X
Tech

Internet of Things: Lenovo's new edge server isn't much bigger than a notebook

MWC 2019: Lenovo's ThinkSystem SE350 is a purpose-built server designed to live on the edge of the network.
Written by Charles McLellan, Senior Editor

Lenovo's Data Center Group (DCG), which recently announced its fifth consecutive quarter of profit growth on revenue of $1.6 billion, has unveiled a portfolio of edge/IoT-related products and services at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

ThinkSystem SE350

The ThinkSystem SE350 is Lenovo's first purpose-built edge server, designed to live not in a traditional data centre, but in locations close to where data is generated, in order to address issues surrounding security, latency, bandwidth and downtime. It's a small-footprint server measuring 1.75 inches high, 8.1 inches wide and 14.9 inches deep that can be mounted on a wall, stacked on a shelf or installed in a rack.

lenovo-thinksystem-se350.jpg

The Xeon-D based ThinkSystem SE350 is a half-width, short-depth, 1U edge server with multiple connectivity options.

Image: Lenovo

The ThinkSystem SE350 is a high-performance server based on Intel's Xeon-D processor with 256GB of RAM and 16TB of internal solid-state storage. Multiple connectivity options are offered, including wired Ethernet, wi-fi and cellular LTE.

SEE: Sensor'd enterprise: IoT, ML, and big data (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)

Because it will deploy in a variety of locations, security is a key consideration. The ThinkSystem SE350 includes encrypted storage and physical security features, such as a locking bezel, along with intrusion and tamper-detection mechanisms. The server will also feature 'zero-touch' deployment software.

The ThinkSystem SE350 will come to market in the summer, Lenovo says.

Edge/IoT partnerships

Lenovo has also teamed up with various industry partners to support a number of edge/IoT use cases. These include: Pivot3, which is working with Lenovo on smart city applications; Scale Computing, which along with Lenovo will enable retail customers to deploy mini-data centres at the network edge; VMware, whose Project Dimension will extend VMware Cloud to a software-defined data center in a hyperconverged appliance-as-a service; software vendors and communication service providers, in emerging areas like MEC (multi-access edge computing), C-RAN (cloud radio access network) and O-RAN (open radio access network); and Orange, with whom Lenovo has established a Joint Innovation Partnership focusing on composable hardware using Intel Rack Scale Design

PREVIOUS AND RELATED COVERAGE

Lenovo: New Chromebook, Yoga and ThinkPads with LTE-A, gigabit Wi-Fi and revamped security
New business-focused computers unveiled at MWC in Barcelona, with a mix of premium machines and low-cost offerings for frontline workers.

The Windows 10 security guide: How to safeguard your business
How do you configure Windows 10 PCs to avoid common security problems? There's no software magic bullet, unfortunately, and the tools are different for small businesses and enterprises. Here's what to watch out for.

Arm unveils Neoverse N1, E1 platforms for cloud-to-edge infrastructure
After hearing criticisms about the performance of its platforms, the latest generation of Neoverse platforms brings significant improvements, Arm says.

Open source Spectrum library enables edge processing of images for faster performance (TechRepublic)
Spectrum can be used to perform image processing on smartphones before uploading data to servers, providing higher quality images than native APIs.

5G's low communication delays are the real revolution (CNET)
Low communication latency is why 5G will be radically different from today's mobile networks.

Editorial standards