Blade servers have ushered in a new era in IT reliability and performance. They have helped enterprises reduce capital expenses and also save time, power, cooling, and floor space. They support server virtualization and consolidation initiatives that control cost and enhance flexibility. These are all clear benefits for an IT organization trying to satisfy the increasing demands of its business and striving to do more with less.

However, to achieve the best results, blade technology needs to be implemented with a view to the overall, end-to-end environment. While blade servers provide an excellent base for building an IT infrastructure that lowers costs and risks, appropriate best practices need to be adopted to help blades fully deliver on their impressive promise.

This white paper outlines some of these required best practices. It provides a "day in the life" glimpse of what happens in an actual environment where such practices have not been implemented and the consequences that ensued. It concludes with a list of benefits and cost savings that can be realized as companies implement each recommended practice.