Cloud Computing Just Got Faster with PowerEdge and AMD

Advancements in technology are allowing companies to thrive in today’s competitive environment.  Companies are modernizing their IT infrastructure with new server technology that can handle a host of demanding enterprise applications and scalable cloud-native services. Other critical needs include maximizing space in the data center and efficiently managing energy costs. A select set of new AMD EPYC™ processors are now available to power your cloud-based workloads while driving more performance per watt.

Dell Technologies, in collaboration with AMD, is excited to offer two new types of processors from the AMD EPYC family into our portfolio of PowerEdge Servers. AMD has a long and valued history of providing successive CPU architectures and generations that “drop in” to a physical platform/chassis. This practice continues for the SP5 socket platform with the new AMD EPYC 97×4 CPUs and AMD EPYC 9004 series with 3D V-Cache™ technology. Both utilize and support the same DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen5 IO ports as classic AMD EPYC 9004 CPUs, allowing simple and flexible deployment options across the CPU types.

Expanding Support for Cloud-native Use Cases

The newest AMD EPYC™ 97×4 models are built on an exciting “Zen 4c” architecture optimized for workloads that demand the highest possible system-level aggregate throughput with an industry-leading 256 threads per socket, including both cloud native and containerized workloads. Compared to classic 4th Generation AMD EPYC CPUs, the new AMD EPYC 97×4 CPU provides 33% more max cores and threads per socket with a still ample 2MB of L3 cache per core at max core count. For workloads that can utilize 112 or 128 cores per CPU, the new AMD EPYC 97×4 models provide significantly higher overall performance and better performance per watt, while supporting the same “Zen 4c” instruction set architecture (ISA), greatly simplifying software development and deployment.

Memory and RAS Suitable for High Core Count Workloads

Many other high core count CPUs today don’t offer sufficient memory bandwidth to achieve optimal core performance. In contrast, the new AMD EPYC 97×4 CPUs, even at 128 cores, sustain over three Gigabytes per second per core of memory bandwidth and support up to 48 Gigabytes of capacity per core. This is implemented by utilizing 12 channels of industry-standard DDR5 RDIMMs, which is unmatched for other high core count CPUs in the industry. With up to 128 cores as a binary power of two, the AMD EPYC 9754 model is optimal for many software applications and solutions and may reduce the number of licenses required. In addition, AMD EPYC models maintain the same enterprise-class RAS, security and manageability as classic 4th Generation AMD EPYC models. Combined with the security features already built into Dell PowerEdge servers, customers gain an even more robust and secure IT environment.

Efficient Chip Architectures

The new 4th Gen AMD EPYC™ 97×4 chiplet architecture follows prior innovative generations by implementing the CPUs with eight individual “Core + Cache Die” plus one “IO + Memory Die.” This allows the silicon fabrication process for each die type, and thus power and cost to be optimized versus monolithic die approaches used by others.

AMD EPYC 9004 Series with 3D V-Cache Technology

Next, AMD EPYC 9004 series processors utilize AMD 3D V-Cache die stacking technology to triple the amount of L3 SRAM cache per CPU versus classic AMD EPYC processors. Just like 3rd Generation AMD EPYC CPUs for technical computing, 64 MB of L3 SRAM cache is stacked on top of each core/cache die with only a few nanoseconds of additional access latency. Since L3 SRAM cache memory is approximately an order of magnitude higher bandwidth and close to an order of magnitude lower latency versus DDR5 DRAM DIMMs, applications that can keep their “working set” of data within the L3 cache capacity can see a large performance gain.

With a range of 12 to 48 MB of L3 cache per core, PowerEdge servers can run applications such as electronic design automation (EDA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis and many other technical computing frameworks. More importantly, PowerEdge servers with AMD EPYC processors can achieve significant performance and total cost of ownership (TCO) boosts, especially when considering software licensing costs. As AMD 3D V-Cache ROI proof points proliferate, it is expected that additional applications and tools will optimize their software code and algorithms to take advantage of industry-leading L3 cache capacity per core.

See How PowerEdge Can Deliver for Your Cloud Computing Needs

With the addition of the latest 4th Generation AMD EPYC processors optimized for cloud-native and technical computing use cases, Dell PowerEdge platforms provide optimized computing options across the spectrum of enterprise workloads.

Source: dell.com

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Unlock Sustainability and Efficiency with Dell APEX

In today’s uncertain economic landscape, it is no surprise that organizations are driven to optimize business costs. IT professionals can play a pivotal role by strategically leveraging as-a-Service models as a key part of their organizations, enabling them to contribute not only to cost efficiencies, but also to their organizations’ sustainability goals.

In an industry brief, IT Brand Pulse described how as-a-Service models, such as the ones offered by our Dell APEX portfolio of services, can help fast-track the reduction of e-waste and significantly lower costs related to sustainability management, including end-of-life equipment. All of these present challenges for IT professionals within their day-to-day activities in data centers.

By embracing as-a-Service offerings, organizations can accelerate their digital transformations and integrate sustainability into their operations. It’s a win-win scenario when moving to an as-a-Service model.

Power the Circular Economy with Dell Technologies 

Dell Technologies has set ambitious targets to minimize waste and environmental impact, keeping our products, components and materials in circulation for as long as possible. The circular economy is a lot more than just “recycling 2.0.” Rather, it’s a different way of looking at how to create value – eliminating waste and improving the productivity of the resources we do use. When companies, like ours, embrace the circular economy, we’re helping to tackle global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution.

Dell APEX solutions support these goals and empower companies to drive sustainability within their businesses. Dell APEX can help manage the entire lifecycle of products, including reuse and recycling services, to accelerate the circular economy.

By shifting to a subscription-based or pay-as-you-go model like the one we offer through our Dell APEX portfolio, organizations can simplify the process of acquiring and refreshing technology. Dell APEX solutions can help manage the entire process, upgrading products as needed to meet users’ business demands, while taking care of the recovery and recycling process when a product reaches end-of-life and putting those materials back into circulation.

Our solutions facilitate the reuse and recycling of product materials, significantly reducing waste and the need for new resources. Together we can contribute to the circular economy by keeping product materials in the loop longer.

Unleash Your Sustainability Potential by Minimizing Wasteful Overprovisioning

Effective planning for the future is a crucial component for organizations seeking to ensure their continued success, especially given the uncertain and unpredictable nature of the current business landscape. While it’s important to be prepared for any potential challenges that may arise, it is equally important to avoid overprovisioning to optimize your business resources and achieve your sustainability goals.

The traditional procurement cycle often requires early forecasting of IT infrastructure, which can be challenging due to uncertainties in technology advancement and business growth. As a result, organizations sometimes overestimate the number of resources needed and invest in additional resources that may not be required in the future. This can lead to wasted resources, increased energy consumption, higher carbon emissions and unnecessary use of raw materials. Proper provisioning is not only fiscally prudent, but it is also more sustainable in helping reach your goals.

Dell APEX enables organizations to adjust resource allocation based on actual usage and demands, significantly reducing energy consumption and waste. With the ability to reduce overprovisioning by up to 42%, organizations can minimize their environmental impact and carbon footprints while planning for a more sustainable future.

Conquer the Complexity of Managing Your End-of-life Equipment

In today’s digital age, end-of-life technology has become a growing concern for many organizations. With outdated and inefficient equipment, valuable resources and energy are being wasted in data centers. Disposing of such equipment responsibly can be a complex and costly process. It may seem easier to simply leave the equipment in place rather than deal with the headache of decommissioning it.

Dell APEX solutions can help retire assets responsibly and sustainably. We can take care of the entire decommissioning process, ensuring equipment is properly disposed of – leaving organizations with fewer waste-related challenges with which to contend. Dell APEX can help organizations save up to 53% of the time typically spent on decommissioning and retiring hardware. With our expertise, we can help ensure outdated technology is not only properly disposed of, but it also refurbished, reused or recycled as part of our commitment to sustainability.

Our Dell APEX portfolio can help you prioritize your sustainability objectives and drive core business operations. When you focus on sustainability, you are creating efficiency that accelerates positive impact on the planet and drives your business forward.

Source: dell.com

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Revolutionizing Business Optimization: Insights from Dell and EY

Organizations of all sizes are starting to dip their toes into quantum computing and quickly discovering the technology comes with its own unique set of challenges. In a recent white paper, Dell and EY, identified a technological breakthrough that can drastically reshape the landscape of business problem-solving: quantum annealing and its enormous potential for solving complex quantum optimization problems.

While the potential of quantum computing is vast, the complexity of quantum optimization problems, dependence on accurate and up-to-date data, along with the uncertainty of many factors, such as quantum decoherence, algorithmic complexity, scalability, interpretability and integration, make it difficult to fully tap into its potential. This is where quantum annealing comes in.

Quantum annealing forms the core of the approach Dell and EY outline. This method is ideal for addressing complex business optimization problems that become increasingly difficult, or even impossible, to solve using classical algorithms as the number of variables grows. Quantum annealing can take a “landscape” of potential solutions and, leveraging quantum effects, “tunnel” through to find the lowest points — the optimal solutions — faster than classical computers can.

From startups to large corporations, businesses face complex optimization problems daily that could benefit from this type of solution. For a business, this could be maximizing revenue and minimizing costs, while in healthcare it could lead to optimizing resource allocation and patient scheduling, all while juggling multiple variables and constraints. As businesses grow and organizational challenges increase, finding the ideal solution becomes increasingly difficult with conventional computing methods.

With the use of quantum unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO), Dell and EY have successfully applied quantum annealing to real-world optimization problems like portfolio optimization. The teams demonstrate a complex optimization equation could be solved within minutes using quantum annealing, providing insights that were previously unattainable using classical methods.

QUBO offers businesses immediate advantages as an interim solution while awaiting the maturity of gate-based quantum processors. Apart from portfolio management, Dell and EY outline how quantum annealing can solve other business challenges, including scheduling problems, logistics, energy optimization and machine learning problems.

While the applications of quantum computing are wide-ranging, it’s crucial to understand that its scalability, in comparison to classical solvers, is heavily dependent on the specific nature and size of the problem at hand. Dell and EY share a goal: to illuminate the immense potential of quantum computing in the realm of business optimization. As we find ourselves on the precipice of a quantum revolution, the impending transformation promises to be nothing short of extraordinary.

Download the complete white paper here.

Source: dell.com

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Introducing Dell APEX Compute for All Your Workload Needs

Planning for IT infrastructure in today’s environment is challenging. Keeping up with constantly evolving business and workload demands is like trying to hit an ever-moving target. CapEx budget approval processes are also complex and time-consuming, where IT needs often shift by the time approvals happen and deployment is ready. Additionally, upfront capital investments for IT put pressure on resource availability for other growth areas of the company. Such challenges hinder organizations from reaching their digital transformation goals. This is why moving toward a subscription-based OpEx model is such an attractive alternative for many of our customers.

We introduced Dell APEX to help our customers get away from the challenges of infrastructure ownership and upfront budgeting, while helping to simplify their overall cloud experience, and now we’re excited to announce the latest addition to the Dell APEX portfolio. 

Introducing Dell APEX Compute

Under the Dell APEX umbrella, customers can now order secure, scalable bare metal compute resources supporting their choice of operating system or hypervisor for virtualized or container-based environments. Built on Dell PowerEdge and designed for OpEx treatment, APEX Compute is available through a predictable monthly subscription with three, four and five-year term options and simple order configuration through the Dell APEX Console. The console also allows customers to monitor their IT spend in real time with centralized cost management. 

Delivered to on-premises data center and edge locations, or to a preferred colocation partner in as few as 28 days, customers can quickly get compute resources for demanding workloads such as relational databases, data mining or high-density virtualization. In addition, optional Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) from NVIDIA™ are available for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads, for example.

With Dell APEX Compute, infrastructure is owned by Dell, while offering a higher level of control to customers by empowering them with ownership of tasks such as monitoring capacity utilization and resource optimization. There is also the option for deployment to be handled by Dell, the customer or their preferred channel partner. From day one, we engage a customer success manager, who serves as a trusted advisor and primary point of contact for customers throughout the subscription lifecycle to ensure an excellent Dell APEX experience.

Power Emerging Use Cases and Modernize Applications

Most organizations today are in the process of shifting toward cloud-native constructs such as containers with Kubernetes orchestration, in addition to their existing virtualization environments. By architecting new capabilities as microservices and deploying in containers, they are looking for faster deployment and delivery, as well as financial benefits.

With the ability to run the choice of operating system or hypervisor, customers can support any bare-metal, virtualized or container-based environment with Dell APEX Compute. For example, a recent demo we published shows how to deliver containerized machine learning workloads at scale with simplified orchestration on-premises using OpenShift deployed on Dell APEX Compute connected to Dell APEX Data Storage Services. You can see how to easily deploy a Red Hat OpenShift cluster and then run machine learning notebooks with persistent storage for the container volumes. Customers can build, deploy and run containers with a consistent experience and accelerate development time – and by deploying Dell APEX, they reduce the cost and complexity of modern applications.

View the demo here.

Trusted partners, proven results. Partners for over 25 years, Red Hat and Dell Technologies create jointly engineered and validated open-source solutions that help simplify IT.

Deliver on Your Business Priorities with Dell APEX 

This addition to the Dell APEX Portfolio reflects Dell’s commitment to providing flexible and scalable solutions needed for our customers to stay nimble in the face of constantly evolving business and workload demands. The Dell APEX portfolio includes multiple pre-defined options aligned with typical business outcomes, available with ranging subscription terms.

Source: dell.com

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Contain the Container Clutter with Dell and Red Hat

Organizations across industries are finding their competitive advantage lies in the ability of their applications to drive revenue, capture efficiencies and improve the user experience. Increasingly, IT teams are turning to containerized multicloud deployments to realize the full potential of their apps and data. Multicloud deployments were recognized as the most popular mode of running containerized applications in organizations with more than 1,000 employees. For most customers, hybrid cloud presents a very real path to maximizing their IT investments. 

To help customers drive breakthroughs today and into the future, we’re excited to announce the expansion of our decades-long collaboration with Red Hat and our ongoing commitment to simplifying multicloud complexity with the new Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift, collaboratively engineered with Red Hat to optimize and extend Red Hat OpenShift deployments from cloud to on-premises with an integrated operational experience. IT teams will enjoy the simplicity of integrated management in the Red Hat OpenShift console while apps get the predictability and linear scalability of bare metal nodes. In short, it’s the best of both words – a cloud-like management experience with the power your apps need. 

Bridge the Cloud Divide – All the Benefits of Red Hat OpenShift on Bare Metal with a Common Operational Model

Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift combines industry-leading technologies, operational efficiency and ongoing support to deliver the hyperscaler experience in a customer’s datacenter, effectively streamlining application modernization by managing applications consisting of containers and virtual machines (VMs) powered by Kubernetes. Our foundational software for vertical stack integration facilitates management of the underlying infrastructure and Red Hat OpenShift simultaneously. With intelligent automation and orchestration, the software brings a cloud-like operating model on-premises, enabling IT teams to be more efficient. IT teams no longer need to manage different layers of the stack through multiple consoles for containers, VMs, compute and storage. With the new Dell APEX Cloud Platform, infrastructure management is integrated into the Red Hat OpenShift management user interface. 

Unleash Application Value – Develop Anywhere, Deploy Everywhere 

Long infrastructure lead times, time-consuming ticket-based workflows, repeated manual tasks, complex system interdependencies and architectural incompatibility between runtime environments all hinder the ability of organizations to accelerate innovation with new software features and data insights. The cloud platform accelerates and boosts DevOps productivity and agility with a consistent Red Hat OpenShift experience wherever data and applications reside (across multiple public clouds and on-premises data center locations). Finally, the platform will meet the needs of a diverse set of workloads with configurations that include several core densities, memory and storage configurations, as well as GPU resources, all based on latest-generation Intel processors. While the Dell APEX Cloud Platform is well suited for a range of workloads, it’s also ideal for AI/ML and analytics workloads because it combines the rapid delivery of data via containers and VMs with the compute, GPUs and linearly scalable storage necessary to run these advanced workloads. 

Harden Security and Governance – Multilayer Confidence

A survey by Red Hat among DevOps professionals reveals that a majority of respondents believe that security is the biggest concern over the use of Kubernetes and containers. In fact, two-thirds of respondents had to delay or slow down an application rollout because of security concerns over the last 12 months. Reducing business risk and recovering with confidence from cyber threats like ransomware are a mandate for every organization. Automated full system upgrades of the hardware and Red Hat OpenShift environments help ensure the infrastructure remains in a continuously validated state, resulting in an optimized operational experience with reduced risk. With a full-stack intrinsic approach to security, the platform provides sophisticated controls and multi-layer protection against threats. 

In addition, to help customers realize the potential of this platform, Dell Services can help identify, modernize and migrate the optimal application mix to the platform and simultaneously integrate Kubernetes into any DevOps culture.

That’s where our partnership and the Dell APEX Cloud Platform brings so much value, integrating our leading technologies in a way that streamlines DevOps on a trusted Kubernetes foundation. Give your developers the freedom to innovate and scale applications with minimum friction while reducing the operational cost of applications with Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShift. 

Source: dell.com

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Navigating Your Multicloud Seas

After all the exciting Dell APEX expansion announcements we recently shared on the Dell Technologies World stage, an update for the Dell APEX Console has set sail! Our product and design team has developed a refreshed interface to enhance ease of use after listening to you – our users – and taking notes. The next time you log in to the Dell APEX Console, you may notice an adjustment to the order and naming of navigation elements. These research-backed updates improve findability, match terminology expectations and consolidate related tasks and activities, making it easier for you to quickly find what you need and complete your task at hand. Our design goal is to anticipate the outcomes you need and provide you with a flat and clean, two-level navigation structure to get you there intuitively.

New Dell APEX Console Features

At Dell, we share a continued commitment to realizing your multicloud journey through simplicity, agility and control. We’re focused on delivering a transformational Dell APEX user experience. To do so, we’re immersed in qualitative and quantitative research studies, customer interviews and focus groups. This insight helps us better understand user needs and iterate on the console experience accordingly. We’ve made several navigation changes to make it easier to complete certain tasks based on usability feedback, testing and validation.

Highlights of the Dell APEX Console navigation changes include:

◉ Catalog renamed to Discover and Deploy

◉ Subscriptions now under Manage

◉ Billing and payments renamed to Orders and Billing

◉ New menu item: Monitor

Users like that our new navigation has:

◉ Clean and organized structure

◉ Direct navigation with less clicks to get to what they want

◉ Everything in one place

◉ Ease of use

Dell APEX Console Left Hand Navigation

How it’s Realized

Here’s how we put business objectives at the forefront of how we organize our tools and menu to streamline the user experience for our customers. For example:

◉ Discover and deploy. All things related to configuring and deploying services have now been streamlined under the Discover and Deploy tab. Here, administrators can learn all they need to know about APEX cloud and infrastructure services. Configure the offer that best meets your specific use case and business needs.

◉ Manage. Once an order has been placed, the manage tab makes it easy to view the status of services, manage sites and track delivery around the world to the site of your choice. Save your site requirements to streamline future orders and reduce the risk of user error.

◉ The Orders and Billing tab gives financial users within your organization the power to view and approve invoices quickly for their key stakeholders. With this menu change, related actions are grouped together, meeting the needs of both the cloud administrator and the CFO team.

◉ Monitor. Our customers have told us that one of the most important aspects of ongoing cloud management is monitoring deployed services, so we’ve centralized all our monitoring tools under one tab at the top of our navigation to make it easier for our end users to quickly gain a snapshot of their environment and report out to their key stakeholders on the metrics they care about most.

Source: dell.com

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Dell Delivers Software-driven Storage Innovation for Unity XT Arrays

Dell Technologies continues to deliver enhancements to Unity XT hybrid flash arrays (HFAs), including cloud-based storage, software-defined storage and cyber security solutions, allowing customers to successfully achieve their expected business outcomes. This software-driven release focuses on strengthening security functionality across the array, a top concern for organizations around the globe, and ensures the serviceability and reliability of non-disruptive upgrades is intact.

Our investment commitment for Unity XT HFA roadmaps has never been stronger, and with that, Dell announces the latest Unity XT Operating Environment (OE) 5.3. OE 5.3 supports several Dell ecosystem technology enhancements, including CloudIQ integrations and reporting and Ansible automation support for several Unity XT HFA software features. Dell’s ecosystem solutions, coupled with the new OE 5.3, empower customers to implement DevOps functions, replicate over-metro distances, create continuous application availability and mobility, deploy copy data management and much more – without compromise.

Here are some of the OE 5.3 highlights:

◉ HTTP Security Headers provide additional layers of defense versus cross-site scripting and MIME sniffing attacks.

◉ vCenter Certificate Verification verifies certificates when communicating with new vCenter.

◉ Remote Secure Credentials (RSC) use a unique one-time generated credential, reducing service costs and response time.

◉ Remote Support Connectivity enables direct connect and gateway connection.

◉ Dynamic Pre-upgrade Health Check (PUHC) allow audiences to run GUI any time to determine NDU readiness state or health state of array.

◉ Periodic Online Drive Firmware Updates (ODFU) checks and upgrades any out-of-date drives that are installed into the Unity system.

With this release, Unity XT HFAs also become the first storage product to meet the USGv6r1 profile capability requirement IPv6-Only Functional v1.1.

Hybrid flash arrays continue to be a compelling storage solution for small and medium businesses right through to the enterprise. It’s why IT managers with a good understanding of their latency requirements can deploy cost-effective solutions such as Unity XT HFAs to meet the performance needs of general-purpose workloads that run their organization. Through effective workload evaluation, businesses can lower their storage infrastructure costs significantly without compromising performance, availability and data services, while also benefiting from a markedly more aggressive TCO profile.

Our customers frequently cite economics, flexibility and management familiarity as key reasons why they still invest in HFAs. Unity XT HFA systems are the perfect choice for customers searching for an all-inclusive, no-compromise hybrid flash array solution.

Dell recognizes the essential value that Unity XT HFAs provide to many businesses – regardless of size – to achieve their desired business outcomes for thousands of general-purpose applications, affordably and without compromise. Unity XT HFAs have certainly lived up to this mission since inception, with world-class hardware and software innovation helping Dell sustain a market leadership position.

Source: dell.com

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Thinking of Building Your Own 5G Network? Think Again.

5G technology has a critical role to play in unlocking the next generation of business innovation, from Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) to smart electricity grids delivering green energy over thousands of square miles, to completely automated factories. But being locked into a single vendor’s vision for 5G can potentially stifle that innovation. At Dell Technologies, we believe the 5G-driven enterprise is the future of business – provided that the future remains open to innovation from a broad range of hardware, software and services vendors.

5G applications will require more than mobile connectivity for onsite applications within factories, warehouses, transportation hubs, power plants and more. Mobile and smart grid IoT devices will also need 5G coverage far beyond these environments. They’ll need multiaccess edge computing, IoT devices, vertical industry applications and cloud-native computing platforms. This is a challenge for most organizations. At the same time, enterprises don’t want to manage a diverse team of hardware and software vendors. And this is where Dell Technologies has a unique opportunity: By delivering managed, end-to-end 5G solutions to their enterprise customers, Dell can provide the missing link between innovation and activation. 

Drive Innovation Faster with Dell in the Driver’s Seat 

Enterprises are looking for reliable, secure, networked experiences with enhanced connectivity that can meet the performance needs of their mission-critical onsite and remote applications. They also want a single provider that can deliver those experiences as an end-to-end solution, including hardware, software and services to deploy private wireless at scale on their premises. Because private wireless applications can be deployed anywhere from the near edge to the far edge of the network, it can take a significant number of servers and radios to create that networked environment. By partnering with communications service providers (CSPs), enterprises can deploy these 5G experiences efficiently and cost-effectively. 

Of course, CSPs can’t do everything alone; they need to partner with solutions vendors as well. For example, combining IoT and connected worker applications with Dell Technologies’ Expeto-powered private wireless solutions give CSPs a reliable, pre-integrated wireless solution that opens up a variety of use cases. At the same time, Dell integrated solutions offer enterprises high performance at the edge for computing and storage. While enterprises can technically implement their own wireless networks using the CBRS radio spectrum, it is more cost-effective to take a converged approach leveraging existing CSP public cell site coverage wherever possible and augmenting with private radios to close coverage holes and minimize latency. It’s this partnered arrangement that we believe will deliver specified outcomes for the widest array of 5G-enabled enterprises. 

Leveraging the Value of Partnered Solutions 

More than products and technology, Dell offers end-to-end services for telecommunications, such as solution design, testing and integration, deployment and full lifecycle management. With Dell services and solutions, enterprises get a fully validated, proven 5G solution featuring prepackaged hardware, software and services. Dell also partners with the industry’s leading 5G and cloud technology providers to create best-in-class solutions for enterprises. In fact, that’s exactly what we’ve done with our recent 5G private wireless solution. 

Dell recently announced an end-to-end 5G private wireless enterprise solution featuring integrated software technology from Airspan, Druid Software, Expeto and Versa Networks, as well as integrated hardware technology from Dell and Microsoft Azure. This private wireless solution can be deployed in various hardware and software configurations, which allows enterprise customers to choose the optimal configuration based on their deployment requirements. Currently, the solution can be deployed on Dell PowerEdge servers, Dell VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) or Microsoft Azure’s HCI platform. 

By combining hardware and software from industry-leading partners, Dell’s 5G private wireless solution allows CSPs to offer enterprise customers pre-validated, customized solutions for their 5G applications. Both Expeto and Druid offer core solutions that can accommodate 5G applications and use cases that require public or private roaming, or private-only access. In addition, the private wireless solution features Airspan’s RAN technology and Versa Networks’ Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to complete its end-to-end functionality. 

Integration, testing and validation services are critical before a solution can truly be considered ready for deployment. While it holds true that no single vendor is an expert at everything, Dell’s experience in telecommunications, cloud infrastructure, hardware, software and global supply chain logistics makes us the logical choice to lead the telecommunications solutions of the future. 

How Can Dell Help You? 

One of the biggest barriers to adopting any new technology is knowing where to start. Now, you can get started with Dell. We have 5G solutions that are already pre-integrated, pre-validated and pre-packaged to help CSPs and their enterprise customers reduce the complexity of deploying and managing 5G solutions in their own network, in the cloud or at the edge. 

Enterprises trust Dell Technologies. CSPs can trust Dell Services to provide assistance with building, deploying and managing 5G solutions. We can manage the entire project from start to finish. We can design customized 5G solutions. We can help enterprises install and integrate 5G mobility into their operations. Whatever it takes to effectively launch 5G applications, Dell can serve as both launchpad and command and control for the lifecycle of the solution. 

Sure, you could build your own best-of-breed private wireless solution. But you can eliminate many of the complexities and have a better experience by working with Dell and our partners. If you’re really serious about making 5G work for your business, consider working with us.

Source: dell.com

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Setting a New Standard for Public Cloud Storage

Recently at Dell Technologies World we unveiled our latest advancements for multicloud environments. Despite the potential to unlock tremendous innovation, the siloed nature of multicloud environments and infrastructure present challenges, such as lack of control and visibility, unpredictable costs, fragmented management experiences, complex data mobility processes and inconsistent security and compliance measures.

To address these issues, last year Dell introduced Project Alpine, an initiative aimed at bringing the unique software capabilities of our leading storage platforms to major public clouds. This year, Dell is delivering on the promise of Project Alpine with the launch of Dell APEX Storage for Public Cloud. This new portfolio of software-defined, customer-managed storage solutions brings Dell’s enterprise-class performance, scalability and cyber resilience to major hyperscalers, complemented by centralized management tools within the Dell APEX Console.

Enterprise-Class Block Storage in the Cloud

Many IT organizations have mission-critical workloads that require enterprise-class block storage, including large databases and containerized database workloads, analytics workloads or multiple container deployments. Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS and Microsoft Azure enables these workloads to be deployed in the public cloud. Dell APEX block storage is based on Dell PowerFlex software, a scale-out software-defined block storage offering that has a proven track record of delivering exceptional performance, scalability and flexibility for demanding workloads in on-premises environments. Offering the ability to leverage enterprise storage features like thin provisioning make it more cost-effective to use block-based storage in the public cloud. Now, we’re extending those benefits to deliver higher performance, larger volume sizes and improved resilience than what is currently available with public cloud storage today.

Extreme Performance and Scalability

Dell APEX block storage has a scale-out software-defined architecture that enables extreme performance by aggregating the data access across the cluster to deliver large IOPs.​ The cluster can be rapidly expanded to increase both performance and capacity while maintaining low latency. Each additional node added to the cluster will increase the total IOPs to meet even the most demanding performance requirements, with the ability to scale up to 512 instances (nodes) in a single deployment providing millions of IOPs, and a usable capacity of 4 PB, to address the needs of workloads that require high throughput and access to lots of data. In fact, Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS offers the world’s most scalable cloud block storage service available in the market today.

Flexible Deployments

Organizations can optimize for both cost and performance with Dell APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud. During deployment, users can choose between placing their data on shared managed disks (Elastic Block Storage) or on native attached NVMe SSD drives (EC2 Instance Store) for more optimal performance workloads. Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS and Azure is the only third-party cloud block storage provider that gives you the choice of these two options. And Dell’s internal performance testing has shown significant advantages in terms of throughput, with the EC2 Instance Store option delivering up to six times the transactions per minute (TPM) compared to the shared disk deployment. By offering these choices, businesses are enabled to tailor their configurations based on specific cost and performance requirements.

Seamless Data Mobility

Dell APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud facilitates seamless data mobility using snapshots and native replication. Organizations can easily migrate their data from on-premises to the public cloud and establish warm standby copies in different regions for regional disaster recovery protection. Furthermore, customers can leverage Dell’s backup and restore offerings to object storage, such as S3 on AWS, to enhance data protection for their mission-critical workloads.

Enhanced Resilience

The unique architecture significantly increases resiliency by distributing data across multiple availability zones (AZs) in the public cloud. By leveraging fault sets mapped across three AZs, Dell APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud protects against the loss of data access in case of an AZ becoming unavailable. This resilience is achieved without impact on performance or throughput by eliminating unnecessary data replication or additional copies.

Cost Optimization and Savings

Best of all, Dell APEX block storage offers a cost-effective alternative compared to other cloud-based offerings. Internal analysis reveals that at 500 TB usable capacity, Dell APEX Block Storage for AWS can deliver three times (300%) more IOPs per dollar compared to the native AWS Ultra disk (EBS io2). This translates to significant cost savings while still enjoying enterprise-class block storage in the public cloud. Additionally, customers can apply their pre-committed cloud spend to cover the public cloud infrastructure fees.  It’s a win-win.

Source: dell.com

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Dell PowerProtect Appliances Expands Boost Ecosystem Partnerships

Two of the reasons so many customers choose to use Dell PowerProtect appliances are choice and flexibility. PowerProtect appliances have always offered customers the freedom of choice and flexibility when it comes to using backup software and applications.

PowerProtect DD offers three ways to write data to our appliances that unlock the value of our systems. First, the “good” are industry-standard protocols like Common Internet File System (CIFS) and Network File System (NFS). Then, there’s the “better” – the Boost File System (BoostFS). Finally, the “best” option is to become a DD Boost ecosystem partner.

How DD Boost Enables More Efficient Backups

DD Boost software delivers an advanced level of integration with backup applications and database utilities, enhancing performance and ease of use. Rather than sending all data to the system for deduplication processes, DD Boost enables the backup server or application client to send only unique data segments across the network to the system, reducing required network bandwidth and speeding up the overall backup process. Our DD Boost software development kit within the ecosystem partnership allows third-party applications to manage replication, virtual synthetic full backups, retention lock (immutability) and much more.

In addition to supporting our own software, Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, NetWorker and Avamar with DD Boost, there is also a broader ecosystem of backup software support that includes Veeam, Veritas, vRanger, Oracle, SAP, IBM and now Commvault.

DD Boost’s Expanded Partner Ecosystem

Today, Dell’s DD Boost ecosystem is adding support for Commvault. Commvault Complete users will benefit from the tighter integration with PowerProtect appliances, providing shorter backup windows and lower required bandwidth. This current configuration will support server side when it comes to DD Boost, and we plan to offer a more robust solution, including all DD Boost feature integration benefits, later this year.

With the current integration, customers will get the following benefits:

◉ API-based integration

◉ Inline upgrade from existing NFS/BoostFS to DD Boost on MediaAgent

◉ More secure integration as an alternative to NFS/BoostFS

◉ Faster and more secure backups

◉ Retention lock

Enjoy the Benefits of DD Boost

Reach out to your Dell account representative to learn more about partner integrations and how you can get more backup performance and return on investment out of your data protection solution.

Source: dell.com

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Bring on the Robots: Helping Retailers Deliver Service Excellence

While the retail sector has long been a digital transformation leader, COVID-era stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements forced retailers to become even more innovative in how they deliver goods to consumers. Services like home delivery, online ordering and curbside pickup surged in popularity, even among categories that had never offered them before, such as grocery.

Now, with the pandemic largely behind us, demand for these services continues to grow. For the retailer, these shopper preferences present a challenge. In a difficult economic environment, specialized fulfillment services add cost and complexity. They also require an expanded workforce, which can be hard to maintain in a tight labor market. Relying on providers like Doordash and Instacart only dilutes sales and reduces retailer margins.

To succeed in this environment, retailers are looking for solutions to help ease these pressures – to continue delivering the services customers expect while controlling costs and ensuring a seamless shopping experience.

Introducing Dell Validated Design for the Retail Edge featuring Robots-as-a-Service

In our quest to help customers overcome their most difficult business challenges, Dell is partnering with inVia Robotics to introduce the Dell Validated Design for Retail Edge. This solution uses Dell edge technology and a comprehensive inventory automation system to help retailers reduce the cost and complexity of order fulfillment to provide efficient curbside pickup and same-day delivery services.

Through this partnership, inVia provides hardware, software and other capabilities that allow retailers to scale up warehouse automation as needed. InVia provides robotic fulfillment units at no upfront cost to retailers, charging only for work the robots do and the productivity they deliver. The solution is unique in that it retrofits easily into existing warehouse and retail spaces, allowing customers to quickly achieve gains without significantly overhauling their physical footprints or operations processes.

Dell validates the inVia software and robotics with VMware Edge Compute Stack, AzureStack HCI and bare metal, which allows customers to deploy a simplified edge retail robotics solution without sacrificing choice. Dell XR4000, the high-performance, multi-node server purpose-built to address the demands of the retail edge, powers the entire solution.

Robots to the Rescue

With the help of inVia, the Dell Validated Design for Retail Edge solution converts existing warehouse and retail spaces into micro-fulfillment centers that transform the order fulfillment process. At its core, an advanced warehouse execution system (WES) powers an automated warehouse located in the back, staffed with human and robotic order pickers, and a computer vision software system maps warehouse floorplans and inventory placement to determine the most efficient pathways for humans and robots to carry out fulfillment tasks.

Robots take charge of all back-end tasks, constantly monitoring inventory levels and detecting when items need to be restocked. As orders come in, the robots autonomously retrieve requested items and deliver them to the pick wall, ensuring stock is available for fulfillment. This continuous monitoring and restocking process ensures the fulfillment center operates smoothly, minimizing delays and optimizing efficiency.

Some of the tasks the robotics solution can support include:

◉ Product putbacks and returns

◉ Product sorting and consolidation

◉ Product replenishment and restocking

◉ Product inventory count tracking

◉ Lot control/serialization (for recall or error, products can be tracked back through the system)

◉ Complete management reporting

It’s important to note the Dell-inVia solution does not need to include autonomous robotics. The solution is available using the inVia Modular Warehouse Execution System powered by Dell. Businesses can experience significant improvements with software alone, helping employees better coordinate and streamline the order fulfillment process. However, for those looking to maximize a valuable human workforce, the robotics component provides significant behind-the-scenes value.

A Solution for the Future of Retail

Retailers using inVia-based systems report up to a tenfold improvement in orders picked per hour. When you consider that order picking accounts for more than 50% of warehouse operating costs, this represents significant savings – savings that retailers can pass on to shoppers in the form of faster, more accurate service and more consistent pricing.

The pressures facing retailers to deliver more efficient and personalized services – while controlling costs – continue to rise. The old ways of doing things no longer align with business practices or customer expectations. To provide a more advanced experience, technology solutions at the edge, including robotic support and AI-driven applications, are the new retail paradigm. As a retail technology leader for many decades, Dell is proud to be powering these new breakthroughs for retailers and consumers worldwide.

Source: dell.com

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The Future of Direct-attached Storage is “Better Together”

Regardless of scale, IT business advantages often occur when innovative technologies can be merged or integrated together to simplify operations, enhance business agility, sharpen a competitive edge and improve overall efficiencies, including cost and time savings. These advantages can prove to be either disruptive, causing notable change in the way the business operates, or incremental, extending the technological capabilities that already exist.

At Dell Technologies, we recently announced a next generation of PowerVault storage systems. These systems directly attach to previous and new generations of PowerEdge servers that provide incremental storage capacity to meet the needs of server application data growth. The new series of PowerVault storage enclosures include the low-cost dense MD2412, the performance-optimized MD2424 and the high-density MD2460. Beyond the models themselves, we designed these systems for the future with support for emerging technologies including SAS4 24Gb and PERC, ensuring continued value into the distant future. We call this “better together.”

The new Dell PowerVault M2460 storage solution.

Better Together

Better together for Dell means ensuring our customers get more value out of their technology investments by coupling platforms with the features, functions and services they need for success. PowerVault and PowerEdge teams did this with compelling collaboration and technology integration to simplify the challenges of server capacity expansion and deliver high-speed application access to data. The better together efforts have resulted in a joint solution that takes a step toward the future, bringing compute power and storage scalability firmly together – affordably.

The latest PowerEdge servers are easy to use and equipped to handle vast amounts of data for all kinds of outcomes. With our customers pursuing so many different strategies to accomplish more, having the PowerVault MD Series as a validated, trusted and economical storage option is imperative for high availability and server workload scalability needs.

Reach New Heights with PowerVault MD

The PowerVault MD Series, like PowerEdge servers, is fully supported by Dell Technologies and OEM-ready for companies wanting to integrate this combined solution into their product offerings.

So, if you’re looking for an affordable, dense storage solution to easily expand your PowerEdge server capacity, none are quite as accessible as the PowerVault MD Series. The MD Series offers future-ready benefits that can save you time and hassle down the road. That’s investment protection.

Source: dell.com

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