With this near-perfect fit, it’s not surprising that many HP BladeSystem users count on HP Care Pack Services not only for installation and startup assistance but also for hardware support, software support and myriad other services that undergird their day-to-day operations. But look a little deeper and new levels of complexity emerge.

Bladed environments tend to be very dense, highly consolidated and extensively virtualized. Multiple components of your mission-critical applications may be running on multiple blades scattered across your environment. Or a BladeSystem may be functioning as a multifaceted “data center in a box”— increasing the risk that a single system outage or failure in a service management process could bring your business to a standstill.

Optimizing business outcomes in such complex environments demands higher levels of support than basic “foundation services” can provide. HP is continuously evolving the HP Care Pack portfolio to deliver this added business value — while at the same time working to retain the easy-to-buy, easy-to-use packaged services format.

BladeSystem environmental complexity makes upfront proactive planning a top priority for avoiding glitches down the road. And with fewer than 20 percent of outages now attributable to technology failures, people and process issues are more vital than ever.

HP’s ITSM Quick Assessment Care Pack service can help on both fronts. Service management specialists draw on some 1200 ITIL-based best practices to evaluate your current capabilities, identify areas of service delivery risk and chart effective improvement plans.

HP Care Pack installation and startup services take time and risk out of the implementation process for the complete BladeSystem infrastructure. From preliminary planning and delivery to installation, configuration, integration, testing, migration and staff orientation, our highly trained professionals can help ensure a rapid, trouble-free deployment.

For speedy, successful implementation of network interconnects, HP Enhanced Network Installation and Startup Service for HP BladeSystem (PDF) provides expert planning assistance and configuration and testing of Ethernet network interconnect devices and Virtual Connect solutions.

Looking to enhance the business value of your blade environment as it grows in size and complexity?

Mission Critical and Proactive Services help you build and maintain a highly available, secure, and manageable HP BladeSystem infrastructure that adapts to change as your business changes. We work with you to increase availability across all the components of your IT environment.

With HP Proactive BladeSystem Care Pack service, you can establish a personalized, consultative relationship with an HP account support manager who works with your staff to understand your goals and objectives, assess your current operational capabilities and offer recommendations for improvements. Coverage spans your HP bladed infrastructure. Plus, you can obtain specialized technical consulting in your choice of focal areas including power and cooling, virtualization, security and ITIL best practices.

HP Care Pack service packages reach deep into your data center — at both the infrastructure and facility levels.

You can choose services targeting improvements in your server, storage, network, management or software operations.

For facilities optimization, HP’s Energy Efficiency Services portfolio encompasses BladeSystem-specific power and cooling assessments, as well as “green” design strategy consulting.

HP Virtualization Support Services help your business gain the most from virtualization in a blades environment — whether that means optimizing previous initiatives or deploying new solutions. Our virtualization experts provide a consultative, practical approach to harnessing the extraordinary power of virtualization technology and driving success for all your important business objectives.

The solutions described here represent just a small sampling of the comprehensive HP Care Pack Services portfolio. From planning to roll-out to ongoing management, HP Services professionals and HP Authorized Service partners deliver packaged support solutions that span the BladeSystem lifecycle.