How to choose a server for a modern business: a comparison of IBM Power, Lenovo ThinkSystem, and Dell

Choosing a server is important for building a reliable infrastructure at every enterprise, institution, or small business, as performance, scalability, and security directly affect the company's competitiveness. The speed of data processing, the stability of business applications, and the ability to effectively manage IT infrastructure depend on the right choice.

Modern business servers must meet high requirements in terms of performance, virtualisation, energy efficiency, security and flexible integration with other systems. There are three main players in the server solutions market:

• IBM Power - powerful servers for analytics, and critical tasks, optimised for databases and AI.
• Lenovo ThinkSystem - reliable solutions for small and medium-sized businesses focusing on server virtualisation and cloud computing.
• Dell servers - a wide portfolio of servers for AI, data centres, and corporate use.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the features of each of these platforms, their key benefits, and use cases to help you choose the best server for your business.

IBM Power overview

IBM Power is a high-performance business server used for mission-critical computing, data management, and analytics. Main series:

• IBM Power S1012, S1014, S1022, S1024 are mid-range servers optimised for databases, ERP systems and analytics. They deliver high performance with Power10 processors that have more cores and improved energy efficiency over previous generations. For example, the IBM Power S1024 supports up to 48 Power10 cores and 8TB of memory, allowing you to consolidate workloads on fewer servers and reduce infrastructure costs. With Active Memory Mirroring, servers offer increased availability for critical applications and built-in matrix computing accelerators improve AI performance.
• The IBM Power E1050, E1080 are high-performance, enterprise-class servers designed for scalable data centres and heavy workloads. The IBM Power E1050 supports up to 96 Power10 cores and 16TB of memory, providing efficient consolidation, enhanced security with transparent memory encryption and the ability to run AI computing directly on the server. The IBM Power E1080 is the most powerful and scalable server in the range, supporting up to 240 Power10 cores and 64TB of memory. It delivers increased performance, flexible scaling, improved fault tolerance and advanced AI capabilities, making it ideal for complex analytical computing, ERP and database applications.
• IBM Power Virtual Server is a flexible hybrid cloud solution that combines the performance and reliability of IBM Power with the power of IBM Cloud. It enables you to seamlessly move and manage workloads between on-premises infrastructure and the cloud, providing scalability, high availability and cost optimisation through a pay-as-you-use model. IBM Power Virtual Server supports critical business applications such as SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Database and IBM i, and integrates with artificial intelligence tools such as IBM Watson, making it ideal for modernising and optimising IT infrastructure.

Key benefits of IBM Power

• High performance and scalability - IBM Power servers provide efficient processing of even the most demanding workloads, including AI, analytics and ERP systems. Tests show that IBM Power S1022 can process 3.6 times more transactions per second per core.
• Reliability and uptime - with an availability rating of 99.9999%, IBM Power has been a leader in reliability for 14 years in a row, ensuring that mission-critical applications are always running smoothly.
• Security from the core to the cloud - IBM Power servers have built-in memory encryption and advanced isolation to minimise security risks. Studies show that the average downtime due to security threats is only 3.3 minutes.
• Cloud integration - IBM Power supports hybrid clouds and containerisation, making it easier to deploy modern applications and expanding AI capabilities.
• Energy efficiency and sustainability - IBM Power's advanced load optimisation reduces power consumption, and businesses using it achieve up to 20 per cent more application performance while reducing their environmental footprint.

Recommended use cases

IBM Power is ideal for organisations that need high performance, reliability and security. Scalable and capable of supporting mission-critical workloads, these servers are widely used in the following areas

• Financial services and banking - provide fast transaction processing, real-time analytics and protection of sensitive data with built-in storage encryption and high availability (99.9999%).
• Medical institutions - support the operation of electronic medical records, processing of large volumes of images (MRI, CT), as well as AI-based analytical solutions for diagnosis and prognosis.
• Large enterprises and industrial companies - suitable for working with ERP systems (SAP HANA, Oracle), ensuring business continuity and rapid scaling.
• Government and research - support modelling, big data processing and complex computing in research, climate modelling and national security.
• Retail and e-commerce - provide fast order processing, inventory management and personalised recommendations based on AI analytics.

With support for AIX, IBM i and Linux, as well as integration with cloud platforms, IBM Power is the ideal solution for organisations looking to increase efficiency and ensure a secure and resilient IT infrastructure.

Lenovo ThinkSystem Overview

Lenovo ThinkSystem offers a wide range of servers for small, medium and large businesses. Key models:

• The SR650 V3, SR645 V3 and SR665 V3 are high-performance servers for cloud environments, virtualisation and enterprise applications. Based on 5th generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, the ThinkSystem SR650 V3 supports up to 32 TruDDR5 5600MHz memory modules and features Lenovo AnyBay™ technology for flexible storage (SAS/SATA/NVMe) and up to 40 drives for high-performance storage. The ThinkSystem SR645 V3 is powered by 4th or 5th generation AMD EPYC™, supports up to 24 TruDDR5 modules, has expanded I/O capabilities (up to 5 PCIe 4.0/5.0 slots) and up to 4 graphics cards, making it efficient for virtualisation and compute workloads. The ThinkSystem SR655 V3 with a single 5th generation AMD EPYC™ processor is optimised for analytics, VDI and graphics-intensive workloads and supports up to 12 TruDDR5 6400MHz modules, up to 20 hot-swappable drives (SAS/SATA/NVMe) and up to 8 graphics cards. All models offer scalability, energy efficiency and security with ThinkShield technology and easy management with Lenovo XClarity.
• The SR635 V3 is a single-processor server optimised for virtualisation and hybrid IT infrastructures. With large amounts of memory, scalable network configurations and support for flexible storage options (including AnyBay™), the SR635 V3 delivers high performance for compute-intensive environments. Support for Enterprise Reliability Functions (RAS) and integrated ThinkShield security ensure stable and secure operation.

Key advantages of Lenovo ThinkSystem

- Flexible scalability - Lenovo ThinkSystem servers are highly adaptable to business needs, allowing you to efficiently grow your computing resources.

- Optimal total cost of ownership (TCO) - Lenovo ThinkSystem's efficient architecture offers one of the best price/performance ratios among x86 platforms.

- High performance and low downtime - ThinkSystem servers deliver record-breaking performance, reliability and low failure rates to keep mission-critical systems up and running.

- Energy-efficient servers - advanced energy optimisation technologies reduce data centre costs and contribute to a greener use of resources.

Recommended use cases

The Lenovo ThinkSystem is the ideal solution for small and medium businesses looking for efficient servers for virtualisation, data processing and business application support. These servers deliver high levels of performance and reliability, making them ideal for a wide range of business scenarios. They are ideal for virtualisation, enabling businesses to optimise resource utilisation, reduce hardware costs and simplify IT infrastructure management.

In addition, Lenovo ThinkSystem offers fast data processing speeds, which is important for businesses that deal with large amounts of information, analysis and reporting. It also supports a wide range of business applications, enabling organisations to ensure business continuity and rapid access to resources.

With its flexible design and scalability, Lenovo ThinkSystem can easily adapt to changing business needs, making it a great choice for organisations looking to innovate and grow.

Dell review

- AI Servers - Dedicated servers for AI, machine learning and analytics. These powerful platforms are optimised to accelerate data processing and are designed for use in artificial intelligence, generative AI and high-performance computing. The servers deliver up to 37% next-generation performance, enabling organisations to achieve unparalleled results. With enhanced security features, including up to 3.5 times more security management capabilities, and up to 73% energy efficiency, PowerEdge servers offer unique benefits to mission-critical organisations. Using the latest multi-core processors, these servers deliver faster data processing and improved application performance, ideal for AI and machine learning applications.

- Data Centre Servers - Powerful servers for mission-critical business applications in large data centres. Designed to optimise data centre performance, these servers are intelligent and cyber-resilient solutions that support hybrid and multi-cloud environments. They can handle a wide range of applications, including those that require extreme acceleration. With intelligent automation features such as iDRAC for secure server management and APEX AIOPS for predictive analytics, IT teams can solve problems and deploy new solutions faster. Scalable capabilities and innovative cooling technologies maximise the processing power of these servers in every rack unit, helping to reduce operational costs and meet sustainability goals.

- Edge Servers - Optimised servers for edge environments and remote computing. Certified for use in telecom and military environments, these high-performance servers are built to withstand extreme temperatures, dust, shock and vibration. They deliver powerful, low-latency processing for demanding edge computing tasks with Intel Xeon processors and graphics. Edge computing servers offer secure remote management with tools such as iDRAC and OpenManage to automate remote operations and ensure operational reliability. These solutions help streamline processes in industries such as manufacturing, retail and energy, helping to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Key advantages of Dell servers

- Power and scalability. Dell offers servers for every level of business, from small business to large enterprise. The powerful PowerEdge platforms enable organisations to scale their IT infrastructure to meet growing demands, ensuring high performance and efficiency. In particular, the servers are optimised for a wide range of applications such as Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI and High Performance Computing. This enables organisations to quickly scale their operations, reduce costs and maintain high performance regardless of workload.

- High-performance servers for AI. Dell provides support for specialised analytics and machine learning solutions, validated by Dell Technologies' position as a leader in AI infrastructure solutions according to The Forrester Wave™ report. Optimised for acceleration, PowerEdge servers offer a variety of graphics processing unit (GPU) options and advanced security, making them ideal for processing large amounts of data and complex AI-related tasks. With these technologies, organisations can significantly improve the performance of their solutions, reduce time to completion and lower costs.

- Advanced server security features. Dell servers offer layered cybersecurity that includes data protection at every stage of the lifecycle, from design to retirement. With built-in security systems such as secure boot, proactive protection and encryption, Dell servers ensure that data is protected from today's threats. According to independent research, organisations can save up to 110 minutes of management time per 100 servers through automated updates, while gaining up to 3.5 times more security features than the competition. These features give businesses a competitive edge by increasing the flexibility and efficiency of their IT systems.

Recommended use cases

Dell servers are a great choice for large enterprises that need scalable servers for AI, cloud computing and big data management. Powered by high-performance PowerEdge solutions, these servers deliver the performance and reliability that are critical to today's business processes.

Dell servers are ideal for implementing artificial intelligence solutions that require powerful computing resources to process complex algorithms and train models. With a variety of graphics processing unit (GPU) options and machine learning optimisations, organisations can efficiently implement analytics projects and improve decision-making processes.

For cloud computing, Dell servers enable flexible and scalable infrastructures that can support multiple virtual machines and containers. This ensures efficient use of resources and enables organisations to respond quickly to changing market demands while reducing operational costs.

In addition, Dell servers are an excellent solution for managing large amounts of data, thanks to their ability to process and store information in real time. By integrating with advanced analytics tools and data platforms, organisations can gain valuable insights from their data, helping to drive efficiency and innovation. These benefits make Dell servers the optimal choice for large organisations looking to thrive in an ever-changing business environment.

Criteria for choosing a server for a modern business

• Performance. When choosing a server, evaluate its processing power, server virtualisation capabilities and support for AI workloads.
• Server scalability. How easily the server integrates into the IT infrastructure and whether it can scale as the business grows.
• Total cost of ownership (TCO). You need to consider purchase price, energy consumption and ease of management.
• Flexibility and integration. It is important to evaluate the server's compatibility with cloud platforms, containerisation and support for enterprise applications.
• Server reliability and security. The server needs to ensure continuous operation and support for data backup and recovery.

How to choose a server for your business

1. Identify your key requirements - do you need to process large amounts of data, and support AI or database virtualisation?
2. Compare performance, cost and scalability - choose the server that best meets your needs.
3. Evaluate the right server for your business - small, medium or large businesses require different server solutions.
4. Plan for the long term - choose servers that can be upgraded in the future without significant cost.

Conclusion

The choice of server depends on business requirements, computing power and scalability. Each server vendor offers unique benefits that can meet the diverse needs of businesses.

• IBM Power. This option is best suited for large organisations with high performance and reliability requirements. Its powerful architecture can efficiently handle complex computing tasks and deliver high performance for mission-critical business applications. IBM Power also supports innovative solutions in artificial intelligence and analytics, making it an ideal choice for organisations seeking to digitally transform.
• Lenovo ThinkSystem is the best option for small and medium businesses looking for the right balance of price and performance. These servers offer reliable virtualisation and computing solutions that are easy to deploy and maintain. With its efficiency and affordability, Lenovo ThinkSystem is an attractive choice for businesses looking to optimise their IT costs without compromising on quality.
• Dell servers are a powerful solution for organisations working with AI, analytics and large data centres. Dell's PowerEdge server solutions deliver the performance, energy efficiency and reliability that are critical to modern business operations. Dell servers are ideal for deploying AI and big data solutions, enabling organisations to gain valuable insights and improve business efficiency.

When choosing a server, it's a good idea to consult with experts who can help you find the best solution for your business. This will help you make an informed choice, taking into account your organisation's specific requirements, budget and long-term goals. With the right server, you can ensure not only stable operation but also the resilience of your business to meet future challenges.

Contact the Solidity experts to help you choose the best solutions for your business.