These platform announcements and enhancements give Dell a chance to meet customer needs from a networking perspective, especially those Dell customers that are already deploying servers and/or storage solutions, irrespective of whether these are in the data center or the enterprise campus, or are specific to vertical segments such as education or health care, where Dell has leadership, he says. "From integrating networking in the PowerEdge M1000e to specific data center or wireless LAN solutions, these solutions will allow Dell to get incremental mind share in the larger IT infrastructure market."
For Charles King, principal analyst, Pund-IT, the two biggest aspects of Dell's networking announcements are the expansion of Dell's enterprise solution set and its continuing focus on simplified IT. "It isn't so much a matter of the company retreating from or putting pressure on networking partners, including Cisco, Juniper and Nortel. Plenty of Dell's clients prefer those vendors' solutions and will continue to do so. But many companies, particularly cost-sensitive small and midsize businesses, will find much to like in Dell's new PowerConnect solutions. I was particularly struck by the new wireless controller and access point, and the value they could provide companies trying to expand mobility options for employees."
It comes down to the company's commitment to expanding customers' choice and flexibility, he says. Over time, King expects these new products to play significant roles in increasingly integrated Dell business solutions.
"We saw the direction the company is taking in the new vStart virtualization systems released last month and it would not be surprising to see additional pre-integrated and optimized Dell products emerge over time. Given the critical role networking plays in enterprise computing and business processes, PowerConnect should help Dell continue to enhance the price/performance value proposition of its business IT solutions."
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