Discover innovations in Cloud Client Computing and Converged Infrastructure by visiting Dell at VMworld in Barcelona

VMworld EMEA is just around the corner, taking place in Barcelona, Spain, on 14th-17th October 2013.

It is just seven weeks after its parent show, in San Francisco, where Dell made several announcements. In San Francisco, Dell received Best of Breed Awards from Virtualization Review, such as the “Best Desktop/VDI—Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions (DVS)” and the “Best Free Tool—Foglight for Virtualization”.

At the show in Barcelona, here are the innovations and demos that you will be able to see on the Dell booth:

Cloud Client Computing Solutions:

Dell is the only company showing an end-to-end solution based on ‘VMware Horizon View’ using virtualized NVIDIA GPUs in a shared or a dedicated mode. Learn how you can implement a high-end NVIDIA GRID K1 and K2 graphics cards in a virtualized desktop environment. Your high-end multimedia and 3D graphics users can now also benefit from virtual desktops with a highly satisfying experience. With Dell, VMware and NVIDIA, it is now possible to implement vSGA (virtual shared graphics acceleration) or vDGA (virtual dedicated graphics acceleration) along with VDI.

With vSGA, the K1/K2 graphics cards installed in a server can be shared among up to 42/36 Windows 8 virtual desktops, respectively. vSGA is suitable for power users wanting to view 3D graphics or multimedia. In the vDGA mode (also called pass-through), the GPU of each graphics card is assigned to a single user: the graphical power per user is thus greatly enhanced compared to vSGA. As a result you can run 8/4 virtual desktops per server for the K1/K2 cards, respectively. vDGA mode is recommended for power-hungry workstation-type users, running CAD software. This offering enhances collaborative work between teams and strongly reduces the need to buy separate workstations, thus simplifying IT management and reducing operation costs.

You will also see how to deliver Unified Communications on Horizon View, using the Microsoft Lync 2013 plug-in for VDI, optimized for PCoIP. Your virtual end-users can now communicate and collaborate with unified voice (VoIP), video, instant messaging, virtual meetings, file transfer and office integration.

As a first European preview, Dell will also be demonstrating project Ophelia. Ophelia a portable enterprise IT-controlled HDMI/MHL cloud device that allows people to convert a TV or monitor into a functioning interactive display. It is controlled through Bluetooth peripherals, touch Interface or remote control on monitor/TV, or even through a companionship with an application for smartphones and tablets.

For customers who want the benefits of virtual desktops without the overhead of owning and managing the infrastructure, you will be able to see a live demo of our Desktop as a service (DaaS) on demand solution. With DaaS, the virtual desktops reside on infrastructure in the Dell datacenter, while your applications, critical data and Active Directory can remain in your own datacenter if preferred. DaaS is ideal for customers with a variable number of end-users (seasonal workers, M&A) or preferring an OPEX/Utility approach to VDI.

In terms of new end points for Horizon View, in addition to the Dell Wyse P25/P45, you will be able to see the Dell Wyse D10DP, a virus-immune, high performance thin client running ThinOS and PCoIP, and booting in less than 10 seconds. We’ll also show the industry first quad core Dell Wyse Z90Q8 coming with Windows Embedded 8 Standard.

Enterprise Solutions:

You will have the opportunity to get your hands on the award winning Dell PowerEdge VRTX, the industry first and only IT solution, optimized for office environments. VRTX offers a simple solution to a complex problem: it allows you to put data center horsepower out into your remote/branch offices, where performance and capacity are essential, without having to worry about power and cooling. VRTX is an ideal solution for office VDI solutions, supporting up to 500 virtual desktops running on Horizon View. If you have a small or medium business, VRTX enables you to redefine office IT, creating a full featured virtual environment, gaining greater simplicity, efficiency and versatility.

We will also be introducing the new Dell S6000 10/40GbE top-of-rack 1U switch, that is purpose built for virtualized data centers and can be fully integrated into VMWare NSX in order to provide a seamless L2 Gateway service. It is fresh air compliant and highly energy efficient, as well as offering full DCB support for converged infrastructures with iSCSI Auto-configuration and almost lossless storage traffic delivery.

Dell is also changing the economics of data center storage with the introduction of the Dell Compellent flash optimized solutions providing all-flash or hybrid-flash storage with the SC220 enclosure and running on the enhanced Storage Center 6.4 firmware. These flash-optimized solutions are designed to provide very-high-performance, low-latency storage optimized with intelligent tiering at a remarkable price point, costing less than comparable 15k disk drive solutions!

Software Solutions:

Complementing Dell’s virtualization capabilities we will also be showing the latest version of Dell Foglight for Virtualization. Addressing the complexities caused by today’s multi cloud environments, Foglight for Virtualization enables organizations to visualize, analyze and optimize the performance and capacity of these heterogeneous environments which can save time and costs by automating much of the administration required.

At the same time, IT departments need to back up data faster and more frequently, without degrading performance.  Data is growing at an estimated 40% or more each year and to make matters worse, approximately 50% of data recovery attempts fail.  Dell Data Protection can help IT reduce risk, reduce time, and cut costs, now thanks to a broad portfolio of scalable solutions that protect data and deliver rapid recoverability across physical, virtual or cloud environments and across multiple operating systems.

To learn more live, make sure to visit our experts at VMworld in Barcelona on booth #208. You will also be able to play with a Formula 1 simulator and win prizes!

About the Author: Nicolas Cuendet