'No one is better positioned than us to deliver this' - Michael Dell on making all products available as a service

New offering combines cloud and as-a-service strategies with vendor's go-to-market plan

Dell Technologies' new Project Apex as-a-service offering underpins its digital transformation commitment to partners, claims CEO Michael Dell.

Project Apex will combine Dell's as-a-service (aaS) and cloud strategies with its go-to-market, allowing customers to browse the marketplace and order the cloud and aaS solutions they require for their business, the vendor explained.

"We are committed to delivering all of our products and solutions as a service in an effort we're calling Project Apex; so you can consume solutions, any way you want, pay-as-you-use, pay-as-you-go or subscription," Dell said during his opening keynote at the vendor's first virtual Dell Technologies World event.

"We are full speed ahead at building the essential infrastructure for the data era, to be your most trusted partner in accelerating digital transformation with solutions that are automated, intelligent and integrated - and no one is better positioned than Dell Technologies."

Dell is not the first vendor to offer its portfolio aaS; HPE last year said it would make its entire portfolio as-a-service by 2022.

The new Dell Technologies Cloud Console will provide the foundation for Project Apex, delivering a single experience for customers to manage their cloud and aaS operations. Cloud Console is currently available for public preview in the US and will expand to EMEA in the first quarter of 2021.

The first element of Project Apex to become available will be storage-as-a-service (STaaS), which will be available initially in the US in H1 of next year. STaaS is an on-prem offering of scalable and elastic storage resources, the vendor explained.

Project Apex also plays into Dell's sustainability agenda as it will assist companies in retiring equipment in a secure and environmentally-friendly manner, the chief exec stated, adding that progress has been made on its "moonshot goals" for its sustainability agenda,

Dell is now reselling 100 per cent of its returned leased assets, refurbishing and reselling 89 per cent of working assets in North America and EMEA and last year it recycled 240,257 kilogrammes of metal, glass and plastics through its Environmental Disposal Partners programme.

"I believe that Dell Technologies, together with our customers and partners, can play an enormous role because of the scale and influence of our ecosystem and because technology innovation is the fulcrum for driving human progress," Dell proclaimed.

"Last year, we announced our moonshot goals for the next decade in our 2030 Progress Made Real vision for social impact. These last eight months have only reinforced how important these goals are for our company in our world."

Dell thanked partners for their resilience in helping customers pursue their digital transformation journeys and cautioning that the last eight months has given the industry a glimpse of the future and where the next big trends are.

"We are so proud and grateful to be your partner in this most critical work because one thing is clear: technology has never been more central than it is right now," he declared.

"For many, digital three-year plans got done in three months; we're having a glimpse of the future and the organisations that are investing in that future have the advantage. The digital transformation will only accelerate from here with the combination of massive computing power, 5G and AI - it's like a machine and the fuel for that machine is data.

"As everything in the physical world becomes intelligent and connected, the amount and relevance of data will continue to explode. The data era is here and to win organisations need to accelerate the digital transformation."

The chief exec struck an optimistic tone throughout the presentation, declaring that the pandemic has highlighted "silver linings" in how society can become more sustainable and address social disparities.

"Where do we go from here? I'm an optimist and I believe it will be a launching pad to a tomorrow that is brighter than most people can imagine," he stated.

"People have asked for years ‘What happens if everyone works from home?' Well, now we're finding out and there are silver linings; the more we can virtualise, travel, interaction, collaboration and communication, then the greener, more sustainable and more productive we become. This can also be a launchpad to address social disparities: A highly distributed workforce broadens the reach of opportunity.

"We've just jumped ahead to a more digital future and we're not going back. What we invest now, we'll emerge dramatically better-positioned for the future we all want."