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Archive for September 30th, 2010

Dell announced it has introduced new capabilities and services for its Virtual Integrated System architecture on Wednesday.

Following in the footsteps of HP BladeSystem and Cisco’s Unified Computing System, the move signifies Dell’s approach to converging its data center management solutions,.

According to the press release, Dell VIS architecture and services “help customers transition new and existing technologies to an open, cloud-like model that dynamically provisions application workloads and unifies heterogeneous compute, storage and networking assets into a common pool of resources.”

Dell says customers of VIS architecture and services can lower the costs of managing IT, improve the flexibility needed to respond to changing business needs, and more efficiently deploy and move application workloads across physical and virtual resources.

At the foundation of these new capabilities and services is Dell’s Advanced Infrastructure Manager, which Dell releases last year.

The solution simplifies data center management by enabling a single administrator to allocate server, storage and network resources against application workloads.

And what is particularly unique with the service is that it allows businesses use a wide range of vendors for hardware, including servers, Ethernet switches, and storage arrays.

Unlike HP BladeSystem Matrix and Cisco UCS, which require users to purchase and install their own equipment, Dell AIM allows businesses to use their existing data center infrastructure.

As a result, businesses do not have to replace all their hardware.

Advanced Infrastructure Manager integrates Scalent technology data center management software into its solution, which Dell acquired in July.

HP VIS is also working closely with partners like Microsoft, VMware, Citrix and BMC to deliver better utilization of current investments and the ability to standardize and leverage existing IT processes and workflows to improve control and consistency.

The VIS architecture is comprised of modular components that integrate with customers’ existing IT environments, giving customers greater selection and the ability to deploy best-of-breed solutions.

Additionally, the VIS Self-Service Creator helps to standardize and automate application deployment.

The Web portal can manage these services across multi-vendor hardware and software solutions, resulting in the increase of IT control and acceleration of IT processes.

Finally, Dell VIS Director serves as the IT operations hub for the virtual environment, giving customers a comprehensive view of virtual dependencies and enabling customers to quickly identify issues within the virtual environment.

The module includes advanced reporting, what-if and trend analysis, capacity and utilization reporting, and cost allocation and chargeback solutions.

Dell has also introduced its Dell Consulting Services, which help address key technology and business challenges such as self-service provisioning and automation of operational tasks.

Consultants can help customers with a range of tasks, such as basic-to-advanced software troubleshooting, and software subscriptions with remote deployment assistance of patches and updates.

Dell Advanced Infrastructure Manager and Dell VIS Self-Service Creator are now available, while Dell VIS Director will be available in the coming quarters, says Dell.

“Dell’s VIS architecture is unique in that it works with a customer’s existing architecture and their current products and investments — whether from Dell or another provider. Customers absolutely value this flexibility and approach to meeting their IT challenges.” While Brad Anderson SVP of Dell’s enterprise product group says “Cloud computing is the emerging frontier for IT and there’s no doubt it’s providing customers with demonstrable benefits in terms of cost savings and agility,”