Michael Dell Strikes the Right Chords at ‘Dell Tech World’

Michael Dell: Most customers are beginning to realize that the cloud is not a place, but rather a way of doing IT, where everything is software-defined and infrastructure is code. IT is not a question of the public cloud versus the private cloud, but rather there’s a right answer for every workload. By software-defining compute, storage, networking and security – it enables automation and improves agility. But this is no way the exclusive domain of the public cloud. Automating modern infrastructure also creates hyper-efficient, on-premises systems, especially for the predictable workloads, which for most organizations are about 85 to 90 percent. And we’re working to ensure that you can run your workloads seamlessly in any cloud environment.

Our take: The old, counter-productive mindset that pits public cloud squarely against on-premise is fading, as more IT strategists understand the two must work together to tackle the complex applications and workload-demands of today’s business climate. What’s truly important is that IT organizations are equipped with the automation and agility they need to free up resources and think strategically, regardless of where the data lives. For workloads that remain on-premise, software-defining brings cloud-like efficiency and ease to solutions in compute, storage, networking and security.

Michael Dell: Our VxBlock, our VxRack, our VxRail solutions, are your fast tracks to a super-efficient software-defined data center, and we have solutions ready to support your on-premise and hybrid cloud with VMware, Pivotal, Microsoft Azure Stack, Oracle, SAP and many others. For those workloads best suited for the public cloud, VMware is extending its lead as the No. 1 private and hybrid cloud to the public clouds – extending and embracing — for example with VMware Cloud on AWS and on the IBM Cloud. We’re also extending (our) Data Domain (backup appliance) to Virtustream, AWS, Azure and the Google Cloud, and we’re innovating to make it much more secure to move your data in a hybrid and multi-cloud world by software-defining and virtualizing the network with VMware NSX. This is an absolute game changer.

Our take: The software-defined revolution is alive and well, including increasingly-efficient hyperconverged solutions, network security and microsegmentation, cost-saving SD-WAN and more. Programmable infrastructure is allowing IT shops to build virtual environments more quickly while providing the flexibility to change rapidly and reliably. It’s one of the clearest paths to fulfilling the mission of IT organizations everywhere: Accomplish more with less. The number of players in the software-defined area has skyrocketed, but vCORE’s engineering team helps clients sift through the noise and find the right solution tailored for their business needs.

Michael Dell: If AI (artificial intelligence) is your rocket ship, data is the fuel for your rocket. And if you know how to use it, with learning and inference, your data will become your most valuable asset — even more valuable than your applications. And the great news about data, is you’re going to end up with tons of it through the Internet of things. … As the Internet of Things explodes, so does the attack surface and security risks. So we’re thinking deeply on how to secure this new, even more connected world. We also need a lot more storage and computing power, and AI-ready infrastructure – and not just for the cloud – for the edge too.

Our take: It’s been said that data is king. If so, those who can protect, analyze and manipulate that data into meaningful business intelligence will find themselves ahead of the pack in their industry. And while AI and IoT are unlocking new possibilities in data analytics, the demands placed on IT infrastructure will be astronomical. The ability to scale and provision quickly will become even more important. So will finding a technology integrator with capabilities across the stack and to the edge. vCORE’s 5 Pillars of Engineering Excellence are designed to do just that.

Michael Dell: Digital transformation has burst onto the public consciousness. Every customer that I meet is reimagining how they use technology in every aspect of their operations to drive growth, new business models, customer relationships and new products and services. Technology is now at the very top of the agenda for business leaders everywhere and for the C-suite. Because today, technology strategy is business strategy. All of us — the nerds, the engineers, the techie — we’re at the center of the conversation. The world’s great introverts are in the spotlight and becoming rock stars.

Our take: It’s about time! For decades, IT seemed to be visible only when something went wrong – a downed network, security breach or end-user problems. Yes, the IT team is there to help in times of crisis, but in a world where digital transformation is increasingly on the mind of CEOs, the engineers behind the scenes are more-often finding a seat at the table. Time to start polishing those social skills.