Welcome to the Outlet Store: Reduced-Price Servers for Pre-Production Workloads

Key takeaway

• Not all workloads demand the latest server technologies.
• The Hivelocity Outlet Store was created to provide fully functional previous-generation servers for pre-production workloads at discounted prices. 
• Beyond saving money, organizations can avoid long waits for new server configurations caused by supply chain issues. 

What If You Could Buy Reliable IT Infrastructure at Outlet Store Prices?  

Hivelocity created its Outlet Store to help customers save on servers that aren’t the latest models. Beyond helping customers reduce costs, the Outlet Store solves another critical challenge: the potentially long wait for the latest technologies. Organizations can start using the hardware they need right away. 

Not Every Workload Requires the Same Technology 

Most organizations have multiple workloads with distinct infrastructure requirements. For example, a build farm compiling code overnight does not need the same server configuration as a production database processing live transactions around the clock. A dev/staging sandbox analyzing de-identified data does not need the same configuration as a healthcare system that processes patient data. 
 
Those build farm and sandbox workloads require “Tier 1” hardware, which might have fewer cores, less memory, and lower-capacity storage than servers supporting production workloads. Organizations need dedicated hardware and real performance for Tier 1 engineering workloads, but they don’t need resources that are only necessary for production workloads.  

In fact, Tier 1 hardware is the right fit for a wide range of pre-production tasks: 

• SaaS companies use Tier 1 hardware for single-tenant dev and staging environments, and per-customer isolated builds
• Fintech teams use it for foundational finance applications that are not yet touching PCI-scoped data 
• Streaming and media teams use it for engineering and pre-production environments before content goes live 
• Gaming studios use it for build farms and asset pipelines 
• Healthcare teams use it for dev/staging and analyzing de-identified data that does not qualify as protected health information (PHI) 

These Tier 1 servers should offer the same quality as larger systems—and they should deliver robust, dedicated performance. But they can be matched to the jobs they are currently doing, instead of the jobs they might do someday.

Avoiding the Wait for New Technology 

Supply chain delays have meant that many organizations have to wait for new hardware. In particular, demand for new servers to support AI workloads has led to memory shortages. In some cases, the lead times to receive servers have been extended by weeks or months. 

Some workloads can’t wait for new hardware. Organizations can’t delay running pre-production workloads, which are essential for developing and testing new products. But they also don’t need to wait for the latest technology.  
 

Finding the Right Fit for Pre-Production Workloads 

As Hivelocity continues upgrading its fleet, we move fully functional server configurations to a new section of the store and price them to move. The Hivelocity Outlet Store enables organizations to buy in-stock servers to meet the immediate needs of Tier 1 workloads—all at lower prices than the latest configurations. 

These servers work exactly as they should. They just aren’t the latest releases anymore. And that’s fine for those pre-production workloads. Whether organizations need a sandbox to test new features, spin up a proof of concept, or deploy a build farm that runs all night, these servers fit the bill.  

Waiting and paying for higher-performance or larger-capacity servers does not make much fiscal sense. Organizations do not need to pay for headroom that a dev environment will never use. Every dollar saved on a Tier 1 workload can be invested in the environment that needs greater processing performance, memory, or storage.  

Observing the Fitting Room Rules 

There are just a few caveats to the Hivelocity Outlet Store: 

• Outlet servers are sold as-is. There are no custom upgrades available. Eliminating configuration options helps keep pricing low.  
• Availability is limited. In some cases, there might be only one server in a particular configuration.  
• Pricing is month to month. No long-term contract is required. Organizations can upgrade to a more powerful dedicated server later.  

Exploring the Outlet Store 

Not every workload requires the newest system on the shelf. Tier 1 workloads—for development, proofs of concept, and build farms—do not demand servers with excessive headroom to meet future needs. With the Hivelocity Outlet Store, your organization can address requirements for those pre-production workloads without the high costs or long waits associated with the latest-generation systems.  
 
Visit the Outlet Store on the Hivelocity website to see what is available.

FAQ

Q: Are Outlet Store servers fully functional systems?   
A: Yes. Outlet Store servers are fully functional systems that are just no longer the newest configuration available. 

Q: Can Outlet Store servers be customized?  
A: No. Outlet Store servers are sold as-is with no custom configuration options. Eliminating those options keeps prices low. If you need a custom build, select from the Hivelocity standard dedicated server catalog. 

Q: Will there be multiple servers in each configuration? 
A: Not necessarily. The Outlet Store has limited stock. In some cases, there might only be one server in any particular configuration. 

Q: Do Outlet Store servers require a long-term contract, like colocation or standard dedicated servers?  
A: No. Outlet Store servers are offered on a month-to-month basis with no long-term commitment required. 

Q: What if a workload outgrows an Outlet Store server?  
A: You can move up to a more powerful dedicated server as your requirements change.  

Q: What kinds of workloads make the most sense for Outlet Store infrastructure?  
A: The best fits for Outlet Store servers are Tier 1 engineering workloads that do not require production-grade headroom or compliance, such as dev/staging, build farms, proofs of concept, and de-identified analytics. For production workloads and those that involve regulated data, Hivelocity Tier 2 and Tier 3 offerings are the right fit.