--- title: "Servers, storage and hardware engineering" description: "Server and storage design, firmware and BIOS management, diagnostics and break-fix, lifecycle planning and hardware security, across vendors." url: https://www.expandware.com/services/data-centers/servers-storage-and-hardware/ section: "Services" topics: ["Data Centers and Infrastructure", "Redfish", "IPMI", "UEFI Secure Boot", "TPM 2.0"] publisher: "Expandware Private Limited" --- # Servers, storage and hardware engineering Server and storage design, firmware and BIOS management, diagnostics and break-fix, lifecycle planning and hardware security, across vendors. Hardware engineered down to the firmware. When an application is slow or a server fails intermittently, the cause is often below the operating system: a BIOS setting, a firmware bug, a degraded drive or memory errors that correct themselves until they do not. Our engineers work at that level, with baseboard management controllers, firmware, storage controllers and diagnostics across vendors, and they design server and storage platforms that are configured correctly from the first boot. Where it usually starts: - Servers fail intermittently, and the logs above the hardware show nothing. - Firmware has not been updated, because nobody knows whether it is safe to. - Storage performance degrades, and the cause is unclear. - Warranty and support contracts on critical hardware are about to expire. What is included: - Platform design: Server and storage specifications matched to the workload, not to a catalog. - Firmware and BIOS management: Baselines, tested updates and security settings across the fleet. - Out of band management: BMC, iDRAC, iLO and Redfish configured, secured and monitored. - Storage engineering: SAN, NAS, NVMe and software defined storage designed and tuned. - Diagnostics and break-fix: Hardware faults traced to the component and resolved with the vendor. - Lifecycle management: Warranty, support and refresh planned before they lapse. Where it sits: Servers and storage make up the rack layer of the data center architecture, between the facility and the workloads. This service engineers them down to firmware so the layers above run on predictable hardware. Decisions to settle early: - Extend or refresh. Extending the life of sound hardware with third-party support can save money; refreshing failing or inefficient hardware can save more. Each platform is judged on its own. - One vendor or several. A single vendor simplifies support and tooling; several improve pricing and resilience. Standards such as Redfish keep a mixed fleet manageable. - Array or software defined storage. Arrays offer mature support; software defined storage offers flexibility and scale. The workload and the team decide. How the work runs: Assess, Fleet, firmware and failure history. Baseline, Configuration and firmware standards. Remediate, Updates and fixes in planned windows. Sustain, Monitoring and lifecycle planning. How it is bought: - A fixed-fee assessment: We inventory the fleet, its firmware and warranty status, and review the failure history. You receive the risks, a baseline proposal and a fixed price for remediation. - A fixed-price build: Baselines, tested firmware updates, storage design or tuning and fault resolution for the scope agreed, at a fixed price. - Running it afterwards: Lifecycle management, monitoring of management controllers and break-fix can continue monthly. Worked example, a fault the logs could not see. Say a hospital's database servers restart without warning every few weeks, the operating system logs show nothing, and the vendor's support has replaced parts without curing it. - Collect: We pull management controller logs and hardware event records from every affected server, and compare their firmware and BIOS settings. - Trace: The restarts line up with corrected memory errors on servers running one firmware version, which the healthy servers are not running. - Remediate: The firmware is updated in planned windows after testing, and a failing memory module is replaced, with the evidence sent to the vendor. - Baseline: A firmware and configuration baseline is set for the whole fleet, and management controllers are monitored so the next fault is seen early. At the end, the restarts have stopped, the cause is documented, and every server runs a tested baseline instead of whatever it shipped with. (An illustration, not a client account.) What you have at the end: - Hardware inventory with firmware versions: Every server and storage system with its model, serial number, warranty and current firmware. - Configuration and firmware baselines: The approved BIOS, firmware and security settings for each platform, tested and recorded. - Storage design and performance tests: The storage architecture, and its measured performance against the workload it serves. - Fault reports with root cause: What failed, the evidence, the component responsible, and how it was resolved with the vendor. - Lifecycle and refresh plan: Warranty and support dates for the fleet, with refresh timing and budget. Standards and platforms worked with: Redfish, IPMI, UEFI Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, NVMe, Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem, Supermicro, NetApp, Pure Storage. Where it goes wrong, and what we design out: - Firmware left alone out of fear. Never updating firmware leaves known faults and vulnerabilities in place. Updates are tested and staged. - Management controllers exposed. Out of band interfaces on the main network are an easy way in. They are isolated and monitored. - Warranties discovered after they lapse. Expired support turns a fault into a crisis. Lifecycle dates are tracked ahead of time. What it changes: - Faults found at the source. Intermittent failures are traced to the component instead of being worked around. - A fleet that behaves alike. Firmware and configuration baselines remove the differences that cause surprises. - Hardware secured below the operating system. Secure boot, firmware integrity and locked down management controllers close a commonly missed layer. How you will know it is working: - Every server runs a recorded baseline. - Intermittent faults are traced to a component. - Warranty and support dates are known before they lapse. - Storage performance matches the workload it serves. Who you work with: - Hardware engineer. Investigates faults to the component and owns the firmware baselines. - Storage engineer. Designs and tunes storage to the measured workload. - Lifecycle coordinator. Tracks warranties, support contracts and refresh plans. What we need from you: - Access to management controllers and hardware logs. - Your asset inventory and support contracts. - The history of faults and the actions taken. - Maintenance windows for firmware updates. Common questions: Q: Why does firmware matter so much? A: Firmware controls how hardware behaves, and it is increasingly a target for attackers. Outdated firmware causes instability, performance problems and security exposure that no operating system patch can fix. Q: Do you work across hardware vendors? A: Yes, including Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Supermicro and Cisco servers and the major storage platforms, which matters in estates that have grown through several purchasing decisions. Q: Can you extend the life of existing hardware? A: Often, through firmware updates, component upgrades and third party maintenance where the original warranty has ended, with the risk of each option stated so the decision is informed. Q: How are management controllers secured? A: On an isolated management network, with default credentials removed, firmware current, unused services disabled and access logged, because a compromised controller gives an attacker control below the operating system. Q: How do you update firmware safely? A: By testing each update on representative hardware first, reading the release notes for known issues, scheduling updates in maintenance windows and rolling them out across the fleet in stages. Every update has a rollback path where the hardware allows it, and the baseline record is updated afterwards. Q: Can you help us choose between vendors for a new platform? A: Yes. We specify the platform from the workload, then compare vendors on performance, management tooling, support terms, lead times and total cost. We work across Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Supermicro and the main storage vendors, so the comparison is made on how each behaves in operation, not on datasheets. Q: What is Redfish? A: A standard API for managing servers out of band, through their management controllers. It lets firmware, configuration and health be managed the same way across vendors, which is what makes fleet-wide baselines and automation practical. Q: Do you handle storage performance problems? A: Yes. We measure the workload's actual input and output pattern, compare it with what the storage was designed for, and trace the bottleneck, which may be the array, the network, the host configuration or the application. The fix follows the evidence. Often paired with: Hardware and rack integration, Hybrid and private cloud, Decommissioning and IT asset disposition. --- Canonical page: https://www.expandware.com/services/data-centers/servers-storage-and-hardware/ Site index for machines: https://www.expandware.com/llms.txt Full site text: https://www.expandware.com/llms-full.txt Expandware Private Limited. Inquiries: solutions@expandware.com, +92 (333) 32 11011.