Dell Technologies has unveiled new Dell APEX offerings across cloud platforms, public cloud storage software, client devices and compute.

These additions to its as-a-Service and multicloud portfolio spanning data centre to public cloud and client devices could help businesses operate and innovate faster through improved management and mobility of their applications and data wherever they reside.

“Our customers continue to look for a simpler technology experience to easily manage and access their assets and applications with predictable costs and greater flexibility,” said Chuck Whitten, co-chief operating officer, Dell Technologies (pictured). “That’s where Dell APEX comes in. Now, Dell APEX spans the breadth of our portfolio to give customers greater freedom for technology to support businesses as their needs dictate – from PCs and IT on-premises to public clouds and edge locations.”

Dell APEX Cloud Platforms deliver consistent multicloud operations

Dell APEX Cloud Platforms are a portfolio of fully integrated, turnkey systems integrating Dell infrastructure, software and cloud operating stacks that deliver consistent multicloud operations by extending cloud operating models to on-premises and edge environments. Workloads can be placed in the optimal location based on desired performance, cost and security requirements with data mobility across a common multicloud storage layer. Customers will be able to move data seamlessly between on-premises environments and Dell APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud deployments. Each system is designed to accelerate IT and developer productivity using familiar management tools and software-driven automated deployment and lifecycle management.

The cloud platforms are developed in collaboration with Microsoft, Red Hat and VMware:

• Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azureenhances the Azure hybrid experience with full stack software integration and automated lifecycle management through Microsoft native management tools and extensive engineering collaboration between Dell and Microsoft. The platform is ideal for application modernisation and delivers faster time to value of Azure based on Azure Arc-enabled infrastructure with consistent operations and governance across on-premises data centres, edge locations, and the Azure public cloud using Azure Arc.

• Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Red Hat OpenShiftsimplifies container-based application development and management, wherever applications are developed and deployed, through full stack software integration and automation with the industry’s leading hybrid cloud application platform powered by Kubernetes. Customers can run containers and virtual machines side by side, natively within Kubernetes, with a unified experience for a wide variety of workloads, including AI/ML and analytics, with broad GPU support across any hybrid cloud footprint. This offering represents a deep engineering collaboration between Dell and Red Hat, using enterprise Kubernetes and backed by the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

• Dell APEX Cloud Platform for VMwaregives customers the flexibility to deploy vSphere on a fully integrated system with highly scalable, high performance Dell software-defined storage. This new offering joins Dell APEX Private Cloud and Dell APEX Hybrid Cloud within the broader Dell APEX portfolio to offer more choice for VMware customers on their multicloud journey.

“For more than a century, Xerox has continually redefined the workplace experience,” said Tino Lancellotti, chief information officer, Xerox. “Dell APEX has helped us optimise our multicloud strategy so that we can deliver software and services that meet the needs of the modern workforce.”

Dell APEX Storage for Public Cloud enriches the public cloud experience

Delivering on the promise of Project Alpine, Dell brings the performance and advanced software capabilities of its industry-leading enterprise data storage to public clouds while delivering operational simplicity with a unified approach to Dell cloud storage and Kubernetes management.

Dell APEX Block Storage for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Dell APEX Block Storage for Microsoft Azureand Dell APEX File Storage for AWScombine Dell’s enterprise-class storage performance, scalability and cyber-resilience with public cloud economics and services, such as analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Organisations can fine-tune their cloud strategies based on business need, and maximise existing skillsets through advanced data mobility and management consistency between Dell on-premises storage and public clouds. This approach avoids the need to refactor applications and retrain staff.

Dell APEX Block Storage can rapidly expand performance and capacity for mission critical workloads through a unique scale out architecture. Increased resiliency is achieved by distributing data efficiently across multi-availability zones. Dell APEX File Storage delivers enterprise class file performance and capabilities in the public cloud. Customers can support a broad variety of performance-intensive workloads including AI, machine learning, media and entertainment and life sciences. 

These offers join Dell APEX Protection Storage for Public Cloudas part of Dell’s portfolio of software-defined storage for public clouds. Dell APEX Protection Storage delivers industry-leading data protection storage for AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Alibaba Cloud with more than 17 exabytes of data protected by Dell software in public clouds to date.

Dell APEX Console enhancements include new management, deployment, data mobility and discovery software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings that make it easier for operations teams to maintain multicloud storage and Kubernetes clusters.

• Dell APEX Navigator for Multicloud Storage is SaaS that centralises, simplifies and secures management of Dell APEX Block and File Storage with easy configuration, automated deployment, storage monitoring and data mobility between on-premises and public cloud environments. This allows organisations to manage their multicloud estate consistently and securely at scale, optimising workload placement to match their business needs.
• Dell APEX Navigator for Kubernetes is SaaS that simplifies Kubernetes storage management, bringing advanced data services such as data replication, application mobility and observability, to containers with easily deployed and managed Dell Container Storage Modules.

“Organisations are looking to streamline their IT environments so that data and applications can live in the right place to deliver the most value for their businesses,” said Matthew Eastwood, senior vice president, IDC. “Dell Technologies has delivered a significant expansion of its Dell APEX portfolio that creates commonality between public cloud and on-premises environments to simplify workload placement.”  

Dell APEX brings the cloud experience to PCs and servers

Dell expands the Dell APEX portfolio to help users easily handle day-to-day IT operations, speed infrastructure deployment, control costs and manage device takeback securely and sustainably through an as-a-Service experience.

• Dell APEX Computedelivers scalable, secure bare metal compute resources in a data centre, edge environment or in a colocation facility. Customers can support virtualised or container-based environments by installing the hypervisor or operating system of their choice. Organisations will be able to meet their workload and IT operations needs with scalable and secure compute resources available through a predictable, monthly subscription.  

• Dell APEX PC-as-a-Service (PCaaS) helps companies simplify IT and deploy the latest client technology with predictable costs while freeing up capital to invest in modern employee experiences. Organisations can customise offerings across the entire PC portfolio—inclusive of devices, software and services – with flexible one- to five-year terms and scaling up or down as needed. Early customers using Dell APEX PCaaS have reported 50% less help desk effort, 30% savings in support costs and 50% less time spent onboarding employee devices.

Dell expands data management ecosystem for simpler access to data insight with Databricks’ Lakehouse Platform 

To provide customers greater freedom to extract insights from data wherever it resides, Dell and Databricks, the data and AI company, announce a new, multifaceted relationship to connect on-premises data in Dell’s industry-leading enterprise storage platformsand the Databricks Lakehouse Platform.

Dell customers can connect Databricks in the public cloud with Dell object storage, on-premises or in a co-location facility, to analyse data in-place, store results and securely share it with third parties using Databricks’ Delta Sharing capabilities. Dell and Databricks are collaborating to jointly engineer additional integrations that will deliver a seamless experience for Dell object storage within the Databricks Lakehouse Platform.

“Microsoft and Dell are simplifying hybrid cloud management with an integrated solution that gives customers consistent operations across the Azure public cloud and their on-premises and edge environments,” said Bernardo Caldas, corporate VP, Azure Edge PM, Microsoft. “Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure provides native integration of Dell’s differentiated infrastructure platforms and management software with Azure Arc, and Arc-enabled services like Azure Stack HCI and AKS for a unified experience from cloud to edge.”

“As organisations continue to evolve and scale their cloud strategies, customers are looking for a consistent user experience across hybrid infrastructure to accelerate cloud-native application development and faster time to value,” said Stefanie Chiras, senior VP, Partner Ecosystem Success, Red Hat. “Red Hat OpenShift provides that common foundation, and through our continued work with Dell Technologies, customers can benefit from a fully integrated Red Hat OpenShift experience on Dell’s on-premises infrastructure to extend capabilities wherever they deploy applications across the hybrid cloud.”    

Want to learn more about cybersecurity and the cloud from industry leaders? Check out Cyber Security & Cloud Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: dell, multicloud

Recent technological advancements have ushered in a new era known as Industry 4.0.

This era is defined by the integration of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and augmented reality (AR), which increase efficiency, improve quality, and lower production costs. Among the innovations that have gained prominence in this digital age, the adoption of digital twins has emerged as a game-changer.

The Rise of Digital Twins

According to a forecast by Gartner, by 2021, half of the large industrial companies will be utilizing digital twins, leading to a significant 10% improvement in effectiveness. This prediction highlights the growing significance of digital twins in the industrial landscape. Digital twins have been incorporated by 13% of businesses that have started implementing IoT, and another 62% are either in the process of doing so or have plans to do so soon, according to research.

Unlocking the Potential of Digital Twins in Manufacturing

Digital twin development companies have witnessed significant adoption within the realm of manufacturing and have revolutionized traditional manufacturing practices. Digital twins, which NASA first used for space exploration programs, are now helpful across many industries, particularly in manufacturing. According to Gartner, a digital twin is a software design pattern that simulates a physical object to understand its state, react to changes, enhance business processes, and add value.

IIoT: Revolutionizing Manufacturing with Digital Twins

Manufacturers have embraced the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to enhance business functions. Manufacturers can gather valuable data by leveraging sensors and connected devices to improve the entire product life cycle, including services and supply chain operations. Integrating digital twins with IIoT enables manufacturers to plan, experiment, predict, analyze, and implement strategies more effectively, significantly saving costs, time, and resources.

From Concept to Reality: Using Digital Twins in Manufacturing

Digital twins play a pivotal role in streamlining operations throughout the product life cycle in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers can utilize digital models to analyze potential errors, simulate various outcomes, and optimize their production processes before physically bringing the product to market. Prominent examples include Tesla, which utilizes real-time IoT data and digital twins to improve the efficiency and performance of their vehicles, and Kaeser compressors. This manufacturing company uses digital twins to foresee potential failures and reduce downtime.

AI: Powering Manufacturing Advancements through Digital Twins

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a driving force behind the advancements witnessed in Industry 4.0, and its integration with digital twins holds immense potential for manufacturers. Manufacturers can identify complex virtual scenarios by combining AI algorithms with digital twins, optimize product quality, and enhance efficiency. AI, machine learning, and deep learning techniques enable manufacturers to comprehend and analyze complex virtual data, exploring multiple variables that may not be possible with real-world data alone.

Augmented Reality and Digital Twins: Shaping the Future

Augmented reality (AR) is a powerful tool with digital twins that enables manufacturers to create immersive data visualizations and extract valuable insights from complex datasets. AR allows manufacturers to overlay digital information onto physical assets, facilitating training, providing real-time insights, and aiding in issue detection. Incorporating mixed reality further enhances these capabilities, enabling workers to visualize machinery and access key data outputs, ultimately improving efficiency and reducing turnaround time.

Digital Twins Beyond Manufacturing

While manufacturing has been at the forefront of leveraging digital twins, other industries are also adopting this technology. In the retail sector, the combination of augmented reality and digital twins allows retailers to create digital replicas of physical products, enabling customers to visualize them in real-world settings. This approach minimizes inventory loss and enhances security. Similarly, digital twins enable providers to experiment in simulated environments, optimize patient treatments, and maintain healthcare equipment effectively, preventing workflow disruptions.

Summing Up

As more industries undergo digital transformation, the seamless integration of IoT, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies with digital twins will continue to yield impressive results. Businesses can optimize digital twin development costs, resources, and product quality with data at the core of digital twins. While large corporations have readily embraced digital twins, there is still significant potential for small and medium-sized businesses and other industry sectors to benefit from this innovative approach in their strategic decision-making processes.

Console Connect, a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform, and Vultr, a privately held cloud computing company, have formed a global collaboration that enables businesses to establish their own private, dedicated link between Vultr and the Console Connect platform, improving network security and connectivity for mission-critical applications and workloads.

Today, Vultr is integrated with the Console Connect platform in multiple regions, enabling businesses to directly connect to Vultr servers from over 900 data centre locations in more than 50 countries worldwide.

 As businesses accelerate their multi-cloud journey, they require secure, direct connection services to all major cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud and more. By combining Vultr’s flexible, scalable cloud hosting platform with the advanced network automation capabilities of Console Connect, businesses benefit from an all-in-one solution that features:

• Global private connectivity – Console Connect’s new Edge Port enables Vultr customers to order a dedicated connection to the platform from their office location, giving them full access to Console Connect’s range of on-demand connectivity services. Edge Port is available to order in 10 markets worldwide, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, UK and the US.
• Extended network support – through the Console Connect MeetingPlace, businesses can also order cloud compute, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, and cloud storage solutions from Vultr, combining their connectivity and cloud solutions on one easy-to-use platform.
• Enhanced security and resilience – using the Console Connect self-service portal or via its API, businesses can create their own point-to-point Layer 2 connections to Vultr or build a virtual Layer 3 mesh between Vultr and other cloud providers – with the ability to scale bandwidth in real-time to meet the needs of their business. Unlike other NaaS platforms, Console Connect delivers connectivity to the Vultr cloud across its own high-performance network, which features a redundant and resilient global subsea cable network.

“We are delighted to welcome Vultr as our new technology partner on the platform as we continue to grow our cloud ecosystem across the globe,” said Michael Glynn, SVP of Digital Automated Innovation at Console Connect. “The availability of Vultr on the Console Connect platform strengthens our cloud offering and gives businesses more choice as they build and scale their multi-cloud environments worldwide.”

“At Vultr, we give our customers affordable access to high-performance cloud compute as they scale their multi-cloud journeys,” said J.J. Kardwell, CEO of Vultr. “By partnering with Console Connect, we are able to deliver an unparalleled end user experience – the fastest connectivity and quality of service – enabling a secure, direct connection to our cloud servers for businesses and developers around the world.”

Want to learn more about cybersecurity and the cloud from industry leaders? Check out Cyber Security & Cloud Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: Applications, Security, Vultr