Intel is InBusiness with own-brand box

Intel will introduce its own-brand server appliances to the UK market in April.

Intel will introduce its own-brand server appliances to the UK market in April. Aimed at businesses with up to 25 users, the InBusiness Small Office Network features an embedded version of Windows NT called Windows for Express Networks.

Intel is calling the product a 'multi-function appliance' which performs file sharing and print services, provides shared Internet access, acts as an email server and includes 13Gb of storage and an eight-port hub.

Steve Hardy, small-business products manager at Intel, said the operating system is invisible to users, and the box is a sealed unit to which it is impossible to add any new software. "This is not a server, but it is the first step towards networked computing for small businesses. The latest figures show 80 per cent of small businesses use PCs, but only 40 per cent are networked," he said.

Tim Woodward, proprietor of SME reseller Aegis, said: "This sounds like the perfect example of a product aimed at the end-user, not resellers.

It is priced very competitively, easy to use and low-maintenance - but why would a reseller want to sell it?"

Woodward said any reseller worth its salt could put together an equivalent turnkey solution, out of separate components, and make more money. But an all-in-one appliance like this is more competitive than bespoke reseller solutions, he added.

"It's a shame there is no way to add applications. The way it is, retail or direct sales seems the most obvious route to market."

Although Intel sells directly over the Web in the US, Hardy said the vendor is still committed to the channel in Europe. However, he added: "We are evaluating other channels to market." Hardy said Internet service providers and other service providers have expressed an interest in the product.

There has been no tension between Intel and its OEM partners over the components vendor introducing its own-brand products to the market, he claimed.

The InBusiness server has a US list price of $1,499 (£949), and a version with a second mirrored hard drive and ISDN plus DSL options costs $1,999.