Dell eyes enterprise pie with latest launch

Vendor takes the wraps off a significant range of enterprise-level servers and solutions as it guns for more market share

Dell has unveiled several new enterprise-level servers as it looks to grab a larger share of the market and get even closer to partners and customers.

The vendor picked the scene of the English rugby team’s recent defeat to Wales at Twickenham to take the wraps off its 12th Generation server and solution range.

Designed to reflect the continuing demand for cloud, virtualisation and datacentre services from enterprise customers, models launched included the PowerEdge R820; R720, R720xd and R620 rack servers; and the cloud-based PowerEdge C6220. Dell also unveiled the EqualLogic PS510 and PS410 servers to drive virtualised datacentres.

Kathy Schneider, director of EMEA channel marketing and programmes at Dell, said the latest launches represent a strong opportunity for channel partners.

“There is a lot of focus around 10Gbit Ethernet computing and we are truly integrating technology across platforms to get the best solution for what customers need to do with their technology. We are weaving together servers, storage and networking and we do not want anyone to misunderstand our strategy of acquisition.

“The $1bn in R&D that we talk about is meant to demonstrate how we are getting IP and bringing the best capabilities to deliver industry-leading solutions,” Schneider said.

As part of its enterprise launch, Dell also took the wraps off a desktop virtualisation solution and its Virtual Network Architecture (VNA). Other launches included the Quickstart datawarehousing product set and vStart for Dell private cloud, which includes 12th Generation PowerEdge server, storage, networking and management components.

Schneider said another point of interest to partners is the opening up of Pro-Support for the datacentre. “This is a 24/7 service, which has been very popular with customers. We are now giving the channel the ability to resell Pro-Support for the datacentre,” she said.

The vendor is also gearing up to open a new Compellent Lab in the Netherlands, Schneider revealed. “This is a physical infrastructure where partners can get all the hands-on training that they need.”

Dell will provide training for partners around the regions, both online and in person on the new range of products, Schneider added.

Matt Eastwood, group vice president of enterprise platform research at IDC, said Dell was set to make a splash in the enterprise space this year.

“Dell continues to invest significantly in its enterprise capabilities, and has made impressive progress to become a trusted enterprise IT solutions vendor,” he said. “We are seeing the next big push from Dell as it focuses on solving its customers’ biggest pain points by delivering design innovation and operational efficiency for datacentres of all sizes.

“Dell has optimised its entire portfolio of PowerEdge servers to address the most demanding workloads and to seamlessly scale from small business to its largest enterprise customers. With the technology advancements that Dell has unveiled across storage, networking, virtualisation, data integration and computing, it is clear that the company is laser focused on growing its share of the enterprise market.”