PARTNER Dell Software
THE FUTUREREADY CUSTOMER
DELL'S ENTERPRISE PRODUCT MANAGER FOR THE MIDDLE EAST, SHAMS HASAN, EXPLAINS HOW MODERN TECHNOLOGY DEMANDS NOW MEAN THAT CUSTOMERS NEED END-TO-END SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS TO MAXIMISE THEIR LONG-TERM POTENTIAL.
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For Dell, what matters most is not just what we know about technology, but how technology enables companies to perform at their best,” Shams Hasan explains. “We’re committed to technology that can enable people everywhere to thrive.” As one of Think SS’s most valued partners, the values Dell shares with the systems integrator take on great significance. In a market where hardware has been commoditised, Dell has been keen to position itself as a differentiated, long-term partner for customers. “It’s important to the client that Dell isn’t just another vendor,” Hasan says. “We want to empower organisations to do more. We focus on reducing the cost of operations. Now it’s true, everyone commits to doing that, but we commit to reducing complexity, which drives out inefficiencies. You need to reduce cost and complexity to make sure growth continues.” Balancing cost, complexity and capability takes on huge importance for Dell. The thinking behind standardsbased technology this is that customers can evolve their IT environments with minimal hassle. The ‘future-ready’ customer Dell’s strategy for innovation centres around three core components: build, acquire and partner. “We’re very practical in regards to our approach for innovation in real-world challenges,” Hasan
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Issue 03 A special supplement of Think Software Services
Shams Hasan , Enterprise Product Manager, Dell
says. “For instance, until around a year ago, Dell was Nutanix’s only major HW tech partner in the software-defined storage space, and other big tech players have since followed in our footsteps.” Against a backdrop of shifting business models, and new work paradigms, it is becoming increasingly important for technology end-users to ensure that their investments can stand the test of time. Not only this, but owning an infrastructure that is agile, and can transition to emerging technologies is also a must. “There are a range of macroeconomic factors that organisations now face, including disruptive technology,” Hasan says. “It’s crucial to buy technol-
ogy that works today, but will also work tomorrow. Every piece of hardware and software, and every aspect of services, should allow for change. Not only that, but they should be able to enable and motivate change. It’s all about preparing for a digital transformation, and these strategies will enable it.” Cloud, hyper converged Hasan goes on to highlight how technology shifts are putting more emphasis on devices, and the importance of holistic IT solutions in protection and empowering them. “When you look at technology today, there has been an evolution of intelligence getting centralised in the data centre,” he says. “The Internet of Things and BYOD culture now mean that this intelligence is being pushed to the device, which brings in issues around security and the protection of assets.” Networks Having been recognised as a ‘visionary’ networking vendor by Gartner, Dell is well positioned to move customers into the new generation of networking. “We recognise that there are certain proverbial elephants in the room when it comes to networks,” Hasan says. “As such, we have great solutions for open networking that allow customers to innovate their data centres into a future-ready era. Just as virtualisation was the future of servers, SDN is the future of networking, and Dell is leading in this space.” Hybrid cloud Many businesses will face challenges along their cloud journey including complexity, high cost-risk and a lack of transparency around control, but Hasan says Dell has long-anticipated these challenges. “Years ago, Dell predicted that the route to the evolution of cloud would be through hybrid solutions,” Hasan says. “We made it clear that hybrid would be the way to go, and that’s proved to be a big win for us.”