The 10 Hottest Tech Releases In May

May Releases That Bring The Heat

For solution providers, knowing the latest product releases can go a long way in identifying the potential opportunities arising in the tech landscape. That's why CRN is taking a look back at the 10 hottest products released in each month. May was a big one for product releases and some of tech's biggest staples, including Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung, all introduced new products to the fold. There were also a handful of releases from lesser-known vendors that were worthy of standing with the big dogs.

Managed services gets some play in this month’s most notable tech releases, but it doesn’t stop there. Spanning across a variety of segments, from servers and smartphones to security software and ultrabooks, check out the hottest products released in May.

Dell PowerEdge R820

The Dell PowerEdge R820 is a four-socket, Xeon-based 2U server that not only outruns its predecessor, the PowerEdge R810, by a healthy margin but also provides substantially more expandability. The system tested by the CRN Test Center was outfitted with four Intel Xeon E5-4607 six-core processors running at 2.20GHz with 96 GB, a mere fraction of its maximum of 32 processor cores and 1.5 TB of DDR3 memory -- in 48 DIMM slots -- running at up to 1600MHz; the discontinued R810 maxed out at 1 TB.

Testers fired up the 64-bit version of Primate Labs' Geekbench 2.3.2. Dell's PowerEdge R820 delivered a top Geekbench score of 19,794, an increase of more than 30 percent from the PowerEdge R810 that we tested in March, 2010. Next we kicked off Intel's Iometer benchmark utility to measure the R820's transaction processing and throughput creds. Results were decent, with maximum number of 512-byte sequential reads at around 61,000 per second and a top transfer rate of 1.6 Mbps.

BUMI (Backup My Info!)

BUMI (Backup My Info!) updated its cloud backup and recovery service with expanded integration with NetApp storage solutions via NetApp's Snapshot technology, which speeds up the backup process and frees up hardware for other uses.

The service also now includes the ability to back up individual disks in a virtual machine via VMware's VADP (vStorage APIs for Data Protection), as well as the ability to support backup and recovery for Mac OS X Lion and OS X Snow Leopard clients. It also has a new Web-based interface for service provider partners to see the status of licenses, capacity usage and backup completion for their customers.

HP's EliteBook Folio 9470m

At its Global Influencers Summit in Shanghai, China, in early May, HP unveiled its EliteBook Folio 9470m, an Ultrabook with a 14-inch high-definition display, third generation Intel Ivy Bridge processor, Intel vPro and support for 3G and 4G LTE wireless broadband.

Billed as HP's slimmest laptop to date, EliteBook Folio 9470m is just 19mm thick and weighs in at just over 3.5 pounds. With built in Ethernet and VGA ports, it is designed to fit into a variety of enterprise use cases. The EliteBook Folio 9470m is slated to hit shelves in October, but HP has not yet announced pricing.

Lenovo's "Tiny" ThinkCentre M92p Desktop

With all the fuss around mobility these days, it can be easy to overlook the traditional desktop PC. But Lenovo re-piqued the industry’s interest this month with the launch of the new ThinkCentre M92p, a "tiny" desktop measuring just the width of a golf ball (34.5mm).

Potential buyers shouldn’t be fooled by the M92p’s size; it still touts the processing power of an Intel Ivy Bridge processor and includes the chip maker’s vPro platform for remote PC management.

For solution providers, the M92p means they have a new desktop offering to pitch to clients in smaller offices where real estate is especially precious.

Compuware APM Platform

With the performance of applications and corporate networks becoming increasingly intertwined, Compuware's spring release of its Compuware APM Platform offers new capabilities that help IT departments wrestling with complex data center tasks that involve managing both networks and applications. The release also offers new capabilities for monitoring cloud, mobile and "Big Data" applications.

Samsung's Galaxy S III

Samsung has positioned its Galaxy smartphones to be one of the iPhone’s biggest contenders, and the Korean tech giant vowed to keep that momentum going with the release of its third-generation Galaxy S III in May.

The Galaxy S III runs on Samsung's new quad-core Exynos mobile processor, which is said by the company to enable faster and more seamless multi-tasking than its predecessors. The new phone is a bit bigger than the first- and second-gen Galaxys, with a 4.8-inch screen and a weight of 4.7 ounces, and it touts a slew of new features including "S Voice," a voice command tool comparable to Apple’s Siri.

"This is a phone that sees, a phone that listens and a phone that responds to our intentions," said Jean-Daniel Ayme, vice president, European Telecom Operations at Samsung Electronics.

Vertical ViewPoint Mobile

Vertical Communications launched what it's touting as the industry's first, full-featured native mobile application for delivering enterprise-grade PBX and communications features out to smartphones and tablets. This is a hot market -- one that every major UC vendor from Cisco to ShoreTel is attempting to tackle -- and Vertical's play, dubbed ViewPoint Mobile, provides seamless mobile access to premise-based enterprise communications services such as collaboration, presence management, call recording and telephony. It integrates directly with Vertical's Wave IP, the company's flagship platform, and enterprise customers can adjust features as needed -- without any additional software or hardware -- using what Vertical calls its inclusive licensing program.

ViewPoint Mobile is available for Apple iOS devices running iOS version 4.3 or newer, and an Android version is promised for later this year.

Mykonos Web Security

Mykonos Software, a division of Juniper Networks, has rolled out an "intrusion deception" product aimed at making it harder to hack websites. The technology in Mykonos Web Security can cause hackers to inadvertently identify themselves by dropping a token onto the machine that can only be removed via wipe/restore. The token not only identifies the hackers but also tracks what they are doing and can provide useful info to support the investigation.

The vendor describes part of its additional value proposition as "changing the economics of hacking" as the scripts that hackers run in an attempt to identify points of entry become inundated with reports of vulnerabilities that are actually not present. Instead of manually sorting through tens of thousands of them, it is typically easier to just move to a different, less heavily-defended site.

The solution is PCI compliant and is being sold through the Juniper channel.

Centrify DirectControl For Mobile

The Centrify DirectControl for Mobile allows businesses to centrally secure and manage mobile devices using Active Directory. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Centrify’s software enables the deployment of mobile device management to secure either company-owned or employee-owned mobile devices.

The components of DirectControl include Centrify Cloud Service, which allows an on-premise Active Directory environment to manage mobile devices; Centrify Cloud Proxy Server, software that secures communication from Active Directory; Centrify Cloud Management Suite, a set of Windows management tools; and Centrify Mobile Manager, an optional mobile app that securely runs on Apple and Android devices.

Avnet Offers New Services Through HP's ServiceOne Program

Avnet Technology Solutions started offering Hewlett-Packard-branded services to solution providers through HP's ServiceOne program. The first Avnet resources include offerings around HP ProLiant servers, HP 3Par storage and cloud discovery workshops, said Tony Vottima, senior vice president and general manager of Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, HP Solutions group.