RealScale sharpens blades for UK invasion

Server technology developer to set up UK channel programme

France- and Belgium-based server technology developer RealScale Technologies is to launch operations across the rest of Europe, starting with the UK.

The company is setting up a channel programme in September and will put 20 per cent of its business through resellers, rising to 80 per cent next year.

Founded in 1997, RealScale manufactures server blades, hot chipsets that can be inserted into its I-Cluster server platform. I-Cluster is capable of holding up to 240 processors, with each blade featuring mirrored hard drives up to 30Gb and Ram of up to 1Gb.

A CompactFlash slot on each blade means the contents of any hard drive can be transferred onto any server blade without installing separate software.

Paul Vanbosterhaut, RealScale's vice president of European marketing, said: "RealScale comes from a 100 per cent direct background, but with the European launch we want to expand into the channel and develop the business we do with our partners year on year. Ideally the company will look to system integrators or resellers with server installation experience."

Thomas Meyer, research manager for European enterprise server solutions at analyst IDC, said that, as a new venture, RealScale would have to attract reference studies and contract wins for its technology to woo potential partners.

"Obviously RealScale is a small company but with its positioning there is no reason why it will not be successful. The technology is good and RealScale has consultancy experience, so if the company can deliver on what it promises it will do well," he said.