Driving Storage Innovation: APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure

In today’s fast-paced world, where innovation and success are the keys to staying ahead, Dell Technologies has always believed in meeting customers where they are. This core belief drives us to empower our customers by enabling them to thrive with the latest technological advancements. But we don’t stop there. At Dell, we take it one step further by consistently being the first to market with our groundbreaking solutions, ensuring that our customers are not just keeping up but leading the way.

That’s why we announced availability of Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure last September. Collaboratively engineered with Microsoft, it was introduced as the first Premier Solution for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI, a category that includes platforms providing the fastest time to value for Azure hybrid cloud through the deepest levels of engineering integration with Microsoft. Our innovation with APEX Cloud Platform for Azure has delivered significant benefits for our joint customers, including as much as 85% lower costs of testing and 80% reduction in business issues according to a recent study by ESG.

Today, in collaboration with Microsoft, we’re pleased to announce another first in technological advancements for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI by adding support for Dell PowerFlex with the APEX Cloud Platform for Azure. This makes APEX Cloud Platform the first offer in the Microsoft Premier Solutions for Azure Stack HCI category to support linear scaling of storage resources independently from compute and Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct (S2D). By extending APEX Cloud Platform for Azure with a shared, universal storage layer based on Dell PowerFlex software-defined storage, the platform delivers greater control over where applications and data reside, whether on-premises or in the public cloud.

Exceptional Performance and Scalability for Modern Enterprises

The new solution has been tested by both Dell Technologies and Microsoft engineering teams and is designed to complement S2D. The APEX Cloud Platform for Azure with PowerFlex delivers a significant enhancement to the platform with unparalleled flexibility and performance to meet the diverse storage needs of modern enterprises.

“As we continue to innovate and empower our customers with cutting-edge solutions, the partnership with Dell and Microsoft is paramount. With the Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure, customers gain great flexibility and simplicity by leveraging Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct alongside Dell’s enterprise-class software-defined block storage. By integrating Microsoft Azure Stack HCI with Dell software-defined block storage, this solution gives businesses the autonomy to deploy workloads across on-premises and in the Azure cloud.”

– Meena Gowdar, Group Principal PM Manager, Azure Edge and Platform – Microsoft

Designed with Storage Flexibility in Mind

APEX Cloud Platform for Azure combined with Dell PowerFlex enables users to extend their storage fabric with enterprise-class software-defined storage designed to ensure optimal storage performance and scalability. PowerFlex software creates a universal storage layer across on-premises Dell enterprise storage, Dell storage for public cloud and the APEX Cloud Platform. With intelligent management and automation, PowerFlex streamlines storage management and orchestrates data movement across these locations. Users gain access to numerous benefits:

• Ability to power mission-critical applications. PowerFlex excels in hosting applications that require high transactional performance and low latency, making it ideal for mission-critical databases and applications.
• Consistent I/O performance. It ensures consistent I/O performance for streaming, ingestion and reporting transactions, particularly within AI and data analytics environments, on a very small footprint with no performance bottlenecks.
• Exceptional availability. With a six 9s (99.9999%) availability, PowerFlex minimizes platform downtime to just 31.5 seconds per year. Its fast rebuild and rebalance operations further enhance resiliency.
• Extreme scalability. Modular scale-out architecture supports exponential data growth, allowing infrastructure to expand seamlessly as demand increases and utilize storage capacity to the fullest.
• Enhanced workload support. Run a highly diverse set of workloads, including mission-critical databases on a single common infrastructure, minimizing infrastructure silos.

Delivering Hybrid Cloud Innovation

The integration of Dell PowerFlex into APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing flexible, scalable and high-performance storage solutions. This new capability empowers our customers to meet their evolving storage needs with confidence, ensuring their critical applications run smoothly and efficiently.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and expand the capabilities of APEX Cloud Platform for Azure, bringing you the best in Microsoft Azure Stack HCI solutions.

Source: dell.com

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AI-Phone Home

We’ve entered the artificial intelligence (AI) era, and there is growing interest in the telecom industry on how best to leverage AI’s superpowers to generate business growth, to build differentiated networks and to achieve unprecedented operational efficiencies. While all these outcomes are achievable, they are daunting—and worse, if left behind can be fatal for a business.

The telecom industry has been gradually adopting AI/machine learning (ML) in networks and for business operations. For example, the Open RAN industry has been working on several use cases to increase spectral efficiency, improve energy efficiency and optimize network performance. Similarly, telecom business operations have been working on chatbots to improve customer engagement, conduct sentiment analysis and predict churn.

The journey ahead is going to be transformational.

In a survey released in February 2023, NVIDIA found that nearly all telecommunications respondents (95%) were already engaged with AI. However, much of this engagement was in early stages, as only one-third (34%) had been using AI for over six months, while nearly a quarter (23%) were still learning how to apply AI on their networks.

In this blog, I’ll cover several aspects of how AI/ML will transform the telecom business.

AI Applied to the Network

Today, AI is already being used to assist networks to achieve some level of automation and efficiency. Going forward, the industry is poised to move from AI-assisted, where AI is only used peripherally, to AI-native, where the core of the systems is built and operated with AI/ML models.

AI/ML will permeate through the entire network stack, presenting unique opportunities for communications service providers (CSPs) to create differentiated networks that are highly automated, delivering higher performance, achieving higher energy efficiency and more. Every layer of the network stack—from neural receivers to neural schedulers to neural optimizers—is poised to be transformed with AI/ML to deliver higher performance and better quality.

And from network planning to network deployment to network optimization—the entire network lifecycle is poised to be automated. The use cases range from applying traditional AI/ML for network optimization, to harnessing the natural language processing (NLP) superpowers of generative AI (GenAI) for network troubleshooting. Further, network digital twins will enable CSPs to carry out exhaustive simulations in the digital world before rolling out changes in the real physical world.

This is just scratching the surface. AI will enable CSPs to build differentiated and automated networks.

AI Supporting the Business

AI will play a pivotal role in simplifying, modernizing and automating CSPs’ business operations. AI is poised to enable CSPs to achieve unprecedented productivity gains, to effectively monetize their networks and to grow both their top line and bottom line.

The journey has already begun for many CSPs with chatbots and call center copilots that are creating new ways to deliver customer care, perform sentiment analysis and proactively mitigate churn. We are collaborating with our partners in a TM Forum Catalyst project “AI chat agent: The game changer for telecoms” to pave the way for the industry on this. This Catalyst project is powering chatbot with telecom-trained large language models (LLM) to provide swift, precise and personalized customer care. The goal is to enhance both customer experience and deliver revenue growth. The Catalyst demonstrates the power of GenAI by showing how LLM-based chatbots can understand customer intent and trigger automated actions to offer personalized data plans or initiate new service subscriptions.

Copilots will drive productivity gains, from code development copilots to field support copilots, and GenAI-powered new digital assistants will enable telecom teams to achieve outcomes much faster. On same lines, GenAI will enable network operations teams to quickly analyze large logs and sift through a high volume of signaling message flows to detect anomalies and reduce troubleshooting time from days to hours to minutes.

With sustainability and lowering energy costs being top of mind for almost all CSPs, AI will play a pivotal role in network energy efficiency—especially at the edge in (usually) unstaffed locations. By using AI/ML to understand what equipment is in use and when, organizations can automate energy management at edge locations.

Meaningful efficiency and productivity gains, as well as the ability to lower operating costs, will be unlocked for networks with GenAI.

Building an AI-ready Infrastructure

To capture the full business potential of AI, CSPs need to get their network infrastructure ready for a whole new class of workloads: AI workloads.

AI-ready infrastructure will enable CSPs to not only create differentiated networks and realize productivity gains, but it also will enable them to offer new services and generate new revenue streams. CSPs are uniquely positioned to offer inferencing services at the edge.

Networks are the edge of the real world, and they are pervasive. As AI proliferates across different industries, demand for inferencing will substantially grow. Inferencing closer to where the data is generated has both technical and business benefits—consider data transport costs, latency, ability to reject low value data at the edge and so on. With AI-ready infrastructure, CSPs can offer inferencing services for this new class of AI workloads at the edge. And in many markets, CSPs are also building AI-factories to offer sovereign AI model training/tuning services.

To build the right AI-ready infrastructure, CSPs will have to navigate a range of questions. Right sizing the AI infrastructure for training and inferencing will require taking AI model sizes and complexity into account and simultaneously meeting real-world constraints for power, cooling, form factor, etc. for a given location in the network.

Dell Technologies has a wide range of our PowerEdge server and GPU portfolio that caters to the growing performance requirements of AI workloads while also meeting real world constraints. For example:

• PowerEdge XE9680 with 8x Nvidia H100 GPUs is well-suited for large AI model training/tuning and can be hosted in CSPs’ national and/or regional data centers (NDC/RDC).
• PowerEdge R760XA can hold up to 4x double-wide GPUs or up to 12x single-wide GPUs and is well suited for telecom’s core network deployments.
• PowerEdge XR8000 CPUs are AI ready to handle small edge AI inferencing workloads and paired with GPUs can handle medium inferencing workloads.

These are just some examples, and with our comprehensive PowerEdge server and GPU, portfolio CSPs can right size their infrastructure.

These are exciting times in technology. AI is a transformational force that will redefine the telecom landscape. Those who get out of the gates early have much to gain, and those who get left behind have a lot to worry about.

AI phone home.

Source: dell.com

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Dell and Analysys Mason Announce Telecom Open Network Index

Communications service providers (CSPs) around the globe recognize the myriad benefits cloud-native open network architectures can deliver to move their businesses forward. Almost all (nine in 10) CSPs believe open networks are critical to their survival. However, only two in 10 have an open network strategy in place, according to a recent global survey of CSPs.

To help understand this gap between CSPs’ aspirations for open network transformation and actionable strategies, Dell Technologies, in collaboration with Analysys Mason, today unveiled a new Open Network Index (ONI) report that measures 50 Tier 1 operators worldwide on their network modernization progress.

Read More: D-PVM-OE-23: Dell Technologies PowerMax and VMAX Family Solutions Operate 2023

The ONI benchmarks network operator progress from an open vision and operational strategy perspective and a technical execution maturity perspective. Overall, survey respondents displayed a strong willingness to align themselves with open networking principles, and many have already established open network transformation strategies and business cases for this purpose. However, the technical implementation of open network architectures and (especially) open operating models remains challenging for operators.

Figure 1. Open Network Index: open network progress of 50 Tier-1 operators, categorized by vision/strategy and technical execution maturity, worldwide, December 2023 – January 2024.

The ONI assessed operators on three key factors including openness vision, openness architecture and operational strategy and open partnerships and industry cooperation. Based on these factors, the analysis then gauged the technical execution maturity for each operator, including their open vendor approach, the adoption of an open network cloud architecture and their open network domain execution. ONI uncovered four overall findings.

1. Operators are embracing open networking principles but continue to struggle with implementation. According to ONI, 16% of network operators are engaged in transformation, 28% are working on their open network strategy and 44% are planning to work on their strategy. The technical implementation of open network architectures and (especially) open operating models remains challenging for operators. Overcoming these hurdles will require operators to build skills internally and to partner more closely with network-function-neutral vendors such as IT vendors, systems integrators (SIs) and public cloud providers (PCPs).

2. Horizontal network cloud architectures are the gold standard for operators, but adoption remains slow for all network domains. The concept of an open cloud is central to the vision of open networks, which will help operators eliminate network silos, simplify their operations and provide cost-saving synergies. The respondents that were most aligned to openness aim to adopt such a platform, but many had yet to implement this vision because it requires significant effort to do so.

3. The adoption of open networks is highest in the mobile core domain, but operators are also extending their transformation efforts to the RAN and network edge. Most operators surveyed want to deploy multi-vendor Open RAN, but mainstream deployment appears to be two to three years away due to the complexity of such networks and maturity issues with the technology. In addition, operators are gradually building out their network edge using open architectures to support new revenue-generating services such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), massive machine type communications (mMTC) and fixed-wireless access (FWA).

4. Operators need to develop an openness strategy and approach its implementation in the right way. ONI highlights specific calls to action for network operators:

• Create cross-domain teams focused on openness.
• Adopt an incremental approach horizontal cloud platform transformation.
• Engage with new partners to help reduce the complexity of open network adoption.
• Establish monetization strategies that leverage the modular nature of open, disaggregated networks.
• Increase involvement in industry standards groups focused on the development of open cloud principles.

The ONI mirrors the cloud transformation trajectory that Dell Technologies has experienced in supporting and implementing hundreds of successful cloud transformation deployments in the enterprise sector. Dell’s multi-partner telecom ecosystem and were born out of the enterprise experience to support CSPs as they embrace open networks and implement open network adoption strategies.

The ONI reflects the understanding among operators that the move to disaggregated networks requires a new mindset, especially regarding partner support in developing open architecture and open operating models. Over the next two to three years, CSPs in the ONI foresee broader adoption of open networks as the Open RAN ecosystem matures and closes the performance gap between vRAN/Open RAN and appliance-based RAN.

Source: dell.com

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Accelerating Telecom Transformation: A Strategic Partnership Between Dell and Ericsson

The TMForum DTW Ignite conference is in full gear this week in Copenhagen, so it’s the perfect time to delve into the exciting collaboration between Dell and Ericsson. Announced on May 23, 2024, this strategic partnership aims to develop plans for tailored network cloud infrastructure and advising communications service providers (CSPs) on their cloud transformation journeys.

Ericsson and Dell are also collaborating to explore how comprehensive service orchestration and assurance of Enterprise Edge and differentiated connectivity services can reduce implementation and operational, cost and risk for CSP’s through certified interoperability between Ericsson Service Orchestration and Assurance and Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite.

According to a recent study sponsored by Dell Technologies, a majority of CSPs recognize the critical importance of network transformation for their survival. However, 96% of them report lagging efforts due to budget constraints, time limitations and concerns about reliability and security. The partnership between Dell and Ericsson aims to address these challenges by developing and implementing Open RAN-based network cloud transformation strategies that are simple, reliable and cost-effective.  The integration of Ericsson Service Orchestration Assurance with Dell Telecom Infrastructure Automation Suite is being explored to deliver a comprehensive solution for CSPs.

Addressing CSPs’ Needs for Automation at the Edge

The solutions being developed aim to enable service provider choice and flexibility in architecting their multicloud service platforms and enabling them to:

• Orchestrate and assure distributed cloud Infrastructure for any type of service workload.
• Provide on-demand automation and orchestration of network slicing based on service characteristics.
• Expose service and network capabilities that enable new business models.
• Optimize CapEx and OpEx cost in the operationalization of edge services.

Consider a retail business aiming to improve in-store management using video cameras with image processing and video analytics. The goal is to profile the customer journey through the store to enhance the store’s layout. However, IT infrastructure for in-store processing is expensive and requires expertise at store sites.

For security reasons, video must remain local and cannot be sent to a central public cloud. In some cases, response time is crucial, necessitating traffic processing close to the store. Here, the CSP would offer a 5G service with a private network slice to the retailer, connecting their cameras directly to the CSP’s edge cloud where all video processing and analytics would take place.

Ericsson and Dell aim to provide CSPs with an end-to-end automation platform to deliver this service. The platform would:

• Automate the discovery. New or existing compute and storage resources capable of meeting the application requirements at the required location would be discovered and allocated to the appropriate resource pools.
• Make infrastructure updates. This includes firmware upgrades, changes to RAID configurations, updates to the operating system and software, etc.
• Automate the deployment. The enterprise application deployment would be automated.
• Set Up a secure, private 5G network slice. A secure, private 5G network slice would be established.
• Ensure continuous monitoring and service assurance. The network slice would be continuously monitored and managed to meet SLAs.

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting partnership and the innovative solutions it promises to bring to the telecom network cloud transformation landscape.

Source: dell.com

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Latest in Cloud Client Workspace Innovation to Simplify IT

At Dell Technologies World 2024, the Cloud Client Workspace team spotlighted how the world’s #1 thin client company continues to innovate its thin client solutions to simplify IT management. Focusing on our software—Dell ThinOS, Dell thin client solutions with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise, Dell Hybrid Client and Wyse Management Suite—allows us to develop and implement new features faster and be more responsive to customer needs.

Addressing IT Management Challenges

For IT administrators responsible for deploying and managing large fleets of end user endpoints, particularly across geographically dispersed locations, ease of management is key. That’s why VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) and thin clients are an attractive strategy. Designed with a lightweight operating system with only the required software components to access the VDI data center, a thin client has less to manage and minimizes security exposure without local data or apps. However, not all thin clients are alike, and you can start seeing some big differences when you dig into IT management capabilities.

Simplifying deployment is often top of mind for centralized IT departments—how to efficiently get new client devices set up and running with minimal involvement from IT personnel. This was a key need discussed by Topgolf in our Dell Technologies World breakout session. With more than 100 venues across the world and more than 8,300 Dell thin clients in operation, Topgolf is managing their entire fleet with a seven-man IT team.

Another common challenge is remote troubleshooting. It’s a big part of the job but easier said than done because the required technology to support (screensharing, grabbing control, etc.) can be complicated. Your environment needs additional software, which requires that firewall ports be open to contact remote clients which can lead to security breaches.

And then there is the task of patch management and keeping fleets up to date with the latest versions of applications. There is an art to rolling out updates to large, geographically dispersed fleets with the need to balance urgency and efficiency while minimizing end user downtime.

Dell Thin Client Innovation

The latest ThinOS and Wyse Management Suite (WMS) software releases include several features that greatly improve thin client device management capabilities, and they’re only available from Dell Technologies.

Dynamic Wyse Management Suite Dashboard Makes It Easier to Monitor and Manage Fleets

Dell’s Wyse Management Suite is flexible management software that allows IT admins to centrally configure, monitor, manage and optimize Dell thin clients. WMS is the industry’s only hybrid cloud management solution that offers floating license allocation between on-premises and public cloud instances, giving IT department the ability to centrally manage a geographically dispersed fleet without the need to set up firewalls, zones, and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).

Recently, Wyse Management Suite (WMS) introduced a new dynamic dashboard presenting a user-friendly view of real-time device insights and telemetry data, making it easier for IT admins to monitor and manage their Dell thin client fleets. Admins can track job status, compliance and fleet health. With convenient hyperlinks, an admin can click on a graph segment or metric and quickly see a list of devices that make up that metric, making it easier to investigate and take action.

The new Wyse Management Suite dashboard showing real-time device insights and telemetry data.

Easier Troubleshooting for Remote Clients with Enhanced P2P Shadowing Capability

The new “Peer-to-Peer Remote Shadow” functionality available for ThinOS and Wyse Management Suite Pro customers allows IT personnel to shadow a ThinOS client user display from anywhere, even small remote and home offices. This built-in feature requires no additional firewall or device configurations—nor is third-party software or subscriptions required. All you need to do is go to the WMS console, select the device and start the shadowing session.

While remote shadowing is not new to the industry, the ThinOS remote shadow experience offers security advantages over Virtual Network Computing because it does not require the opening of incoming firewall network ports to initiate a session. Both security and ease of use are accomplished by leveraging TLS protocol to the signaling server and DTLS protocol when transferring media data securely peer-to-peer between ThinOS and the Wyse Management Suite console. 

Minimize User Downtime and Business Disruption with Wave Deployment

Wyse Management Suite now offers Wave Deployment for ThinOS devices, which provides more automation and customization options for scheduling and pushing out device updates, giving IT admins more control over scheduled maintenance and ensuring operational stability. With this feature, admins can define and schedule updates in waves (groups of devices) and set threshold types, as well as thresholds for the next action based on a user-defined success or failure percentage. For example, a scheduled update can be set to abort and revert to the previous state if the failure rate for a wave exceeds the pre-defined threshold. The functionality helps IT departments mitigate the risks of rolling out an update to an entire fleet. Each wave provides valuable feedback, giving IT admins the time to make adjustments before broader deployment. Additionally, the ability to schedule updates in batches eliminates network congestion, further minimizing disruption to the business.

Get Remote Employees Up and Running Faster with QR Codes

Another enhancement, designed to simplify the set-up of devices for remote and home office employees, is QR code registration. An IT department can simply ship out a ThinOS thin client and email the recipient a secure QR code and password. With the ThinOS Quick Start wizard, the end user will be up and running in just a few clicks. The QR code contains the necessary information for the device to attach to the Wyse Management Suite server, automatically populate the configuration settings from the user’s defined group and provide instructions for successful VDI connection. The QR code registration process is intuitive, eliminating the need for user set-up guides or a second-touch service that configures the device before it reaches the end user.

The ThinOS Quick Start wizard prompts the user to scan their QR code.

These are just a few examples of Dell’s continued investment in thin client innovation and our focus on making IT management easier.

Source: dell.com

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Dell Connected PCs for Zero Trust Security

Zero Trust is a security framework that assumes no trust for any entity, whether internal or external, and requires continuous verification of identity, device, software, data and network. This principle of “never trust, always verify” and aims to prevent data breaches, cyberattacks and unauthorized access.

Zero Trust is especially relevant in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), where data is the fuel for innovation and competitive advantage, and protecting it from security threats becomes critical to its integrity.  As Gartner® states in the 2023 Strategic Roadmap for Zero Trust Security Program Implementation report, John Watts, Neil MacDonald, Thomas Lintemuth, April 13, 2023, “Organizations impacted by major cybersecurity incidents or simply reacting to a shifting threat landscape turn to zero trust strategies as a way of limiting their exposure to, and the impacts of, these kinds of threats. In 2021, the U.S. federal government moved determinedly to adopt a zero trust strategy.”

Managing device and software security is not easy, as it involves multiple factors, such as device inventory, device health, device configuration, device encryption, device update, device backup, device recovery, device remote control, device wipe and device retirement. Moreover, device and software security are not static, as they change over time and across different contexts, such as location, network and user behavior. This is where Dell Connected PCs come in with flexibility in devices to fit multiple personas and security to ensure end users are linked to a known secure, encrypted mobile network.

How Dell Connected PCs Support Zero Trust Principles: Features and Benefits

Dell Connected PCs are laptops with mobile broadband that work like smartphones to enable access to the internet when a secure Wi-Fi connection is not available.Built with Zero Trust in Mind

Many Dell Connected PC models, such as Latitude 9330 2-in-1 and Precision models, feature multiple layers of defense from Dell Trusted Workspace, our suite of endpoint security solutions.

• Built-with supply chain security. Rigorous supply chain controls and extra assurance reduce the risk of product tampering and helps ensure end users are secure from first boot.
• Built-in hardware and firmware security. Prevent and detect foundational attacks with the industry’s most secure commercial PCs featuring Dell SafeBIOS and Dell SafeID.
• Built-on software security. Improve the security of any fleet with advanced threat protection from expertly selected partner ecosystems with Dell SafeGuard and Response and Dell SafeData.

Secure Mobile Broadband

In Gauge Your Zero Trust Maturity, Forrester Inc., March 10, 2023, the firm notes “Secure networks are the most challenging maturity competency for many organizations. Security professionals complain of too many flat networks, little or stale segmentation, and an overall lack of visibility and control in their network.” Mobile broadband is a feature that enables Dell devices to connect to the internet securely and reliably, using cellular networks, such as 4G LTE and 5G. Mobile broadband provides an alternative to Wi-Fi networks, which may be unreliable, insecure or unavailable, especially in remote or mobile scenarios. Mobile broadband enhances device and connection security for Zero Trust by providing the following features and benefits.

• Encryption. Protect the data transmitted and received over the cellular network, and prevent eavesdropping, interception or manipulation of the data.
• Authentication. Verify the identity of the device and the cellular network and prevent unauthorized access or spoofing of the device or the network.
• Compliance. Mobile broadband complies with various security standards and regulations, such as FIPS 140-2, HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS, and ensures that the device and the data meet the security requirements and policies.
• Performance. Provide high-speed and low-latency internet connectivity and enable faster and smoother access to cloud-based applications and data.
• Availability. Provides wide and consistent internet coverage, and enables reliable and uninterrupted access to network resources, even in remote or mobile scenarios.

An Added Layer of Defense

By using Dell Connected PCs, companies can enhance their device and software security for Zero Trust, improve the user experience, productivity and satisfaction and accelerate AI application use cases and innovations, while improving security by removing reliance on unsecured networks.

As written in  the Gartner Hype Cycle for Zero Trust Networking, 2023, Andrew Lerner, John Watts, July 18, 2023, “The strategy to reduce the attack surface and limit scan and exploit attacks is cloaking existing networks and applications from discovery.”

Explore how Dell enhances security and user experience with our commercial PCs, which not only mitigate the risk of cyberattacks through robust defenses below the operating system but also ensure secure and encrypted internet connectivity via the utilization of mobile broadband technology.

Source: dell.com

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Accelerating AI Innovation: PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the cornerstone of modern technological advancements. From personalized recommendations to autonomous vehicles, AI is reshaping our world. One company that's pushing the envelope in AI innovation is Dell, with its PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS. Let's dive into how this powerful combination is revolutionizing AI and what it means for businesses.

What is PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS?

PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS is a groundbreaking service that merges Dell's PowerScale storage solutions with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This integration provides a scalable, flexible, and robust infrastructure to support AI workloads, making it easier for businesses to harness the power of AI.

Unpacking PowerScale

PowerScale is Dell's storage solution designed to handle massive amounts of data. It's built to scale effortlessly, allowing businesses to expand their storage as their data needs grow. With its high-performance capabilities, PowerScale ensures that even the most demanding AI applications run smoothly.

The Role of Dell APEX

Dell APEX is a suite of as-a-Service offerings that simplifies IT management. By providing infrastructure, platforms, and solutions as a service, Dell APEX allows businesses to focus on innovation rather than managing hardware and software.

Integration with AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading cloud services provider, offering a wide range of cloud-based services. Integrating Dell's PowerScale with AWS provides businesses with the best of both worlds: Dell's robust storage solutions and AWS's flexible cloud services.

Why AI Innovation Needs PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS

AI workloads are notoriously data-intensive, requiring substantial computational power and storage. PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS addresses these needs by providing a scalable, high-performance infrastructure that can handle large datasets and complex computations.

Scalability and Flexibility

One of the main benefits of PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS is its scalability. As AI projects grow, so does the need for storage and computational power. PowerScale allows businesses to scale their infrastructure seamlessly, ensuring they can handle increased workloads without a hitch.

High Performance

AI applications require fast and efficient processing of large datasets. PowerScale's high-performance capabilities ensure that data can be processed quickly, reducing the time it takes to train AI models and deploy applications.

Cost Efficiency

By leveraging the as-a-Service model of Dell APEX and the pay-as-you-go model of AWS, businesses can optimize their costs. They only pay for what they use, which makes managing budgets more predictable and reduces unnecessary expenditures.

Key Features of PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS

Unified File and Object Storage

PowerScale provides a unified solution for file and object storage, simplifying data management and access. This is crucial for AI applications that often need to process and analyze both structured and unstructured data.

Seamless Integration with AWS

The seamless integration with AWS means that businesses can easily deploy PowerScale within their existing AWS environments. This eliminates the need for complex configurations and reduces deployment times.

Enhanced Data Security

Security is a top priority for any business dealing with sensitive data. PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS includes advanced security features to protect data from unauthorized access and breaches.

Comprehensive Support

Dell provides comprehensive support for PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS, ensuring that businesses have access to the help they need to manage their AI workloads effectively.

Real-World Applications of PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS

Healthcare

In healthcare, AI is being used to analyze medical images, predict patient outcomes, and personalize treatment plans. PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS provides the necessary infrastructure to store and process large volumes of medical data securely and efficiently.

Finance

Financial institutions use AI to detect fraud, automate trading, and provide personalized financial advice. The high-performance capabilities of PowerScale ensure that these AI applications run smoothly, even with large datasets.

Retail

Retailers leverage AI to optimize supply chains, enhance customer experiences, and forecast demand. PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS allows retailers to manage their data effectively and gain valuable insights through AI analytics.

Manufacturing

In manufacturing, AI is used for predictive maintenance, quality control, and optimizing production processes. The scalable storage solutions of PowerScale ensure that manufacturers can handle the vast amounts of data generated by these AI applications.

The Future of AI with PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS

Continuous Innovation

Dell is committed to continuous innovation, ensuring that PowerScale remains at the forefront of AI infrastructure solutions. By staying ahead of technological advancements, Dell helps businesses maintain a competitive edge.

Expanding Capabilities

As AI continues to evolve, so will the capabilities of PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS. Future updates and enhancements will provide even more powerful tools for managing AI workloads.

Global Reach

With the integration of AWS, businesses worldwide can leverage PowerScale's capabilities. This global reach ensures that companies can deploy and manage their AI applications regardless of their location.

Conclusion

PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS is a game-changer for businesses looking to innovate with AI. Its scalable, high-performance, and cost-efficient infrastructure provides the ideal foundation for AI workloads. By leveraging this powerful combination, businesses can accelerate their AI projects and stay ahead in the competitive landscape.

FAQs

1. What is PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS?

PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS is a service that integrates Dell's PowerScale storage solutions with Amazon Web Services to provide scalable and high-performance infrastructure for AI workloads.

2. How does PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS benefit AI projects?

It offers scalable storage, high performance, and cost efficiency, making it ideal for handling large datasets and complex AI computations.

3. Can PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS be integrated with existing AWS environments?

Yes, it seamlessly integrates with existing AWS environments, simplifying deployment and reducing setup times.

4. What industries can benefit from PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS?

Industries like healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing can greatly benefit from its capabilities, especially in managing large volumes of data for AI applications.

5. What kind of support does Dell provide for PowerScale Dell APEX File for AWS?

Dell provides comprehensive support to help businesses manage their AI workloads effectively, ensuring smooth operation and quick resolution of issues.

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Meet the Future of Computing with AI PCs

The era of the AI PC has arrived, and it’s already reshaping industries with unprecedented momentum. AI PCs now come in various forms and definitions, ranging from GPU-powered and NPU-powered systems to cloud-based solutions. Both industry suppliers and analysts offer diverse perspectives on this evolving landscape, reflecting the dynamic nature of AI integration in computing.

What is an AI PC?

At Dell Technologies, AI PCs go beyond mere jargon—they are devices with built-in neural processing unit (NPU) hardware specifically designed to handle AI workloads. When combined with a CPU or a GPU (discrete graphics card), these devices offer unparalleled AI compute capabilities right at your fingertips. Reflecting on the introduction of the first GPU in 1999, which drove demand for higher graphic performance in software, it’s clear that decades later, the surge in AI now necessitates a new approach to PC architecture. At the forefront, Dell is adapting to meet these emerging AI demands.

Elevating the AI PC Experience

With the introduction of the first AI PCs in March 2024, running at speeds of up to 11 trillion operations per second (TOPS), on the NPU. These devices are capable of driving modern AI experiences and handling more common AI workloads such as background blur in Zoom for power efficiency, faster text to image generation and AI video editing with lower latency and quicker processing. An AI PC provides the efficiency an everyday knowledge worker would need to have a productive workday. But, like any technology, AI PCs are bound to evolve. Copilot+ PCs recently entered the market as a subset of AI PCs, engineered to deliver even more robust AI experiences. These devices create a new AI PC category with an NPU running at 40 TOPS, 16 GB memory and a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard to quickly launch Copilot in Windows. These specifications bring on-device AI features such as “Recall” and Live Translations within Windows 11.

Discover the AI PC Advantage

The introduction of AI PCs signals a new era of innovation and efficiency. Designed to use less power and improve battery life compared to traditional PCS, AI PCs elevate productivity while being energy efficient. This ensures more reliable operations of AI-driven applications with features that require substantial computing power to run smoothly. Having an AI PC enables users to leverage AI-driven tools without experiencing slowdowns or performance issues.

Productivity stands out as a significant outcome of utilizing AI tools. Much of the workforce spends more than half their day in meetings, communicating and searching for information—giving less time to focus on activities for which they were employed. With more powerful devices like Copilot+ PCs, users can use new intelligent search to quickly locate what they were working on and viewing and get it back running.

Users can also expect to elevate their collaboration experience with Enhanced Studio Effects standardizing how they look across collaboration applications with features as background blur, auto-framing, eye contact maintenance and creative filters. Inclusive collaboration reaches new heights with instant live translations in over 40 languages, breaking down linguistic barriers seamlessly—with no internet connection needed. Embracing AI within our devices means embracing efficiency as a cornerstone of your day-to-day.

With AI PCs, users can future-proof their digital toolkit, unlocking a realm of possibilities. For example, Adobe Suite offers 1.5x faster photo editing enhancing creative workflows. On the other hand, everyday business applications, such as Microsoft Teams, provide up to 23 more minutes of battery life over a three-hour period, thanks to AI advancements.

Security concerns around AI are a top priority, and AI PCs offer improved security through more precise identification and description, as well as lower latency. Organizations can also benefit from improved fleet health management and monitoring through quicker AI-based recognition of endpoint device irregularities and improved self- (or auto-) repair.

The Time to Embrace AI PCs is Now 

At Dell Technologies, we envision a future where AI PCs drive efficiency and innovation across industries. The efficiency of NPUs balances initial investments by reducing cloud computing costs and enabling internal operations to thrive. Investing in AI PCs is akin to future-proofing your technology infrastructure, preparing for the transformative changes ahead.

As the role of AI PCs continues to evolve, Dell remains committed to being your trusted partner every step of the way. Whether it’s optimizing workflows, enhancing security measures or fostering innovation, we’re here to empower your journey toward a smarter, more connected future—because the next big thing is already here.

Source: dell.com

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Accelerating Your Digital Transformation with IT-as-a-Service

Across industries and geographies, ongoing technology investments are required to remain competitive. Technology is the fuel that powers business, providing speed, agility and scalability and enabling organizations to develop a stronger future.

IT leaders recognize this fact yet worry about keeping pace. A recent IDC study finds that 69% of IT leaders worldwide are extremely concerned about the growing amount of technology investments needed to remain resilient and competitive.

That same IDC study reveals that Dell APEX Pay-per-Use solutions answer this growing concern—and do so profitably. IDC talked with Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customers to find out the real and quantified outcomes that these solutions deliver. On average, Dell APEX adopters achieve an estimated 194% three-year ROI with breakeven on investment after eight months.

Reducing the Cost of Operations

IDC calculated the three-year ROI based on input from organizations using Dell APEX Pay-per-Use solutions for compute, storage and data protection. Organizations realized a 35% savings in operational costs over a three-year horizon.

These operational savings stem from achieving infrastructure cost optimization and increased staff productivity in several areas:

Infrastructure cost optimization

◉ 31% lower compute costs

◉ 22% lower storage costs

◉ 31% lower data protection costs

Increased staff productivity

◉ 51% more overall efficiencies

◉ 96% more time for innovation

Operational savings of this magnitude are significant. Beyond the financial metrics, Dell APEX Pay-per-Use solutions enable other business capabilities that support higher-order outcomes for organizations. 

“With Dell APEX, we just pay as we grow but also reduce that as we shrink. It’s been fundamental in the growth of our business unit, and we simply couldn’t have done it any other way,” shared one Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customer.

Gaining Business Speed and Agility

After adopting Dell APEX Pay-per-Use solutions, study participants report gains in agility, performance and scalability. As organizations undergo digital transformations, the ultimate payoff is improved business outcomes. For Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customers, the simplicity, agility and control provided by Dell APEX solutions underpin better business results.

Enhanced business results begin with speed. In the IDC study, users report deployments that are 60% faster for new hyperconverged/compute capacity and 67% faster for new storage resources. These speed enhancements provide newfound agility to organizations.

With this agility, organizations gain new capabilities to meet emerging market demands and stay competitive. IDC found that Dell APEX customers report $9.21 million higher revenue per organization per year while simultaneously achieving 91% less unplanned downtime.

“The most significant benefit of Dell APEX is being able to undertake this incredible digital transformation journey because it gives us access to things we did not have before and that will eventually provide the customer experience that is now being demanded by our industry,” commented one Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customer.

Accelerating Development

Dell APEX users also accelerate product development, to ensure ongoing innovations align with the pace of the market, meet customer demands and keep businesses viable. By using Dell APEX Pay-per-Use solutions, IDC found that organizations improve development team productivity by 16% and accelerate development lifecycles by 16%.

“Previously, we couldn’t scale sufficiently to meet our schedules, which meant that time to revenue was extended by that amount of time, and it’s created a significant delay in getting revenue. So, you can imagine the value we get with Dell APEX always being able to stay on schedule. … It has had clear benefits to the organization,” stated a Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customer.

Staying Ahead of Customer Needs

IT must relentlessly improve to anticipate and meet emerging market needs. That continuous improvement is effectively managed with a flexible, consumption-based model that can shift alongside market demands and do so quickly. Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customers report the solution’s capacity-on-demand is vital to staying “at the ready” and continually meeting customer needs. By adopting Dell APEX Pay-per-Use solutions today, these organizations are fueling a stronger tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.

“A consumption-based model through the Dell APEX Data Center Utility agreement is fantastic because it gives us access to capacity on demand without having to make significant capital outlays, which just wouldn’t be doable. What Dell APEX Data Center Utility has enabled for us as a new business unit is to build out capacity well in advance of demands from our customers,” shared a Dell APEX Pay-per-Use customer.

Source: dell.com

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The Rise of the Chief AI Officer: Keys to Success

It is no surprise that businesses and governments around the world are racing to keep pace on AI as it quickly becomes table-stakes technology. Organizations are strategizing how they can accelerate and coordinate their adoption of the latest and greatest technology.

They’re considering how AI can be used to drive growth, increase productivity, enhance experiences and accelerate innovation. Some are considering new operation models and data center investments as a result.

Hiring for the role of Chief AI Officer (CAIO) has risen to prominence as a way for organizations to balance these considerations, evaluate and lead their AI strategies.

The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently issued a government-wide policy asking all federal agencies to name a Chief AI Officer, and according to FedScoop, as many as two-thirds of U.S. federal agencies have done so. Dell research found almost 20% of organizations surveyed globally identified a central team or individual to set AI strategy, and a separate reportreport found that the number of “head” of AI jobs has tripled over the last five years.

Chief AI Officers play a vital role as organizations look to optimize their operations and gain a competitive advantage with AI. For the public sector, the Chief AI Officer can offer structure and guidance to provide better citizen services as well as promote innovation and competition. For private industries, the Chief AI Officer can develop efficiencies within the organization, bringing greater productivity for team members and a better experience for their end customers.

In the new world of Chief AI Officers, I’m a veteran. I took the role last September after more than 25 years at Dell Technologies when only 30 companies had appointed Chief AI Officers. There are now more than 120 Chief AI Officers across all industries, with more being named by the day.

In my time as CAIO, many of our customers have sought my guidance on the role and what considerations are necessary within their own organizations. While every organization is different, I will offer a few words of wisdom as other AI leaders look to embrace the technology:

• Understand your organization’s overall AI strategy. What is it that you want to achieve or create with AI? What does quality data look like, and what is the process for identifying quality data? Without a clear understanding of your objectives or outcomes, it’s hard to quickly move forward on decisions around the right governance model, data strategy and overall technology investments that lead to AI success for the future.
• There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to adopting AI. What works for one organization may not work for others. For instance, not every GenAI use case will require the same infrastructure investment, and not every workload will run in the cloud. There is a wide spectrum of models emerging from industry-specific large language models (LLMs) to purpose-built smaller models that can run efficiently on-prem and at the edge—right where the data is. Clearly define your goals and what you’d like to accomplish, and then determine how (or if) you should approach it with AI.
• Approach AI with a holistic focus, beyond just the technology itself. We approach AI with three distinct perspectives in mind:
• The business side requires leaders to recognize the transformative potential of AI, how to leverage that with the right use cases, gain leadership buy-in and identify opportunities to apply it to your work by testing and learning. This also includes leadership beyond those with technical focuses, to include HR, legal, communication and other critical disciplines to ensure alignment early and often.
• The technical side necessitates a deep understanding of the fundamentals of AI technology and how it can be used to solve real-world problems.
• The people side communicates the why behind your AI strategy to employees, customers and partners with aligned leadership—building support for its adoption with internal stakeholders—and how it enables us to work in better, different ways.
• Approach AI openly: AI innovation requires a broad and open ecosystem. Openness provides equal opportunity across the tech ecosystem and supports the creation of new AI breakthroughs through greater access to innovation and flexibility. In fact, open models and technologies accelerated the journey of many AI first adopters, Dell included. Access to open models and technologies can accelerate progress, fueling a global “innovation engine” across all corners of industry and government.

These principles have helped me define and refine Dell’s AI strategy, keeping in mind that my role as Chief AI Officer is to balance the promise of AI while mitigating the risks. As organizations around the globe begin to embrace the newest face in their C-suite, I’m looking forward to continuing working with my peers to navigate this new era of technology.

Source: dell.com

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POWERSTORE Lifecycle Extension with ProSupport Simplifies Storage Infrastructure Ownership

Are you tired of the headaches that come with managing your storage infrastructure? Well, there’s no need to take two aspirins and call your doctor in the morning. Get relief with Dell’s new Lifecycle Extension with our ProSupport Infrastructure suite. It’s a game-changer.

The Head-Pounding Challenge of Traditional Storage Lifecycle Management

If you’ve dealt with traditional storage lifecycle management, you know it’s no walk in the park. Upgrades can be complex, capacity seems just a bit too limited and the risk of disrupting your business operations is a constant worry. The goal is to keep your storage infrastructure not just running but running efficiently and effectively. You need expert resources, end-to-end planning and deep knowledge to make sure your risks don’t turn into disasters.

Relief You Can Count On: Lifecycle Extension with ProSupport or ProSupport Plus

What if I told you that you could have a hassle-free storage infrastructure experience? Imagine minimal downtime, continuous peak performance from your PowerStore investments and expert advice to keep up with the latest technologies without disrupting your business. That’s exactly what Lifecycle Extension with ProSupport or ProSupport Plus delivers.

Expert Assistance at Your Fingertips

With the dynamic nature of business needs, finding the right resources to keep up can be tough. But with Lifecycle Extension, you get more than just the operational support of ProSupport or ProSupport Plus. You’re looking at additional benefits that streamline the modernization of your storage infrastructure and maintain its peak efficiency.

Appointed technical advisors will work with you to develop a strategy for upgrading your PowerStore infrastructure technology. They will consider your specific workload dependencies, business needs, budget constraints and technical skills.

Key benefits of Lifecycle Extension include:

• Minimized downtime. Access to live support experts ensures your storage infrastructure is always up and running.
• Adoption of new workloads. Seamlessly upgrade to new capabilities with storage node controller upgrades included.
• Investment confidence. A technical advisor will guide you through complex storage technology transitions.

Tailored ProSupport Tiers

Lifecycle Extension is available with either ProSupport or ProSupport Plus, each offering distinct benefits:

• ProSupport offers 24×7 remote technical support for both hardware and software, next business day or four-hour mission-critical onsite hardware support and more.
• ProSupport Plus includes all ProSupport features plus extras like proactive storage health monitoring, predictive hardware failure detection and specialized support.

Choosing between ProSupport and ProSupport Plus depends on your organization’s needs. Both offer great foundational features like 24×7 remote support, hardware and software coverage and flexible technology upgrades. ProSupport Plus, however, takes it a step further with predictive analytics, specialized expert access and proactive assessments.

Why Lifecycle Extension is a Smart Move

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, adopting new technologies confidently is crucial. Lifecycle Extension with ProSupport or ProSupport Plus offers a solution to the often-daunting task of refreshing your storage technology stack. Let our experts handle the disruptive elements while you focus on keeping your operations smooth and efficient, with the following benefits:

• Hassle-free tech refreshes. Forget the complexities of updating your storage infrastructure.
• World-class support. Keep your storage investments efficient with top-notch technical support.
• Guaranteed satisfaction. Peace of mind with a three-year satisfaction guarantee.
• Exclusive member promotions. Discounts, free trials and more.

Start Your Modernization Journey

Lifecycle Extension, coupled with ProSupport or ProSupport Plus, is more than just a service; it’s a partnership that ensures your storage infrastructure is not just maintained but thrives. So why wait? Begin your storage modernization journey today and take the first step towards a more efficient, hassle-free storage management experience. Your business (and your sanity) will thank you!

Source: dell.com

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