With Dell Technologies World coming next week, now is the time to focus on what questions we want Dell to answer. And, what questions should they answer? Yes, we want to see new technology. We expect it at this point. And while I do have some technology questions for Dell Technologies, we also need to focus on the bigger picture, or the Bigger Truth as we say at Enterprise Strategy Group.
So, while I am excited for what Dell Technologies and its multiple divisions have in store for us, here are the questions that I want Dell to answer, and more importantly, I feel they need to answer.
- Who is Dell Technologies? This may seem like a simple question, but it isn’t. Dell has enjoyed success in recent quarters. Hardly a day goes by without Dell’s advertisement appearing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Dell’s success, however, is always described in the context of its multiple divisions, each targeting multiple separate segments. My question for Dell Technologies is, will the company stay content to innovate as multiple separate divisions, or will the technologies cross pollinate? Dell’s breadth of innovation offers a rare opportunity to deliver something new, something different. Yes, its current level of innovation is impressive and, as I noted earlier, has been very successful. While I recognize that I am, fairly or unfairly, moving the goalposts on Dell Technologies, I want to see the company combine more of its technologies to make 1 + 1 deliver 3 to IT organizations desperate for solutions.
- What is the response to the public cloud? I could have chosen any one of several use cases, but the cloud is top of mind almost everywhere. According to recent ESG research, 86% of IT organizations leverage some form of public cloud services. Hybrid cloud is the norm, and it isn’t easy. Nearly one in four (24%) IT decision makers identified the need to leverage both the data center and off-premises public cloud infrastructure as a factor driving increased IT complexity. To some extent, this is an example of where my previous question applies. One area (of many) where Dell Technologies could/should do something new is with the hybrid cloud. Microsoft has Azure Stack. AWS has Outposts. Google just announced Anthos. The major public cloud providers are in the data center. Dell Technologies has the portfolio either to partner with those solutions or to compete with them, or to do both. Next week will hopefully offer some insight into how Dell plans to tackle the ever-increasing cloud opportunity, as individual divisions or as a cohesive team.
Are you heading to Dell technologies world? What do you want to hear? Let me know.
