A server that SAVES money? Reduces IT budgets? No way. Apple says, "yes!"
 
Apple today announced a refresh of the popular Mac Mini desktop computer. OK, so? So this is a great machine. There are whole companies based around this little powerhouse. I find them everywhere. Tucked into nooks and crannies running headless(without a display) and doing all kinds of jobs. I throw one in a backpack and take it on site as a dedicated deployment solution. 
 
What do I care about? 
 
Can you say integrated power supply? The previous versions had an external power brick. It's not that I hate power bricks… no, I do, I hate them. They come in different wattages with different plugs for different machines they're big, clunky and always in the way. The new Mini’s power supply is built right in like AppleTV. Very cool!
 
And speaking of power, the new Mini uses either 10 or 11 watts of power depending on configuration (see below). 11 Watts? That’s crazy efficient! You couldn’t read with an 11 watt light bulb. Let's put it in perspective. The currently shipping MacBook Pro uses 85W the 27” iMac 350W and the Xserve is rated at a whopping 750W. So, could you see a real power saving with Mac Mini? The numbers say yes!
 
More things to care about? In the Snow Leopard Server configuration, two 500GB 7200 RPM internal 2.5”  hard drives for better I/O. That means a performance boost for email and file services.
 
Video? Yep! NVIDIA GeForce 320M provides 48 video processors and 256MB of shared memory supports up to 2560-by-1600 resolution over the Mini DisplayPort. HDMI 1920 by 1200 resolution with sound. Now that’s cool! 
 
The Simple Server
 
Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server drops the optical drive for an additional 7200 rpm drive for up to a terabyte of storage or a 500 GB mirrored RAID configuration. The server can be set up and configured in about 15 minutes by anyone that can use System Preferences in OS X client. Snow Leopard Server comes pre-installed with an unlimited user license. Now that’s controlling costs! And as your needs grow you have the confidence that you have a full version of Snow Leopard Server. No cripple-ware here.
 
The Time Has Come
 
Just a small shop? Don’t think you need a server? It’s time to think different(ly) about servers and server software. Managing costs is more important now than ever. Centralized file storage, VPN for distance work place solutions, 802.1x enterprise class wireless security and in-house hosting/staging of web content avoids recurring service charges and gives you more security and management options from within your organization. As you grow, you don’t pay per user as you add head count.
 
Have Questions?
 
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