Dell focuses on data-first approach

Dell Technologies is focusing on a data-first approach to better understand what customers are trying to do with cloud. Surajit Sen, Chief of Staff, Modern Data Centre, APJ, Dell Technologies, tells us more. Excerpts:

DQ: Please update us on the new set of cloud infrastructure solutions that combines the power of VMware and Dell Technologies.

Surajit Sen: Dell Technologies recently announced a host of advancements and new options that allow organizations to benefit from Dell Technologies Cloud for both-- traditional applications and cloud-native environments. More than half of organizations formulating hybrid cloud strategies have cited seamless compatibility with their on-premises infrastructure as the most important consideration, according to new research from analyst firm ESG.

Dell Technologies Cloud, from the No. 1 provider of cloud infrastructure, combines the power of VMware cloud software and Dell EMC infrastructure to remove cloud complexity by offering consistent infrastructure and operations across private clouds, public clouds and the edge.

The Cloud Platforms are a set of solutions that offer customers a consistent infrastructure and experience across all types of cloud through a common management and orchestration software layer, powered by VMware Cloud Foundation. Customers can deploy platforms on multiple underlying Dell EMC infrastructure options—from hyper-converged and converged infrastructure, including VxRail and VxBlock 1000, to Dell Technologies validated storage, compute and networking options.

Organizations have a variety of options for Dell Technologies Cloud environments:

• Dell Technologies CloudPlatforms – The combination of VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail hyper-converged systems offers the easiest and fastest path to a consistent hybrid cloud, complete with automated lifecycle management
• Dell Technologies CloudValidated Designs – Now available today, these integrate VMware Cloud Foundation with our EMC servers, storage arrays and networking, delivered as pre-tested infrastructure with deployment guidance, offering additional options to meet a diverse set of workloads and customer needs.
• Dell Technologies CloudData Center-as-a-Service – Offered as VMware Cloud on Dell EMC, this delivers a fully-managed hybrid cloud service for on-premises data centers and edge deployments
• Dell Technologies CloudPartner Clouds – Extending the consistent cloud experience to the public cloud, with support for VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solutions, as well as the recently announced VMware for Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud and more than 4,200 VMware Cloud Provider Program providers globally.

DQ: What is Dell’s focus on data-first approach and how it will impact the critical IT efficiency? 

Surajit Sen: The cloud can be a powerful tool for optimizing the business, and with data increasingly becoming the most valuable asset, the cloud strategy must take a data first approach. Our Cloud Storage Services and data management capabilities demonstrate how we are focused on being a trusted partner on our customers’ multi-cloud journey.

By working with our customers to understand what they are trying to do with cloud, we can apply a data first approach, and deliver cloud enabled solutions designed to help make the cloud work for their business and their data. As data continues to grow and become more distributed, spanning clouds, it becomes important to have the right tools to manage it all.A cloud strategy therefore requires a data first approach, where you can ensure your data is: secured, protected, available where and when you need it, delivered at the performance levels required by your applications, and within compliance of various company policies.

ClarityNow enables organizations to tag, locate, access and manage data in seconds – across file and object storage, in the data center or in the cloud. It also offers self-service capabilities to find, use, and move files to the appropriate storage tier. ClarityNow is helping customers take control of massive amounts of unstructured data today. We are looking forward to where we are heading with it.

DQ: Elaborate on Dell’s market leadership and way forward.

Surajit Sen: According to IDC, we have been leading provider of cloud IT infrastructure for the past several years, as reported in its Worldwide Quarterly Cloud IT Infrastructure Tracker. This includes vendor revenue from sales of IT infrastructure products (server, enterprise storage and Ethernet switch) for cloud environments, including public and private clouds. Dell Technologies is the most likely candidate to solve for customers as the No. 1 provider of IT cloud infrastructure (public and private). This is per IDC’s quarterly research—with Dell leading for the past several years.

Dell Technologies is focused on helping their customers solve complex business problems, and deliver compelling business outcomes. Most organizations are struggling to transform their businesses digitally, and Dell Technologies wants to be the partner of choice for them. Our extensive experience in helping customers across the world transform, gives us unique capabilities. Our industry leading portfolio of products, technologies and services allows customers to achieve vendor consolidation.

DQ: How Dell has maintained its market leadership in India?

Surajit Sen: We are one of the most trusted infrastructure companies on the planet, and we are able to deliver a comprehensive set of technologies, services and financing all from one Dell Technologies. What makes Dell Technologies Cloud Platforms unique is how we are bringing all the solutions to counter the enterprise challenges under one roof and with truly industry-leading technology and services. We are allowing organizations to bring cloud capabilities into their data center.

They are also getting to extend their security and management best practices into the cloud, eliminating the need to completely rework how they deliver IT, and then we are bringing that innovation to the edge. When you look at what it takes to deliver innovation anywhere, it takes a company that has the types of solutions Dell Technologies has from industry leading infrastructure to cloud management, to security solutions, and this presents a huge opportunity for our customers.

DQ: What is Dell Technologies’ multi-cloud focus for 2020?

Surajit Sen: 2019 was a big year for Dell Technologies Cloud, with more exciting updates on the horizon in 2020. We look forward to sharing more in the coming months. We will continue our focus on delivering a “customer first” approach that enables them to have ultimate control over their data and applications, having these reside wherever it makes most sense to them, while also reducing overall cloud deployment and management complexity.Dell Technologies will continue to be the leading IT provider to enable organizations solve for the multi-cloud challenge.

DQ: How Dell is driving new demands both in the core data center and in the cloud for a variety of emerging workloads and applications like AI and ML?

Surajit Sen: The progress in AI and ML technologies has opened up exciting use cases across all industries. We are partnering with an ecosystem of ISVs, and building practices that can help customers solve challenging problems, and help them gain business advantage.

Surajit Sen, Chief of Staff, Modern Data Centre, APJ, Dell Technologies

We are also leveraging AI and ML capabilities across our product portfolio, to enhance our product capabilities to deliver superior customer experience and outcomes for our customers.