Dell Enhances Virtual Integrated System Architecture

Dell introduced new capabilities and services for its Virtual Integrated
System architecture, which allows businesses to scale their environment up or
down to match the variability of workloads. The VIS
architecture incorporates modular components that integrate with customers’
existing IT environments. The company said VIS
architecture components can be purchased individually and do not require
customers to make separate hardware purchases.

The solution’s architecture and services help customers transition technologies
to an open, cloud-like model that provisions application workloads and unifies
heterogeneous compute, storage and networking assets into a common pool of
resources. Its modular components integrate with customers’ existing IT
environments, including AIM (Advanced Infrastructure Manager), VIS Self-Service
Creator and VIS Director. The VIS architecture is also
designed to integrate into a customer’s broader systems management strategy by
working with partners like Microsoft, VMware, Citrix and BMC.

AIM helps simplify data center management by
enabling a single administrator to allocate server, storage and network
resources against application workloads. The solution can also bring together
heterogeneous hardware offerings and virtualization hypervisors to create
virtual pools of resources; AIM abstracts
the hardware and virtualization layers from the data center. Self-Service
Creator can shorten the time it takes to deploy business applications by
standardizing and automating the way applications are deployed. The component
has a Web-based portal that enables authorized users to select, deploy and
manage a customized catalog of IT applications and resources.

VIS Director, the IT operations hub for the virtual environment, gives
businesses a view of virtual dependencies and enables customers to identify
issues within the virtual environment. The module includes advanced reporting,
what-if and trend analysis, capacity and utilization reporting, and cost
allocation and chargeback solutions.

“IT organizations are closely evaluating the cost, management and agility
benefits of IT infrastructure and cloud-based computing models,” said Matt
Eastwood, group vice president of enterprise platforms at IDC.
“There are currently two general approaches to converged infrastructures: single-vendor
solutions and open-architecture solutions that focus on interoperability and
extending legacy investments. Dell’s VIS architecture is
consistent with its commitment to open technology architectures. IDC
believes this approach will resonate with customers that are looking to
preserve these legacy investments while reaping the benefits of cloud
computing.”

In addition, Dell announced services for the VIS
architecture, including a consulting service and ProSupport Services, which
provide software-specific expertise combined with Dell’s support
infrastructure. Dell ProSupport capabilities have been expanded to include
support for the Dell VIS components that spans a company’s IT environment.
Features include basic-to-advanced software troubleshooting and software
subscriptions with remote deployment assistance of patches and updates.

“Cloud computing is the emerging frontier for IT, and there’s no doubt it’s
providing customers with demonstrable benefits in terms of cost savings and
agility,” said Dell’s enterprise product group senior vice president Brad
Anderson. “Dell’s VIS architecture is unique in that it
works with a customer’s existing architecture and their current products and
investments–whether from Dell or another provider. Customers absolutely value
this flexibility and approach to meeting their IT challenges."