Blog from Server Case UK

The Need for Speed

Published by Andrew McLean on 18th Sep 2017

Megahertz (MHz), Gigahertz (GHz)……What are they, what do they mean and how many do you need?

It sounds complex and daunting if you are new to purchasing IT solutions but really it isn’t, and a little knowledge will put you in a more confident position when looking for a new solution.

When procuring new equipment, knowing these numbers will go a long way to ensuring you buy the right tool for the job. You will also be comfortable knowing you are wringing every last potential drop of ROI from your investment whilst maintaining uptime and stability.

Put simply, CPU clock speed, or clock rate, is measured in Hertz — generally in gigahertz, or GHz. A CPU's clock speed rate is a measure of how many clock cycles a CPU can perform per second. For example, a CPU with a clock rate of 3.6 GHz can perform 3,600,000,000 clock cycles per second

 

So, more Hertz means faster, right?

Yes & No……. A CPU in a new computer billed as 2X faster than an old computer does not mean twice as much finished work gets done in the same time frame.

Internal cache design, bus speed, disk speed and network speed all contribute to the computer's actual processing speed and performance (the overall throughput)

Think of a ‘Hertz’ as a tick of the clock. Architectural advancements in CPU’s generally mean that a newer CPU will get more work done per tick of the clock so YES, a new CPU should be faster than an old one EVEN IF you run them at the same speed, BUT other ‘Bottlenecks’ (or weak spots) in the components of the system do have a huge overall performance impact.

Techy guff aside, it really is brutally simple……ANY machine EVER built by humankind is/ was only as good/ fast/ powerful as the sum of its poorest/ slowest/ weakest parts.

Computers are no different AND we also have their task/ software to consider. As we discussed last time, it’s no use having a 40 core 2.6GHz Xeon CPU when the work you are doing is single threaded software base that can ONLY EVER use one CPU core. In this example, your single threaded software would run almost twice as fast on a quad core CPU WITH THREE CORES DISABLED, leaving one core running at 4,6GHz.

Similarly, the parts selected to build the machine are absolutely critical. If you select a monster fast 20 core chip, it’s no use speccing a single stick of 2GB RAM at a lowly speed of 2133mhz. A ‘fat’ bandwidth CPU needs a fat pile of fast RAM in dual or quad channel, ESPECIALLY if it’s feeding 4 big GPU’s with 11GB of their own RAM each.

On the flipside, you would be stark raving mad to pair 64GB of 3000MHz RAM on a basic motherboard with a dual core Celeron CPU as that CPU simply doesn’t know what to do with that much RAM and isn’t capable of running in sync with it’s speed.

It’s simply a case of a balanced set of components all ‘singing’ together harmoniously in terms of performance, compatibility and reliability.

It’s this level of understanding of the whole computer ecosystem that enables us to tailor any system to your needs. We understand that everyone uses PC’s, servers and workstations very differently and for a myriad of different tasks and software.

It’s for this reason that, on our site, you won’t see piles of ‘Super sexy, GTi, Turbo, Go-Faster-Striped’ machines covered in LED's and bleating about Gigahertz, Megahertz and overclocking.

We CAN do all of that if you like, but it’s MUCH better for you if you give us a call on +44 (0) 1283 576162 and tell us exactly what you need your new machine for, what your upgrade plans are and what your performance and stability expectations are……then we’ll be able to deliver a machine that will genuinely make a difference to your business with outstanding performance, bombproof stability, faster workflow and a rapid ROI.

 

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What's Happening at Server Case UK – September 2017

Published by Arvinder Singh on 11th Sep 2017

Our new website is almost here

I want to make it as easy as possible for you to be able to purchase a server that meets your needs.

I don’t think that is asking for too much but everywhere I look, there are barriers for customers. It might be poor design, insufficient stock, technical incompetence or just too high a price. The barriers turn a search for a solution into an ordeal.  

That is why I really can’t wait until the first week of October to showcase something special. Our new site is almost ready to be unleashed and it’s good... Ok it’s very good!

It’s a site which will remove hurdles and be the easiest place to purchase server systems. I think you’ll agree when you first see www.serverstore.com.

We will of course continue to supply quality pre-built server systems such as HP Enterprise and Dell on the site. Our delivery standards will remain high, our prices will remain extremely competitive and our technical knowledge will still support you before, during and after purchase. You’ll be able to buy them straight from the site however there is something a touch more exciting.

The exciting bit we’re offering is customisation. You can customise your trainers, your digital tv package, your car and even the layout of your local newspaper website. So why can’t you customise your server? The simple answer is that now you can.

Server Store will allow you to build a server from scratch on screen and create a system that matches your requirements and your budget. There will be no more trade-off between having to make do with an off the shelf product that doesn’t quite meet your needs or paying through the nose to get system you want.    

The new site features a very easy to use configurator for building your own server which uses high quality components from vendors such as Supermicro, Asus and In-Win. You’ll be able to pick the parts you require to build the perfect system. We’ll then build it and deliver it to you.  

The new site will be launched in the first week of October and I look forward to sharing Server Store with you. I know you’ll love it.

 

In-Win, Keith and biscuits!

As thedistributor for In-Win IPC in the United Kingdom, we’ve had some very successful months and August was no different. Our dedicated In-Win Business Development Manager, Keith Osborne, has been working tirelessly to deliver solutions to new and existing customers.

Due to this ongoing success, we’re pleased to say that we’ve ordered another container of mixed stock, containing OEM project work and chassis for distribution through the UK channel.

If you need to get in touch with us about OEM or In-Win please contact Keith Osborne who will bring the biscuits to your meeting… if you ask nicely!

 

OEM projects and a special offer!

As I’ve mentioned above, August has been a great time for us and OEM projects. We’ve had several projects ordered and completed. These projects show the true diversity of the industries we support because they have been for a wide ride range of markets and of varying size and scale.

Our customers are a great bunch and some work in particularly interesting fields, for example one recent customer is a specialist in satellite tracking! We developed a completely custom 1U chassis for them which would house bespoke internal components.

OEM is a big focus for us now and we would be happy to talk to you or any of your customers to help with their OEM requirements.

As a thank you to our OEM customers, we have a special offer. if you contact us to discuss your OEM requirements during September 2017 and you confirm and pay for the order, we will give you a £100 high street voucher!

No strings, no loyalty card or points needed to be redeemed, just a thank you for supporting Server Case. 

 

Training and development of our team

One thing I am proud of is that we value our staff highly and we invest to make sure they are at the top of their game.  

We will always invest in our people by providing both professional and non-professional qualifications to further their development. We understand that ultimately it ensures that our customers receive the best service possible.

Recently, our senior management team completed a professional Leadership in Management course that will allow us to support our employees to create more positive outcomes. In turn, this will help us to provide a better service to you, our customer.



 

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Sales Speak – August 2017

Published by Mark Lambert on 21st Aug 2017

Welcome to Sales Speak where once a month I’ll be giving you an insight into my team and the world of sales at Server Case.

 

No growing pains here

It’s been a very busy time here generally but especially within the sales team which has nearly doubled in size. 

Thanks to you, our wonderful customers and your increased demand, we have significantly invested in the growth of our company.

We’ve welcomed three skilled and talented technical salespeople. We added Keith Osborne, our In-Win Business Development manager at the end of June and then Tieran Berrey and Luke McDonnell joined as internal sales executives in July.  

All this growth has made it a very exciting time to be part of the sales team and the office is buzzing from all the new conversations with new and existing customers. 

Summer lovin’ or summer blues?

Sales wise it’s a consistent time of the year, people are on holidays, the kids are getting bored and sales tick over, but as much as I love the warm days it’s also frustrating.

I love to continually improve as an individual and deliver more results for my customers and the more relaxed summer pace jars with me. I want many more happy customers and that’s what I want my new recruits to want too.

We are achieving all our sales projections and have just posted our 16/17 accounts which show a growth of 100% in net profit from last year which is an incredible achievement.

We have also significantly increased our stock holding to service the growing demand for our two major brands Logic Case and In-Win.

So, it’s a happy time for us but I’m not one for resting on the beach with a book!

OEM purchases aren’t as difficult as you may think they are

One of this year’s real success stories has been our increase in OEM sales, we have several additional large volume bespoke chassis requirements than this time last year.  

It’s interesting because historically there was a perception from customers that OEM modifications carried high minimum order quantities.  This provided a barrier for those looking to create their own custom chassis in smaller quantities.

We have worked with manufacturers and along with our own knowledgeable sales team we have informed OEM customers that you can purchase from 50 pcs quantities, this makes it realistic for SMEs as well as large companies.

We will continue to focus on this area as it helps support the growth and success of Server Case UK so please do get in touch with our sales team to find out more details on creating your own custom chassis.

The Art of Sales

I love my job. I’ve said it and I’m happy to say I am one of those people who wake up happy to go to work. I’ve got a good team, meaningful challenges and every day I get to talk to great customers.

What I don’t like however is bad sales, shoddy sales techniques, lies and poor service is something which shouldn’t belong in our industry.

Each month, I’ll write a listicle of what makes sales an artform. This is my opinion and mine alone but drop me an email with your thoughts and we can talk server solutions too! 

5 things that make a good sales person are:

 

• Excellent listeners 
• Too many salespeople forget that it’s the customer who has an issue that requires a solution, so listen first and sell appropriately.
• We have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason!
• Excellent product understanding
• This may sound like common sense but you’d be surprised at the lack of product knowledge that I have ran in to whilst I’ve been a customer.
• I love what I do and that starts with knowing the positives and negatives of our products. My team doesn’t just sell, it advises of the correct technical solutions.
• Calm under pressure whilst extremely tenacious
• You customers are a great bunch but sometimes (…and we’ll say just sometimes!) you’re hit with a last-minute rush from your customer and you call me in a fluster. That’s ok, it happens but the important thing is to stay calm and deliver the goods.
• They cannot think in terms of one sale but building a business within our business
• We don’t work in a silo, it’s not about scraping up every penny and upsetting the customer to make a sale. I am proud that at Server Case we work as a team, from technical, to sales, to marketing and delivery, we all work together to provide the best solution for the customer.
• The sales team has an important role within the organisation but our outlook matches the wider outlook.
• Good leadership qualities that allow them to support the rest of their team around them.
• We work together, a team is as strong as its weakest link and using experience to navigate difficult waters is a skill which I intend to pass on to my team.

Thank you to our customers (and our soon to be customers!)

Our customers are key to our success and we believe in excellent customer service, our trust pilot ratings are consistently high (not bragging but 9.6 / 10!)

I’d encourage any new customers to approach us with any enquiry, small or large, so you can see for yourself the service our existing customers receive every time we provide the, with a solution.  

To encourage this, I’d like to offer all new customers in September free delivery on their first order with us through an account manager.

To all existing customers (I haven’t forgotten you!) I would like to offer delivery at 50% of usual cost if you quote the code “servingyou0917”

Have a great month and we’ll speak more sales soon!

Cores for concern?

Published by Andrew McLean on 9th Aug 2017

This summer we’ve seen the launch of Intel’s latest and greatest ‘Core i7 & i9 series with the announcement of the new flagship i9 7980 XE (Xtreme Edition) 18 core (36 Thread) monster scheduled for release in Q3 this year.

Whilst nothing new to the server arena, this number of cores is a gigantic leap for the desktop & workstation market. Until recently (with AMD’s 16 core Ryzen launch earlier this year) most desktop & workstation CPUs have topped out at either 4, 6 or 8 cores……..looks puny in comparison right?....not necessarily.

How many cores do you need?

This depends entirely on what software you are running and what workload you expect your machine to do. For example, a big virtualization server may be running 500 virtual machines in an office block. Each user will need a share of CPU power/ time/ resources as well as memory, storage, network and internet access. Clearly a powerful machine where very much a ‘the more the merrier’ approach to CPU cores and memory will benefit.

A workstation user primarily working on 3D modelling for the movie/ visual FX industry would also benefit from this as the software in this sector will usually use as much RAM and CPU cores as it can because the software is coded to do so.

Change this workstation to a 2D design system for a package like AutoCAD and it can be a different story. Some software is ‘single threaded’ or maybe only coded for 4 cores. In which case you could run it quite happily on intel’s £1500 i9 7980XE 18 Core (36 thread) uber monster beast with ease……..HOWEVER, you will, if that quad threaded software is your main use, have wasted the best part of £1300 because you will only be using 4 of the CPU’s available 18 cores. A quad core (4 core/ 8 Thread) CPU would have been more than sufficient at around £230.

The same logic can be applied to any server, workstation, laptop or gaming PC. They are all very different machines. They all have a specific job to do and should be configured for task. Put simply, tools for the job.

Your business needs aren’t ‘off the peg’...

Neither are our systems.

 

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What's Happening at Server Case UK - August 2017

Published by Arvinder Singh on 7th Aug 2017

It’s an exciting time for Server Case and it means great news for our customers

We’ve had a pretty spectacular time at Server Case in the past few months. We’ve brought in new faces, renewed old relationships and we’ve got a couple of exciting new additions to tell you about.

Team updates

In line with our strategy planning, we have undergone incredible growth the past quarter. I look around the office and I’m happy that we’ve taken on some superb talent. The team are brimming with enthusiasm, confidence and share an outlook which is the same as mine. They are focused on making sure our customers have the best experience possible.

We’ve almost doubled our entire workforce in the last 2 months.  We’ve added quality to our sales team, taken on a new head of technical and brought our marketing in-house with a new marketing manager.

	Tieran Berrey has joined our internal sales team offering server solutions and chassis/components. He comes from Box.co.uk as one of their specialist gaming sales persons. He has extensive technical knowledge with high-end PC’s and has successfully integrated server technologies into his portfolio.  Tieran brings his own brand of humour and life to the office environment.
	Luke McDonnell has joined our internal sales team. He has a degree in computing so is superbly placed to offer technical server solutions and to complement our existing team. Luke has a very bubbly and fun personality which I know customers will love.
	Keith Osborne has joined us as our In-Win Business Development Manager following our successful partnership with In-Win in the UK and Europe for their IPC (Server) chassis. Keith’s job is to develop the UK sales channel for In-Win for both the supply of the chassis, barebones and full server solutions. His wealth of experience is already paying dividends with winning several large projects and penetration into some exciting markets.
	Arvinder Singh has joined us as our own dedicated Marketing Manager. He is chartered by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, he has a MSc in Strategic Marketing and has over 10 years of experience working within very large organisations such as the NHS, MHR and local authorities. Arvinder will be working with the company director and the sales team to develop new marketing strategies, channels, content and to maximise our market share within the UK and Europe.
	Andrew McLean has joined us as the head of technical. He has almost 20 years of experience working with high-end workstations, servers and gaming PC’s and has extensive experience with liquid cooling and other exotic cooling technologies. He has a wealth of technical knowledge and experience. He will be heading up the production team within Server Case UK.

I’d like to welcome them all and I know you’ll receive an excellent service when you speak to any of them.

Systems and quality achievement

I am proud to announce that we have upgraded our ISO certification from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015. This means that our quality management system, policies and procedures focus on meeting and exceeding your expectations, we also:

• have effective supplier management
• have efficient and accurate product assembly
• have efficient and accurate stock management and delivery

The certification recognises our work and we are thrilled to earn it but it’s great to know that we have been working the right way for our customers all this time. 

We have worked hard to make sure we have a customer first culture.

In-win partnership continues to bloom

Our partnership with In-Win continues with the appointment of a new Business Development Manager and we are very happy to be working with a company that provides quality products and shares our values of great customer service.  We’ve worked together for many years now and we look forward to many more.

If you’re looking for In-Win chassis, a barebones offering or full server solutions, our new Business Development Manager, Keith is looking forward to hearing from you.

A sneak peek into the (near) future!

We don’t stand still here at Server Case, not when there are potential solutions for our customers to be developed. So, with that in mind, there are two new exciting developments that we would like to announce;

 

• ServerStore.com
  
  Our new website will be live in the next 2 months!  Server Store is our new customer commerce site and it looks gorgeous! It will be the home for our products and you will be able to easily view and purchase the solutions which fit your requirements.
  
  Wait until you see our configurator and you will be able to create the custom server solution which suits your needs and budget.

 

• Velocity WS
  
  Hot on the heels of Server Store will be a remarkable launch and something we are very proud of.
  
  Velocity WS (the WS stands for workstations) is the home for customisable, purpose built professional workstations for customers who require something special for day to day use.
  
  We envision being the go to solution for Audio Professionals, Video Production, Video Walls/Digital Signage, CAD and many more industry sectors who are not being served well by the many off the shelf products available.
  
  We understand specialist business needs and we have the technical expertise to provide tools not toys.

 

Look out for both and you will hear much more about both websites soon.

 

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