Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Dell Unveils Efficient Enterprise Computing Portfolio, Freeing Customers from Costly and Proprietary Technology

Answering the new economic challenges faced by customers large and small, Dell today debuted a breakthrough portfolio of products and services specifically designed to help businesses become more efficient throughout the IT lifecycle and maximize their most valuable resources: people, time and money. The combination of innovative software and services with next-generation storage and server products, offers customers technology solutions specifically designed to cut costs and increase efficiency.
  • Fourteen new enterprise products help customers cut costs and complexity through simplified management, industry leading virtualization and innovative design
  • New blades, servers and workstations set standards in performance, design and energy efficiency
  • New enterprise-class storage hardware, software and services optimized for virtualized environments
  • New software and services obliterate cost and complexity of IT management

Answering the new economic challenges faced by customers large and small, Dell today debuted a breakthrough portfolio of products and services specifically designed to help businesses become more efficient throughout the IT lifecycle and maximize their most valuable resources: people, time and money. The combination of innovative software and services with next-generation storage and server products, offers customers technology solutions specifically designed to cut costs and increase efficiency.

“Data center operations require a holistic view to reduce overall operational costs, whether that is people, time or money over a technology lifecycle,” said Michelle Bailey, VP of Enterprise Platforms and Data Center Trends at IDC. “Dell is focused on how it integrates and aligns the enterprise technologies across its product portfolio to help companies simplify and manage their organizations’ IT infrastructure.”

The News:

The new 11th Generation PowerEdge servers and Precision workstations based on the next generation of Intel’s Xeon processors give customers phenomenal performance, exceptional management capabilities and thermals that help customers make the most of their IT infrastructure.

The new PowerEdge portfolio will offer optimal virtualization, system management, and usability capabilities while Dell’s PowerEdge R710 provides the industry’s best performance per watt. Embedded in all new 11th Generation PowerEdge servers is the new Dell Lifecycle Controller that delivers integrated manageability through a single access point.

Dell M-series blade architecture has 27 percent lower acquisition cost and delivers 17 percent lower TCO over 5 years per rack compared to HP c-Class.

Dell ImageDirect Server simplifies transitions and image management for servers. Companies can now create and manage server images and have them factory-installed, eliminating time-consuming manual configuration, reducing deployment and IT staff time by up to 45 percent. Dell ImageDirect allows the rapid stabilization of new servers with ready to deploy optimized configurations and a reduction of unwanted drift from desired configuration states at the time of deployment.

The new Dell Precision T7500, T5500 and T3500 tower workstations provide one of the market’s broadest set of ISV certifications and are purpose-built for engineering, media, entertainment and biosciences industries. Select configurations of the new workstations have achieved Energy Star 5.0 certification.

Dell challenges HP’s proprietary management framework with the introduction of Dell Management Console (DMC), a software solution powered by Altiris™ from Symantec, designed to unite systems management across IT environments into a single console. Dell’s standards-based, open approach to manageability includes tight integration with world-class systems management solutions. A comparable solution from HP requires up to 9 consoles. DMC can reduce or eliminate manual systems management processes, allowing businesses to save time and money that can be redirected to more strategic technology use.

Dell today also announced new EqualLogic PS6000 storage arrays that offer customers increased performance, advanced virtualization capabilities and even greater value than previous generations. To help enterprises preserve and extend their existing investments, the PS6000 series integrates seamlessly into existing EqualLogic storage area networks (SANs) to form a virtualized pool of storage. Dell is unveiling SAN Headquarters, a centralized dashboard that monitors performance and events for dozens of PS Series groups, potentially more than 10 PB of SAN storage. SAN Headquarters is available to any EqualLogic customer with a support agreement at no additional cost.

Data Center Consulting improves data center performance and reduces costs for customers—appreciably reducing data center hardware costs through server virtualization and storage/backup optimization. With tools and technology, Dell delivers specific and measurable outcomes within days and weeks not months and years.

New Systems Management Consulting and tools improve data center operations from server provisioning and maintenance, to availability monitoring and service-level management through asset retirement.

What this means for customers:

More than ever, Large Enterprise CIOs and IT Decision Makers are being challenged to cut their budgets yet continue to drive innovation. Dell’s new portfolio of products and services cut costs and complexity in the data center through world-class virtualization capabilities, embedded management and storage solutions that provide phenomenal performance and outstanding value.

In the realities of today’s economic environment, Small and Medium Businesses need easy-to-manage and reliable IT solutions with exceptional value to stay productive and competitive. Designed for growing businesses, Dell’s new portfolio of products and services can help customers easily and efficiently expand a growing business with reliable, easy to use, secure, and scalable solutions.

From education to healthcare and government, Public Sector customers are struggling with some common issues – keeping costs down while adhering to increasingly stringent security, compliance and environmental regulations. Dell’s portfolio of open hardware and software products allows these customers to seamlessly and easily integrate technology from multiple vendors so they can better serve their constituencies while keeping costs down.

Customer Quotes:

Claus Moldt, vice president of technical operations, salesforce:

“Dell is paving the way in architecting systems for our future data center needs. As a long time Dell PowerEdge customer, salesforce.com uses Dell's infrastructure to power over a hundred million transactions a day for our 1.5 million subscribers."

Stephen C. Hassell, vice president and chief information officer, Emerson:

"One of Emerson’s key business strategies is to deliver data center energy-efficiency solutions to our customers, and we also are extremely focused on ensuring that our own data centers are as operationally and energy efficient as possible. So when we began a consolidation of Emerson’s data centers and planning for a new state-of-the-art center, we conducted an exhaustive search for next-generation blade servers that delivered both high performance, especially in a virtualized environment, and energy-efficiency gains. That is why we selected Dell’s eleventh-generation PowerEdge blade servers.”

Dell Quotes:

Steve Schuckenbrock, president, Dell Large Enterprise:

“Today’s economic realities are placing a premium on value and efficiency from technology. Today we are unlocking customers from proprietary technology and services, and yesterday’s IT economics. Whether through next generation blades with onboard systems management, or modular services, we’re putting them on the path to today’s Efficient Enterprise.”

Brad Anderson, senior vice president, Dell Enterprise Product Group:

“The entire value proposition of business technology has changed. Businesses no longer have to choose between tackling growing compute demands and keeping costs low. Dell’s new suite of servers, workstations, storage, software and services offers the whole package: powerful, efficient and affordable infrastructure products with simple tools to manage them without the need for costly services engagements.”

Paul Bell, president, Dell Public:

"Customers in the public sector share a common mission - to serve the public. They need technology that enables them to better meet the needs of their students, patients and constituents. By leveraging the breakthrough technology in this suite of enterprise products, public customers can deliver first-class education, medical care and government services with fewer systems, reduced energy usage and less management complexity."

Partner Quotes:

Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager, Server Platforms Group, Intel

“The technology industry is at another tipping point. The global economic environment is driving CIOs and IT decision makers to do more with less while, at the same time, advances in industry standards have made enterprise technology more affordable than ever before. Customers have a unique opportunity today to rethink their enterprise computing environments in order to emerge from the recession more competitive. Together, Dell and Intel are leveraging over two decades of leadership in standards-based innovation to help customers create the efficient enterprise.”

Greg Hughes, group president, Enterprise Product Group, Symantec:

“Customers are looking for open infrastructure solutions that are simple to implement and manage and can grow with evolving business needs. Dell Management Console, powered by Altiris from Symantec, challenges the proprietary management frameworks from other vendors by integrating with Symantec’s leading systems management solutions for a single view of a customer’s total IT environment.”

Brian Byun, vice president of global alliances, VMware:

"VMware and Dell share a common mission to help businesses do more with less. We achieve that through the combination of Dell servers and storage with VMware's industry-leading virtualization solutions. Through our longstanding alliance with Dell, VMware is helping customers of all sizes across industries achieve an efficient, reliable, scalable and flexible infrastructure platform for delivery of IT as a service."

Dell EqualLogic PS6000 Storage Arrays, Enhanced Software Suite Provide Customers Increased Performance and Value

Dell announced availability of the Dell EqualLogic PS6000 series of storage arrays that offer customers increased performance, advanced virtualization capabilities and even greater value than previous generations. To help enterprises preserve and extend their existing investments, the EqualLogic PS6000 series integrates seamlessly into existing EqualLogic storage area networks (SANs) to form a virtualized pool of storage. The new Dell EqualLogic hardware and software, which are a part of Dell’s broad storage portfolio that includes the Dell PowerVault and DellEMC product lines, help enterprises easily enhance existing installations.
  • PS6000 Series includes Solid State Drive array to boost database and virtual desktop performance.
  • New EqualLogic SAN HeadQuarters software offers centralized monitoring and event reporting at no additional cost.
  • Dell EqualLogic snapshot integration with Microsoft Hyper-V allows for rapid restore of virtual machines.
  • New Dell ProConsult Storage consulting services that help customers better manage their data.
  • Dell NX4 availability extends already robust storage portfolio to address customer’s enterprise file storage needs; demonstrates two companies continued commitment to partnership.

In addition to product advancements such as solid state drives (SSDs) and an expanded, all-inclusive EqualLogic software suite, Dell also unveiled new Dell ProConsult infrastructure consulting services to help customers plan and deploy EqualLogic SANs.

The News:

Dell announced five new EqualLogic PS6000 series of storage arrays - PS6000E, PS6500E, PS6000X, PS6000XV and PS6000S. The new products combine a virtualized storage architecture and sophisticated management software with new high-performance hardware components designed to help customers lower costs, reduce complexity and free up resources.

The Dell EqualLogic PS6000 series:

  • Performs up to 91 percent faster for sequential write workloads and up to 29 percent faster for sequential read workloads when compared with previous generation.
  • Is the first EqualLogic generation to include a Solid State Drive array. The PS6000S delivers SSD technology at an affordable price so more enterprises can practically apply its performance benefits for their critical applications.
  • PS6000S arrays each have dedicated controllers for the SSD drives and can be combined together to scale performance linearly.
  • Can support over 500 TB of storage per PS Series group.

Dell is significantly enhancing its all-inclusive suite of EqualLogic storage software. New support for Microsoft Hyper-V Smart Copysnapshots builds upon the PS Series’ existing integration with Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL, VMware and Citrix XenCenter and enables rapid recovery of Hyper-V virtual machines in as little as seconds. Additionally, the Dell EqualLogic PS6000 series of arrays are VMware vStorage-ready, a technology which aims to make more efficient use of storage, networking and hypervisor resources by virtual machines.

Dell is also making available SAN Headquarters, a centralized dashboard that monitors performance and events for dozens of PS Series groups. SAN HeadQuarters is available to all Dell EqualLogic customers under a valid warranty or service agreement no additional cost.

New Dell ProConsult (Dell ProConsulting Services in EMEA) and expanded Dell ProSupport consulting and customer service offerings are now available to help customers and partners plan, deploy and protect storage investments. In addition to existing storage assessment and migration services Dell is bringing to select markets four new Dell ProConsult design and implementation services that help customers get the most of their EqualLogic investments.

List pricing for the PS6000 arrays starts at $17,000 (USD). The starting price for PS6000S, the model with the Solid State Drives, is $25,000 (USD). The PS6000 series and associated services are available worldwide from Dell and its global PartnerDirect channel partners.

As previously announced, the addition of the Dell NX4 to the company’s broad portfolio of EqualLogic, PowerVault and DellEMC storage solutions expands the range of products Dell can offer its customers and demonstrates the two companies continued commitment to their long-standing partnership. The product offers no-compromise availability and advanced file management for Windows, Linux, and UNIX environments, as well as the flexibility to consolidate file and application storage via iSCSI or Fibre Channel.

Quotes:

"With the new EqualLogic PS6000 series, Dell has delivered platform and information management advancements that allow our customers to meet growing storage needs in a simple and cost-effective way,” said Darren Thomas, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Storage, Dell. “Features such as solid state discs, all-inclusive monitoring tools like SAN Headquarters, and seamless integration with prior SAN generations, are differentiating Dell from the other storage vendors and delivering on our promise of simple, capable, affordable storage.”

“While storage remains one of the few bright spots across the IT landscape, it is clearly not immune to the realities of the day,” said Steve Duplessie, Founder of ESG. “Cutting operating costs is paramount and gaining efficiency everywhere you can is all that matters. This is exactly why we are seeing accelerated interest in technologies such as iSCSI, and for Dell specifically, as they just keep on adding more and more value to their Equallogic line while effectively lowering the real cost of owning and operating their systems. This is nothing but good for Dell.”

The Gem Group Uses Dell Cloud-Based Services to Save Money

Dell announced The Gem Group, the promotional product industry’s premier supplier of bags, business accessories and gifts, has reduced its maintenance and support IT budget by 10 percent thanks to automated desktop management and email continuity services from Dell. The Gem Group is one of 5,000 customers using Dell’s cloud-based services to automate labor intensive, manual IT processes for significant cost savings.
  • By Simplifying IT Management, The Gem Group Reduced its IT Budget by 10 Percent
  • Dell Helps Reduce the Cost of Managing Corporate Assets and Email
  • Through IT Automation, The Gem Group Can Focus on Strategic IT Initiatives

The News

By eliminating manual compliance and security processes The Gem Group has significantly reduced IT expenses by 10 percent. The Gem Group’s IT goal is to ensure its team focuses on high value projects that increase competitiveness rather than time consuming maintenance.

The Gem Group is using Dell Desktop Manager to track PCs, manage inventory, user history and leases through a single console across all its systems in the U.S. and China. Dell services offer real-time visibility into all PCs and provides remote updates anywhere across the globe for international and mobile workers. The Gem Group is now resolving end-users technical issues more cost effectively and has improved employee productivity.

With Dell Desktop Manager, The Gem Group’s IT team is saving days of manual checking previously required to keep track of what software is running on its machines in the US and China. Dell Desktop Manager monitors asset policy and procedures to help ensure software license compliance and ensures IT does not purchase excess, unnecessary licenses.

After a hard drive crash or asset theft, Dell Online Back-up and Recovery solution helps The Gem Group’s IT team quickly and easily send a duplicate, replacement machine.

Continuous Email Access without Hardware to Maintain or Manage

As a result of using a Dell cloud-based service for email continuity, The Gem Group immediately saved nearly 3 percent of its global IT budget by preventing capital and operational expenses, while helping to ensure sales would not be impacted due to an email outage.

Like many companies, email is a mission critical application for The Gem Group. If email goes down due to an Internet or data center failure, sales for the company could be impacted for days.

The Gem Group benefits from the cloud-based Email Management Service (EMS) by ensuring employees have full and continuous access to company email without downtime or data loss, regardless of what happens to the company’s email infrastructure. BlackBerry wireless devices also continue to send and receive email and all users have full access to email, contacts, and calendar entries.

Quote

“Dell helps our IT team effectively manage assets remotely and ensure email up-time, which frees our staff to complete more strategic projects,” said Ben Messar, Director of IT at The Gem Group. “As a mid-market player in an incredibly competitive space with tight margins, it is critical we run a very efficient organization. Automating desktop and email management allowed us to reduce the cost to manage our environment by 10 percent.”

Dell Further Enhances Customer Choice Through New Distributor Relationships

In response to feedback from partners, Dell is adding to its fast-growing PartnerDirect program by offering select Dell products to partners and their customers in the United States exclusively through two leading IT distributors.
  • Agreements With Ingram Micro, Tech Data Provide Accelerated Delivery of Select Dell Systems for Partners, SMBs

The News:

Effective today, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) is offering Vostro desktops and notebooks designed for small and medium businesses (SMBs) through two major distributors in the U.S.: Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) and Tech Data Corporation (Nasdaq: TECD). The program will begin in Canada later this year.

Dell’s distribution agreements represent further development of its global PartnerDirect program, which has more than 35,000 registered partners in 148 countries.

Through distribution, partners and their customers can now access Dell’s small- and medium-business products even more rapidly.

Plans are to expand the range of products offered through Ingram Micro and Tech Data in the coming weeks.

Dell systems available through distributors will be competitively priced with similar products available direct from Dell, giving partners added flexibility in the way they obtain Dell technology for their customers.

For customers that require more tailored IT solutions via solution providers, Dell continues to offer its full, build-to-order line of computer systems through PartnerDirect.

Quotes

“We’ve been making more Dell products available in more ways to more customers around the world, and these new relationships deliver further on that goal, in the process helping partners most effectively meet the needs of their customers, deliver value and grow their businesses,” said Greg Davis, vice president and general manager, Dell’s Global Commercial Channels. “Our partners value Dell’s ability to custom configure IT, but they’re telling us there are times when customers’ needs are more urgent, and this agreement shows our commitment to act on feedback from partners.”

“Dell is responding to the same input we’ve received from our reseller customers,” said Ken Lamneck, Tech Data’s Americas president. “Resellers have told us there is strong end-user demand for Dell products, and that the easiest, most cost-effective way for them to capitalize on that demand is to source all their IT solutions--including Dell--through Tech Data. All Dell partners doing business with Tech Data will have access to our entire solutions offering and extensive services, including billions in credit capacity, best-in-class e-business tools and technical training.”

“Dell understands the value Ingram Micro provides solution providers and our ability to drive demand for our partners,” said Keith Bradley, president, Ingram Micro North America. “Through this agreement, our customers receive even greater choice, allowing them access to Dell’s quality products along with Ingram Micro’s respected financial strength, unparalleled selection of complementary products and services, and specialized marketing expertise. We’re looking forward to a long and mutually successful relationship.”

Dell Introduces Adamo Brand with Launch of the World’s Thinnest Laptop

Style-minded people who place a premium on precision craftsmanship and design can now add Adamo to their list of must-have items for 2009. Dell today unveiled the world’s thinnest laptop as a kick off to the new Adamo by Dell brand.
  • Adamo is first product under new Adamo by Dell brand
  • Premium craftsmanship and design inspires new aesthetic across Dell family of products
  • Adamo by Dell created to disrupt people’s perceptions of what personal computing is today

Adamo, derived from the Latin word meaning “to fall in love,” will serve as a flagship in a line of products created to disrupt the personal computing space with the combination of new design aesthetics, personalization choices and sought-after technologies.

The News:

Adamo is the pinnacle of craftsmanship and design and features:

  • A chassis milled from a single piece of aluminum featuring precision detailing and a scalloped backlit keyboard
  • Striking high definition edge-to-edge glass display
  • Fully connected with WiFi, Bluetooth and optional integrated mobile broadband and full complement of connectivity ports with no compromises
  • Cool, quiet and robust solid state drives
  • Available in Onyx and Pearl colors with a broad range of complementary accessories
  • Price starting at $1999

Quotes:

“Great design needs to be timeless and evoke emotion in people”, said Alex Gruzen, senior vice president of Dell’s consumer products. ”While a premium computing experience was assumed for Adamo, the intent was for people to see, touch and explore Adamo and be rewarded by the select materials and craftsmanship you would expect in a fine watch.”

“Dell continues to signal a commitment to design and personalization across its entire product line and has made significant strides forward in the past year,” said Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst, Enderle Group. “The Adamo laptop is a showcase for this commitment and a flagship product that will draw buyers to the brand.”

People who choose Adamo will be offered a unique color matched collection of Adamo by Dell branded peripherals and accessories including, in the U.S. an exclusive line of bags from TUMI. Choices will include:

  • External storage option with 250GB or 500GB external hard drive.
  • External DVD+/-RW or Blu-ray disc drive.
  • 8GB USB drive.
  • Connectors and cables including DisplayPort to HDMI, DVI, and VGA.

Adamo Premium Service (US Only):

  • 24/7 access to Dell’s best trained technicians
  • Consistent communication with a dedicated personal team

The Adamo by Dell brand is being supported by innovative and new approaches to marketing and promotion for Dell. Designed to challenge people’s perceptions of what a computer is, the Adamo by Dell brand was inspired by fashion, luxury brands and timeless design.

Dell has looked beyond traditional approaches to reaching computer shoppers and launched a provocative campaign featuring:

  • A stylish worldwide print campaign shot by acclaimed British-based photographer Nadav Kander and featuring high-fashion models that reinforces the “fall in love” positioning. Kander, whose work is celebrated in galleries worldwide, also shot the moving portfolio, “Obama’s People,” which appeared in The New York Times Magazine earlier this year.
  • AdamoByDell, the centerpiece of the campaign and a highly stylized site where viewers can learn about Adamo, register for updates and, beginning today, place orders. Since its launch last month, AdamoByDell.com has attracted nearly 800,000 unique visitors from around the world and more than 1 million page views.
  • Artful packaging in which the product arrives “floating” in a clear box with minimal clutter - a beautiful experience for a sophisticated product.

Product Specifications:

  • Intel Core 2 Duo processors with Intel Centrino technology
  • DDR3 system memory
  • 13.4-inch 16:9 HD display
  • Draft-Wireless N
  • High-performance solid state drives standard
  • Bluetooth 2.1
  • Mobile Broadband option
  • Up to 5+ hours of battery life (preliminary)
  • 2 USB ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, Display Port, RJ-45 port
  • Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit

Available for pre-order today and shipping worldwide starting March 26, 2009, Adamo will be available online for purchase in 24 countries including U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, U.K. France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, ANZ, China, Honk Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia/Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia.