It probably comes as no surprise that the venerable HP DL380 G9 is again the SmallBizWindows Server of the Year award winner.

It is powerful: the Proliant DL380 G9 (9^th generation) uses the very latest in available parts to deliver the highest performance to date. Proliant DL380 is equipped with up to 2 Intel Xeon E5-2600 V3 CPUs, with up to 18 total cores, up to 1.5 TB of DDR4 RAM spread over 24 DIMM slots, and 6 expansion slots, all this in a 2U package.

It is highly manageable: HP Proliant servers come with HP Integrated Lights Out or iLO management. This allows users to delve into virtually all configurational aspects of the server to achieve desired implementation.

It is extremely reliable: a 3-year parts, labor, and on-site warranty is included.

It plays well with others: HP Proliant DL380 plus iLO works magnificently with Microsoft Systems Center. I mean, what more could you ask for?

As I go to ‘press’, the HP Proliant DL380 has spawned an offspring: the HPE HyperConverged 380*.

The HyperConverged 380 is the first, and entry-level product in HPE’s futuristic ‘Composable Architecture’ line.

I learned a little bit more about it at the recent HPE Cloud Tech Day in Houston, and I will be bringing you more on it if I can snag briefing from the product manager for the product.

As a result of these goodness, the HP Proliant DL380 G9 is the 2016 SmallBizWindows Server of the Year.

*I don’t know if that’s the full, and correct trade name for the product. I will post an update when I verify.

Specific Server Categories
Blade Server
We did not have any requirement for blade servers this year.

Subsequently, we did not test or review any of the new blades.

However, our champion from 2015, the HP Proliant BL460c G9 still stands supreme. In our minds.

RackMount Server
The HP Proliant DL380. See above.

Tower Server
The much loved HP Proliant ML350.

That’s our workhorse, our Logikworx Management Server, and present in every location we manage, including all ROBO locations.

HPE Proliant ML350

ICYMI: HPE has a new entry-level tower server, the HPE Proliant ML10. I cannot wait to get that puppy on a test bench!

Finally, I have been challenged to try other server OEMs as review foils – my words J - or baseline/reference systems.

For continuity’s sake, and for consistency, I will validate a single OEM with which we shall work across all the server lines we utilize. That seems only fair. Stay tuned.