Products, platforms, service offerings—such is the typical news stream coming out of big tech events like VMworld Las Vegas and its EMEA twin, held this week in Barcelona.
For Dell, it’s a different story.
In August, we used our VMworld Vegas presence to make a different kind of announcement, one that we call The Cloud Marketplace.
The Cloud Marketplace is not a product, group of products or even a place to purchase products. It’s an expression of our cloud strategy, which includes cloud platforms, cloud-enabled infrastructure, cloud consulting services, and cloud consumption models, all built around the way IT professionals experience cloud today.
The emphasis of the Marketplace, however, is on you: how real people engage with cloud resources– whether private, public, hybrid, on-premises or off– to achieve a multi-cloud strategy that delivers what they need, when they need it, with consumption flexibility that works for a variety of situations.
That said, we announced a few significant additions this week, two of which align under the Marketplace’s Cloud Platform category:
- We’re including the newly-updated VxBlock system 1000 to the integrated platform option
- The VxRail appliance integrated platform is updated with new advances for simpler deployment, transparent management, and tighter next-gen VMware integration
Integrated platforms for the win
When it comes to implementing a cloud platform, choice is essential, as every organization has unique core competencies and each project its specific goals. Because of this, we develop and organize our cloud platforms across three distinct categories:
- The DIY cloud building blocks implementation option allows you to design the platform and build it yourself. This option offers the most control of cloud platform design and component choice and will be most adaptable to custom requirements.
- The Reference Architecture option lets you choose from a list of certified components and assemble your platform to the specifications laid out in a reference architecture. This reduces configuration risk and accelerates project timeline. While this option is less flexible in terms of component choices, it provides peace of mind regarding the compatibility of system components and preferred software packages.
- With the Integrated cloud platform implementation option, you purchase a pre-engineered cloud platform that can be up-and-running in a relatively short amount of time. This option provides the most effortless experience for “day-2” operations, with streamlined update and upgrade procedures taking much of the risk out of ongoing platform management.
The integrated platform option includes Dell market-leading converged and hyperconverged architectures, like the newly updated VxRail appliance and VxBlock system. Enterprises worldwide run their VMware-based clouds using these turnkey systems that bring together compute, storage, networking and VMware vSphere virtualization to advance digital transformation and create a more common cloud management experience.
While the focus this week is on enhancing our integrated platforms, we continuously investing and innovate across all of cloud platform options to ensure they map to changing customer demands and provide ever-greater value to the data center.
Powered by consumption
Behind every great cloud strategy is a consumption model that delivers the right resources at pricing terms that make sense for individual businesses.
Dell Cloud Consumption, backed by Dell Financial Services, is a core component of the Cloud Marketplace, providing customers with choice and flexibility in the way they plan their cloud initiatives.
Today, we introduced Data Center Utility to our Dell Cloud Marketplace Consumption Model options. As part of the Cloud Marketplace, you’ll find three consumption options that give you the best of both worlds when it comes to building a cloud operating model: all the aspects of control that a private cloud delivers with the benefits of the public cloud consumption experience you’ve come to expect, like elastic capacity, metered usage and an OpEx model.
- The Flex on Demand option provides elastic capacity with instant access to the right level of resources. A baseline of capacity is provided with additional buffer capacity. Buffer usage is metered to so you only pay for the buffer you use.
- The Cloud Flex option provides an Opex Model featuring decreasing monthly payments and a flexible return option, so you can use the resources for as little as 12 months.
- The Data Center Utility option is a custom solution that provides maximum flexibility for resource consumption– with or without professional services. All usage is metered based on a metric determined with each customer **
Always be innovating
Our focus on the Marketplace approach to cloud operations helps you make cloud choices based on the way you use cloud resources today—a one-stop shop for evaluating options and gathering information in a complex cloud world. Today’s enhancements to our integrated platforms and cloud consumption options represent an ongoing commitment to continuously evolving our full scope of cloud solutions—from platforms to services to consumption— as your requirements change, innovation forges ahead and new opportunities become available. Read the full news announcement and follow @dellemccloud and to let Dell help shape your multi-cloud strategy.
**Payment solutions provided and serviced by Dell Financial Services L.L.C. or its affiliate or designee (“DFS”) for qualified customers. Offers may not be available or may vary in certain countries. Where available offers may be changed without notice and are subject to product availability, applicable law, credit approval, documentation provided by and acceptable to DFS and may be subject to minimum transaction size. Offers not available for personal, family or household use. Dell and the Dell logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. Restrictions and additional requirements may apply to transactions with governmental or public entities)
