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February 13, 2009
• Vol.31 Issue 7
Page(s) 10 in print issue
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Used Equipment Without The Risks
Stallard Technologies Backs Up Its Preowned Servers & PCs With Warranties
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 Buying used PCs, servers, storage devices, and other equipment can certainly save an enterprise substantial money. But although the savings might look good on a balance sheet, the risks associated with purchasing used equipment on the cheap are many.
Running a data center network is already enough of an ordeal without having to worry about when the next system will crash from component failure due to used equipment’s extra years of wear and tear. Additionally, many fret over the risk of having to devote precious manpower to update BIOSes or system software on hundreds of aging machines in order to get them up-to-speed for a modern enterprise’s demands. Given these and other potential pitfalls, it’s standard policy for some enterprises to never purchase used servers, workstations, storage devices, or components at all.
Bridging the gap between the cost-savings benefits and the risk factors associated with purchasing used equipment is where Stallard Technologies (877/851-2260; www.stikc.com) enters the picture.
 Balancing Savings & Risk
Stallard’s mission is to offer significant cost savings to small to midsized enterprises seeking off-lease Dell PCs, servers, storage solutions, and components, with the added security of backing what it sells with warranties and guarantees. For example, Stallard Technologies offers a free one-year warranty with each system, which can be extended up to three years. It also offers onsite maintenance and repair services.
As an added quality standard, 99.9% of all equipment the company receives for resale is already fully functional, says Phil Poje, chief marketing officer for Stallard Technologies.
“Everyone is looking for ways to lower their costs of IT infrastructure yet maintain the performance,” Poje says. “Using [our] preowned equipment can save 40 to 60% over new equipment, and it demonstrates good corporate stewardship as it relates to the environment.”
The Reliability Factor
Practically any firm can pay lip service to claims that it offers used off-lease equipment that poses few risks compared to new servers, workstations, storage devices, and other hardware. But in addition to backing what it sells with warranties, Stallard Technologies says it puts all hardware it receives through processes to ensure that it meets stringent quality standards prior to its resale.
When Dell servers, workstations, and storage systems are received, for example, Stallard says all processors, memory components, and hard drives are removed, tested, and inventoried. The hard drives’ data is deleted using secure data removal technology, Poje says.
“Our Dell-certified technicians reconfigure the equipment to exact specifications and conduct a 20-point inspection of each unit,” Poje says. “Our technicians thoroughly test and update the BIOS and firmware of all equipment before shipping.”
The SME Niche
All too often, budget constraints slam the brakes on just getting the equipment an IT department really needs, and procuring high-end equipment, which could really boost an enterprise network’s and data center’s efficiency, is out of the question due to cost constraints. To help remedy this dilemma, Stallard Technologies aims to create buying opportunities for SMEs that would otherwise not be able to afford new and more expensive hardware.
“I see our equipment becoming more in demand within data centers as we give smaller and medium-sized companies the ability to create [data centers] and networks that they might not have been able to afford with new equipment and without the need for leases,” says Ryan Conlan, operations manager at Stallard Technologies and a Dell Certified Systems Expert. “All of our hardware can run any of today’s applications, so the need for the latest and greatest is not as prevalent. However, we still offer the latest Dell servers for networks that have those demands.”
Mindsets are also evolving so that data center managers are beginning to rely on used equipment to do the heavy lifting required for new applications, Conlan says. For example, Stallard Technologies is increasingly selling equipment to buyers that seek servers with virtualization capabilities to reduce redundant server capacity. “There is now an understanding that preowned equipment can handle the requirements of most business needs,” Conlan says.
Stallard’s range of offerings includes such high-end products as Dell rackmount, blade, and tower servers; workstations; storage appliances and tape drives; and components, including CPUs, memory modules, hard drives, and graphics cards. The firm’s high-end server line includes a 4x dual-core Xeon 3.4GHz Dell PowerEdge 6800 with 32GB of RAM. For workstations, Stallard Technologies offers a 2x 2.8GHz Xeon Dell Precision 670 with 2GB of RAM. Although the firm does offer entry-level Dell equipment, Stallard Technologies aims to keep pace with the industry by offering cutting-edge Dell hardware that remains very affordable compared to new versions of the equipment.
“With the arrival of solid-state drives, eight- or 16-core processors, and virtualization software, it will be very exciting to see what the industry will come up with next,” Conlan says.
Growth By Word Of Mouth
Based in America’s heartland in Overland Park, Kan., Stallard Technologies has seen significant growth locally from what Conlan calls an explosion of data centers. “Kansas City has become a welcome place for data centers with its lack of natural disasters,” Conlan says. “We have seen numerous companies implement our hardware in local data centers, and that trend will only continue as the word gets out about us.”
The firm is also geared to meet data center and enterprise computing demands for customers around the United States or overseas, as well as locally, Conlan says. “Currently, our production team is working on several large server and workstation orders. One includes filling a shipping container with six different Dell models so it can be shipped to Vietnam, where we hope to start a new business relationship within Asia,” Conlan says. “Another is working with a local school district, supplying them with hundreds of workstations to be used in local schools.” 
by Bruce Gain
Company Information
 Stallard Technologies
Location: Overland Park, Kan.
URL: www.stikc.com
Date Company Founded: 2003
Interesting Fact: Stallard claims it can replace defective parts faster than OEMs.
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