can use to get in front of their customers.

"New, smaller technology allows me to add depth to the relationship I have with my customers," said Seth Smith, systems engineer with Alpha Data Corporation. "Smaller technology means fresh opportunities for me to get in front of my customers. That could result in more growth for my company."