Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    New Dell Converged Infrastructure System Focuses on Flexibility

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    September 1, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      converged system

      Dell is growing its portfolio of converged infrastructure offerings with a new system that officials say is designed to give businesses the flexibility and simplicity they’re looking for in their data centers.

      The Dell Validated System for Virtualization, unveiled this week at the VMworld 2016 show, gives customers a range of configuration options to ensure that the systems fit their needs. They can choose whether to put blade or rack servers into their appliances, use software-defined storage (SDS), solid-state drivers or SANs, leverage networking from Dell or Brocade, and choose the Intel processor they want.

      For many of these businesses, the key is choice, according to Glenn Keels, executive director of product management for cloud, high-performance computing (HPC) and integrated systems at Dell.

      “They want increased flexibility,” Keels told eWEEK. “They want to be able to customize their systems. … They want to make sure the capabilities in those converged systems are tuned to their enterprises.”

      Converged infrastructures offer compute, storage, networking, virtualization and systems management software tightly integrated into a single system. They’re designed to offer greater simplicity, ease of use and affordability in data centers that are becoming increasingly complex with the rise of such trends as data analytics, the proliferation of mobile devices, the internet of things (IoT) and the cloud.

      In the first quarter, revenue in the converged infrastructure market hit $2.5 billion, an 11 percent increase from the same period in 2015, according to IDC analysts.

      “End users within the midmarket and even in the outer edge of the enterprise data center continue to prioritize simplicity in all aspects of the user experience,” Kevin Parmenter, senior research analyst or IDC’s computing platform unit, said in a statement.

      Dell has been offering converged systems for several years through its PowerEdge FX lineup, and more recently has been selling hyperconverged infrastructure products with its XC Series portfolio. Through its upcoming $62 billion acquisition of EMC and its federated companies—including VMware—Dell will be able to rapidly expand what it can deliver in this fast-growing market. The new Validated System for Virtualization, which will be generally available in the fourth quarter and will be focused initially on VMware virtualization products, will add to Dell’s offerings.

      Dell is scheduled to close the EMC deal Sept. 7.

      The flexibility demands from customers extend beyond the technologies inside the system, according to Keels. They also want to be able to scale the infrastructure as needed—in this case, the new offering can support up to 3,000 virtual machines—and have deployment options, including going through a systems integrator or a channel partner.

      In addition, Dell officials also announced a customizable, modular hybrid VMware cloud as a proof-of-concept for businesses looking to move into the cloud. The offering combines the Validated System for Virtualization with VMware’s vRealize Suite of cloud management software to help automate provisioning across physical and virtual environments, officials said.

      The company also is expanding the options with VMware in the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) space. As with converged systems, customers are looking for a way to make their virtual desktop environments more simple, secure and affordable, according to Dan O’Farrell, senior director of product marketing for Dell’s Cloud Client-Computing group.

      “We want to make VDI as easy to plan, deploy and run as possible,” O’Farrell told eWEEK.

      Among the new offerings is Dell Solutions for VMware Virtual SAN Ready Nodes, a 2U (3.5-inch) hyperconverged rack appliance that brings greater flexibility to virtual desktops and can be deployed as a reference architecture or a fully configured VMware virtual SAN appliance. Options include using discrete GPUs and a range of storage choices, from a hybrid (a combination of hard- and solid-state disk drives, or SSDs) to an all-flash SSD configuration.

      There also is a choice of virtualization technology: VMware’s Horizon 7 or Horizon Air Hybrid-Mode, which can manage virtual desktops from the cloud.

      Dell also is putting support for VMware’s Blast Extreme remote display protocol into its Windows Embedded thin clients that run Horizon 7 with Horizon Client 4.0. The move will enable Horizon users to access their virtual desktops through a browser or Horizon client. In addition, Dell is rolling out the latest version of its Precision Appliance for Wyse, which will offer new configurations based on Dell’s PowerEdge R730 server and Nvidia’s Tesla M60 Grid 2.0 graphics card. The move will enable greater user density of up to 32 users per appliance.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×