Blogging but slowly

I had really wanted to kick my blogging into gear this year. I’ve made some efforts into posting about my new home lab and have plans to do more of those. I may even try my hand at some videos, I have been encouraged to try this by my manager as he has seen that the statistics on video blogs are much higher than just a traditional blog.

During the second half of May my dad went into the hospital and they found that he has colon cancer. This threw a wrench in plans for home lab blogging and blogs about things for work. We are working through getting his anemia under control and have gotten a treatment plan in place for him. They have determined it is a Stage 2 non-metastasizing cancer that should be treated by chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy. During this time we have been able to get a bathroom and closet in his house remodeled and updated for handicap access which should make things much easier during his treatment and recovery.

In case you don’t know it but my wife and I are full time caregivers for her parents. They live on property with us and are in their mid to late eighties. Her dad has had multiple strokes and can no longer drive and her mom has her own health problems.

During the pandemic we lost my mom to Alzheimer’s disease. My dad was the primary caregiver for her during the last 8 years of her life and we helped him with her. He is still the primary caregiver for my disabled sister.

If you have someone in your family that is a caregiver please make sure to give them your love and support. Also give them a listening ear and real empathy and not fake sympathy. It is an often overlooked role in many cultures.

I am still planning on getting more blogs out but they may come out over time when there is time and brain power to write. Until then have a great week!

Home Lab 1 – The Unboxing

The day finally came when the shipment from PC Server and Parts arrived. It was four nicely packed boxes weighing in at a small 47 pounds apiece.

Of course they had to pass customs inspection of the DSA (Dog Security Agency). After inspection and finding that these packages included no biscuits or other materials that would be confiscated then the full unboxing could commence.

Here is the hardware list again:

  • Quantity four (4) Dell Precision Tower 7820 Workstation
    • Processors: 2x (2.20 GHz) 10-Core Intel Xeon Silver 4114 Processors
    • Memory (RAM): 384GB (12x32GB) DDR4 2133 MHz PC4 R Memory
    • Storage:
      • 1TB SSD SATA 6GB/s 2.5″ Solid State Drive
      • M.2 Storage: 2TB M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive
      • HP Z Turbo M.2 Adapter Card
    • Graphics Card: Nvidia Quadro K600 1GB DDR3
    • Network: Intel X540 Dual 10GbE network card
Side view of one of the 4 systems. The card closest to the top of the picture is the dual port 10GbE network card. The middle PCI is a single PCIe NVMe adapter that holds the 2TB NVMe device and then the NVidia Quadro video card.
All four systems looking identical with their side access panels off.
The CPU fan shroud removed along with the 2nd Processor and memory tray. This is how the system allows for dual processors and 12 slots for memory. Both the upper tray and the base motherboard have good airflow shrouds and large CPU coolers.
Front bezel removed showing the 4 removable drive bays. All 4 of these were missing a drive sled.
Only one drive sled populated with the SATA 1TB SSD for boot purposes.

I’ve moved the systems into my office and temporarily setup the networking using my Ubiquiti UniFi 10GbE Aggregation switch to 4 10GbE UniFi Flex switches which will provide the connectivity to these systems. The Aggregation switch is connected via fiber to my UniFi UDM-SE which handles the inter-VLAN routing and network firewall along with 1GbE Symmetric FTTH internet connectivity.

So that is the unboxing. At this point they will live for a little while in a temporary location at the side of my office. I’ll likely connect them to the TV and use it to step through the installation of ESXi and the basic network setup for vSphere 8.

Looking forward to this next part as it has been a while since I’ve physically done an install where I can actually put my hands on the keyboard/video/mouse and not use a remote KVM solution like iDRAC. Till next time!

Oh wow! It’s been a long long time

So I’ve had some changes in work life since I last did any blogging. Last time I did anything with this blog I was working as a Solutions Architect for a National Solution Provider. Along came the pandemic and instead of being on the road much of each week I was at home like the rest of us. I was on Zoom calls all day long. I had issues getting new hardware for the rest of the family and I scavenged my vSphere 6.x Intel NUC 3 node lab to used for other machines for myself and family members to use. Thus no home lab of any sort since March of 2020.

Then in August 2020 I left that role to take on contract work for the VMware Hands-on-Labs team. I was specifically working with the Certification and Education teams putting some scripting skills to use on multiple of the VCAP Deploy exams. This was a lot of fun! I really appreciated all the things I got to do with that team and all the things I learned and refreshed by having so much hands on with vSphere/vCenter, NSX, Horizon and other products. Sadly in August 2021 my contract was coming to an end. About that time I was able to interview with Matt Vandenbeld and the Success360 Customer Success Architecture Enterprise team. I started working in that role helping customers achieve greater use of their existing VMware products and realize their business goals. The team I was with covering the various business use cases was composed of total VMware Rock Stars.

There was something missing though. While I recognized I was having success in helping customers with their business outcomes my roots of working on the pre-sales side of things kept gnawing away inside me. I wanted to get ahead of helping customers fix problems after they owned product and help them find the new solutions in the first place. Early in 2023 I learned about an open role in the Cloud Solution Architecture team for the Americas. I interviewed with Mark Meulemans and quickly in the middle of March 2023 I transitioned back into a pre-sales role as a Staff Cloud Solution Architect for OCVS (Oracle Cloud VMware Solution). This role was going to cover both North and South America helping customers move to a VMware Cloud solution running in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and helping them take a step towards Multi-cloud.

During the transition to this new role it became obvious that I really wanted to get a home-lab back up and running. I knew I should apply the same business use case/business outcome focus to my home-lab decision and that there would be a period of research and outlining what I wanted to accomplish. With a list like that I could outline what was needed and then determine a good budget that would also meet with the “Wife Acceptance Factor” that is nearly the same as going to the C-suite and asking for funding on a project.

List of Desired Outcomes:

  • Current vCenter/vSphere 8 compatible – I want to be able to work with the current VMware enterprise flagship product
  • Ability to run VSAN and especially VSAN 8.x ESA – the ability to learn and play with the newest HCI product will allow me to work with customers who are looking to migrate from older versions and to help me work through the needed requirements that they would need in their environment
  • Ability to run NSX-T. Security is always in the forefront of any solution I want to use and I know that many of my customers will be using NSX in order to stretch VLANs and also provide distributed firewalls in their environment
  • Quiet – while this isn’t specifically tied to any business outcome or type of project having a quiet home-lab is very needed as I don’t have a separate space (basement or network closet) to put the equipment into.
  • Not overly large – for much the same reason as above having smaller equipment that does not require a rack or other large space is very helpful.
  • Power – I’m using my home circuits and don’t plan on running 220v L6-30 circuits into my office.
  • Connectivity – Having 10GbE or greater will allow me to test some new functionality of my local ISP. I’m currently on a 1G symmetric fiber connection. My neighbor is the fiber plant manager and has asked if I can help test an upcoming release of 2.5G and eventually 10G symmetric connections. Additionally having higher speed connections works with the above point on VSAN and also with connectivity back into the Oracle OCI and OCVS environments.
  • Testing OCVS connectivity and setup – Given that I am working in the OCVS environment having a working home-lab that can mimic some of the same types of workloads that my customers have will be essential in demonstrating the functionality of the solution.
  • Testing HCX migrations and network extensions – Same point as above.
  • Having enough CPU, Memory and Storage to be able to run nested vSphere environments – This is a future idea in order to mock out some scenarios that will be much larger than what I have access to. While I could use some other internal resources to do this I would likely to have to share an environment like this with others. This was I can take time to build/destroy as needed.

Research

I started my research with what it would take to run VSAN 8.x ESA. There are some basics that “should” be adhered to in getting a system that would support ESA. The easiest and best was if you are designing a Production and VMware supported environment is to consult the VMware HCL. In addition there are a number of tested ReadyNode solutions that will work. The basic requirements for ESA though are systems that can support vSphere 8, have at least 512 GB of memory, a minimum of dual 25GbE network cards, and four NVMe drives that can support extended Read and Write usage. I’m sure there are other items that I’ve forgotten to list and that some helpful people will point these out in the comments.

But this is a home lab. Right now having 25GbE is overkill. And I’m going to start with a lower number of NVMe drives and see if I can get things running and if not I’ll add additional hardware and scale things up. During some of my reading and seeing that people like William Lam had successfully run VSAN ESA on Intel 13th generation NUCs gave me home that some of these numbers were needed for Production environments and that I should be able to use lower specifications.

Next thing I researched was which CPU family, AMD or Intel? Both have processors that are on the list of compatibility with vSphere 8. I kept running into the issue that many of these processors would have cost in excess of $500.00USD per socket and I was hoping to have at least four (4) hosts and if possible have these as dual processor hosts. This would have brought the cost to over $4,000.00USD for just the processors in a home lab. Then adding in a supported motherboard. There are a number of these that I was looking at. I was very focused on the SuperMicro X12SPI-TF as it had the capability to run the types of Intel processors I was leaning towards and could handle large amounts of memory and PCIe cards. The drawback was that it was a single processor motherboard. I also looked at the ASUSRock line of motherboards. In most cases any of these boards would have run at least $500.00USD which when added to a single processor kept me in the $4,000.00USD price range. Plus having good CPU coolers is essential in with these new high end processors.

Then there was memory, networking, storage, case and power to consider. Networking I could find Intel X540 dual port 10GbE cards running for approximately $100.00USD and there are plenty of inexpensive 1 or 2TB SATA SSD drives for installation/boot drives on the market. Memory for the newer motherboards and CPUs was typically DDR5 and the costs of having 256GB per host was cost prohibitive. I’ve forgotten how much it was running but I wasn’t wanting to take out a loan just to get a home-lab. That left case and power. I hadn’t looked at cases in a long long time. I did not realize that everyone doing any of these types of builds wants to have them be able to be LED lit with the ability to change colors and have programmable actions with their case fans.

Conclusion

All of these problems sent me scurrying back to the vExpert list to see who else was doing something similar. I knew that there were multiple people who were working on home-labs out there and I’d at least see how others were tackling this. It seems that it breaks down into about four camps. There are those who are repurposing used servers and installing these into home racks or stacking them in a closet or basement somewhere. Then there are the micro-lab group: this group has gone small and tiny with low power cost but also limited on the types of processors, amount of memory and lack of expandability due to extremely small form factor (think Intel NUC line of products). The next group are taking the path of what I outlined above with finding CPU, motherboard, memory, networking and storage and putting these together into a case. Lastly there was a group who were reusing high end tower workstations that had good processing and memory capability but generally were not considered servers. As I read up on this I came across Matt Mancini’s vmexplorer.com blog. Matt had recently gotten some Dell Precision 7820 workstation towers for his home lab. After looking at what he had gotten I started searching e-bay and other sites for these beasts.

What I finally found was a company that had a business in Michigan and had a real storefront and sold via their online store or on e-bay. After talking to a real person here is what I ended up ordering from PC Server and Parts:

  • Quantity four (4) Dell Precision Tower 7820 Workstation
    • Processors: 2x (2.20 GHz) 10-Core Intel Xeon Silver 4114 Processors
    • Memory (RAM): 384GB (12x32GB) DDR4 2133 MHz PC4 R Memory
    • Storage:
      • 1TB SSD SATA 6GB/s 2.5″ Solid State Drive
      • M.2 Storage: 2TB M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive
      • HP Z Turbo M.2 Adapter Card
    • Graphics Card: Nvidia Quadro K600 1GB DDR3
    • Network: Intel X540 Dual 10GbE network card

Over the next bit I am going to document the unboxing and setup of these systems to run vSphere 8, vCenter and how I get VSAN ESA up and running. As I gradually get things setup in my home-lab I hope you follow along. I’d love to hear about your home-lab and what you are using it for. Look forward to part 2 where I get into the fun part with installation and setup.

VMworld VMTN Session – VMware Center for Advanced Learning – Advanced Architecture Course

I will be a Panelist with Daemon Behr (@DaemonBehr) discussion the very unique program of education regarding the VMware Center for Advanced Learning.  Specifically we will be talking about the new offering of the Advanced Architecture Course.  This is usually shortened to the VMware #CALAAC.  If you are attending @VMworld 2018 in Las Vegas next week 8/26/2018-8/30/2018 and have some time on Wednesday morning come visit us at the VMTN Communities area.  In the VMworld schedule builder it can be found by searching VMTN7703U.  Here is a shortened URL for the search. VMworld Schedule Builder Search for VMTN7703U

See all y’all there!

2017 VMware vExpert and vExpert NSX 2017

Just got confirmation of current status on my vExpert for NSX 2017.  I was in the first group of VMware vExpert NSX back in August 2016.  I had applied for the current 2017 vExpert NSX but somehow my name was overlooked.  Thanks to @vCommunityGuy Corey Romero fixing this oversight I am back in among a great group of people who love NSX and how it will radically change the way you do network.

vExpert 2012-2017

vExpert NSX 2016/2016

DellWorld 2015 Press Release – Hybrid Cloud integration

 

Dell Introduces Industry-First Hybrid Cloud System with Bold Payment Structure to Simplify and Minimize Risks of Cloud Adoption

  • Dell and Microsoft partner to simplify and accelerate customers’ journey to hybrid cloud
  • New hybrid cloud solution unveiled today in keynote discussion between Michael Dell and Satya Nadella
  • New Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft, featuring the Azure-consistent Microsoft Cloud Platform System Standard, radically simplifies customer cloud experience, control and automates maintenance 
  • Dell’s unique Cloud Flex Pay is a compelling, flexible payment solution that transforms CapEx to OpEx, and allows customers to gain experience with usage levels before committing
  • Dell’s differentiated cloud solutions deliver customer value on a variety of workloads wherever they are on their cloud journey

 

Dell Hybrid Cloud Dell today announced the expansion of its cloud portfolio with a new hybrid cloud solution, featuring technology jointly developed with Microsoft, designed to break down the barriers customers experience on their path to cloud. Additionally, Dell also is offering an industry-unique payment solution to help customers simplify and minimize risks associated with cloud adoption. 

According to a recent Dell worldwide poll of IT decision makers (ITDM)[1], 9 in 10 say a hybrid cloud strategy is important to achieve a Future-Ready Enterprise. And, the recently unveiled Dell Global Technology Adoption Index (GTAI 2015) revealed that 55 percent of organizations globally indicated use of more than one type of cloud. The GTAI 2015 also cites cost and security as the biggest barriers to adopting and implementing cloud, and complexity is the barrier most often associated with hybrid cloud.  

 

“The challenges most customers face on their cloud journey are clear. They tell us it’s too complex, the cost-risk is too high, and control isn’t transparent,” said Jim Ganthier, vice president and general manager of engineered solutions and cloud at Dell. “When you couple Microsoft’s unique Azure consistency from public to private cloud and Dell Cloud Manager integrated with the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft, customers now have unparalleled cloud governance and control. With our new Cloud Flex Pay program, cost-risk is all but eliminated. These Dell innovations demonstrate we’re the only company today to provide the full range of cloud infrastructure, software, services and payment solutions to help customers unlock the promise of hybrid cloud.”

Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft Rapidly Deploys in Less Than Three Hours
Extending the success of Dell’s exclusive collaboration with Microsoft on its Cloud Platform System Premium, Dell has announced the availability of the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft, which is built around the new Microsoft Cloud Platform System Standard, highlighted today in a Dell World keynote discussion between Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. This new system is designed to break through the hybrid cloud adoption barriers of complexity, cost and control. 

The Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft is the industry’s first integrated, modular hybrid cloud solution. This new system delivers simplified, automated deployment and maintenance capabilities; a unique payment solution to reduce customer investment risk; and unparalleled hybrid cloud governance, control, and policy-based automation for Microsoft Azure and other cloud environments. 

“Customers want to simplify and accelerate their journey to the cloud, and today Microsoft and Dell are extending their collaboration to remove many of the traditional barriers to hybrid cloud,” said Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud and Enterprise, Microsoft. “With CPS Standard, which is at the heart of the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft, we’ve worked together to deliver a solution that goes beyond other integrated systems on the market today, by providing Azure-consistent hybrid cloud services and a fast time to value to help customers enable their hybrid cloud strategy.” 

The Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft provides customers with:

  • On-premises private cloud, with consistent Azure public cloud access in less than three hours, and minimized downtime with unified system updates that are non-disruptive, fully automated, dependency-aware and smart-sequenced. 
  • The ability to build and provision workload templates and flexibly deploy business services and governance models of multiple cloud environments from one management construct, via out-of-the-box integration with Dell Cloud Manager (DCM)
  • Unified, simplified private-with-public cloud management and consumption control across Windows Azure Pack (WAP), Azure and other cloud services.

The Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft is built around CPS Standard, which combines optimized Dell modular infrastructure with pre-configured Microsoft CPS software, including Microsoft’s proven software stack and Azure Services for back-up, site recovery and operational insights. Additional services from Dell include ProSupport and Managed Cloud Services.

Dell Creates Differentiated Payment Solution for Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft 
Dell today added Dell Cloud Flex Pay to its portfolio of Scale Ready Payment Solutions, which Dell uniquely designed to accelerate customer adoption of cloud solutions wherever they are on their cloud journey. 

The Dell Cloud Flex Pay program provides customers with an industry-first option to deploy the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft in a flexible, cost-effective way. Dell is making this payment solution available for the Dell Hybrid Cloud System for Microsoft so customers can experience the benefits of hybrid cloud without making a long-term commitment. This cost-risk relief helps customers experience hybrid cloud usage levels before committing to the purchase. 

For example, an IT decision maker may be challenged in predicting test and development usage levels. Issues such as underuse and unanticipated demand can increase investment risk, lead to services gaps and not maximize capital budgets. Cloud Flex Pay eliminates these risks, gaps and inefficiencies, enabling the IT decision makers to gain practical experience, greater certainty in planning, and make sound future cloud solution investments.

At the end of the initial six-month term, customers have several options available, including the ability to extend the evaluation period, continue to use the solution, return it or take ownership of it.

Dell Cloud Solutions Momentum and Investment
Dell’s investment and innovation in cloud solution development supports varied enterprise data center workloads, applications and operating systems, addressing new customer demands and industry trends that allow customers to find value in cloud wherever they are on their cloud journey. Dell this week unveiled new products and milestones to its cloud solutions portfolio:

  • New Dell Administrator for Office 365 enables secure, effective control of Office 365, SharePoint and OneDrive for business through a consolidated, intuitive console that empowers IT administrators to better manage, report on, and utilize existing collaboration platforms to improve ROI of the Microsoft stack across the business. IT Admins can extend their management to on-premises deployments making this the perfect adaptable platform for any deployment type. 
  • New Dell Foglight for Virtualization 8.3 gives organizations the power to manage performance from the virtual and physical server layer and optimize to increase the performance of private cloud environments running on Dell servers, all from a single-pane-of-glass view. New Dell OpenManage Essentials integration with patented analytics now found in Foglight for Virtualization allow customers to visually correlate virtual workloads down to the server environment in real-time, as well as historical views to detect performance issues before they impact the business. 
  • Dell has been chosen by Markit, a leading global financial information services company, to power and support its new platform, Know Your Third Party (KY3P). 
  • The Dell Cloud Clinical Archive is the industry’s largest cloud-based, vendor-neutral clinical archive, and now manages more than 10 billion images and 100 million medical studies. Dell’s understanding of the current demands on IT, as well as future demands around breakthroughs in healthcare such as genomics, has prompted customers to move their imaging systems to the Dell Cloud Clinical Archive. 
  • Dell’s fully-managed cloud solution for medical practices and providers has helped lower costs, manage complex healthcare IT systems, address security requirements and handle staffing challenges for hundreds of physicians. During the past four years, Dell has doubled its physician business from 21,000 users to 43,000 users and from 8.6 million to 16.7 million logins.

DellWorld 2015 Press Release – Security

Dell Extends End-to-End Security Offerings to Protect Customers from Rapidly Evolving Threats

• Continued innovation and integration around security solutions provide customers with industry-leading, end-to-end security capabilities
• New products offer a fresh approach to malware blocking and sandboxing capabilities, data securityas well as multi-factor authentication to protect customers

 

DELL WORLD, AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 20, 2015 – Dell today announced a new, full range of security solutions that enablecustomers to implement a comprehensive enterprise security strategy to protect their organization from evolving threats while strengthening business agility. New future-ready solutions from Dell’s security portfolio include: a new approach to detecting and blocking advanced persistent threats; expanded user security for cloud apps with multi-factor authentication; enhancements to the Dell Data Protection (DDP) suite of data security solutions; management and policy integration across Dell next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), the switch and wireless access points; and new application security services. These new solutions reinforce Dell’s commitment to delivering a full range of security solutions designed to meet the myriad of security challenges a customer faces. 

 

Businesses are becoming more strategic with their security investments and are using security to enable new things or a competitive advantage, as Dell recently revealed in its Global Technology Adoption Index (GTAI 2015). The GTAI surveyed IT and business decision makers around the world to find out how they perceive, plan for and utilize key technologies, and found that strategic approaches to security are gaining ground in North America and Western EuropeThe share of North American organizations that indicated security is enabling new things or a competitive advantage grew from 25 percent in 2014 to 35 percent in 2015, and grew from 26 percent to 30 percent among Western Europe

 

Dell’s approach to security is based on simplicity, efficiency and compliance connectivity that tie together the siloed aspects of IT security into a modular and integrated solution capable of sharing insights and control across the organization. It also makes security simpler, so that business users can manage the rules and policies, and end users can easily comply. Dell delivers on this promise with new and updated offerings to the Dell Security portfolio announced today.

 

Network Security 

To protect customers against the increasing dangers of advanced persistent threats (APTs), Dell is offering a technology preview of the Dell SonicWALL APT Protection Service at Dell World. This new service – available on both firewalls and email security solutions – scans files of any size and holds potentially malicious unknown files until a verdict can be reached.  This solution is built on multi-layered sandbox technologies that use both system emulation and virtualization techniques to detect more threats than competitors’ single engine solutions and leverages the SonicWALL GRID, our cloud forensics platform which leverages real time analytics from over 500K connected NGFWs. Customers benefit from fast response times, high security effectiveness and reduced total cost of ownership.  

 

Additional offerings from Network Security include:

• New integrated management of Dell Networking X-Series switches through the Dell SonicWALL firewall interface, allowing customers to manage and enforce security policies across their network security, switching, wireless and WAN acceleration from a single pane of glass. This reduces complexity, increases operational efficiency and ultimately leads to better network security for multi-unit deployments.
• Dell SonicWALL Email Security increases effectiveness with the addition of Cyren anti-virus signatures. Dell Hosted Email Security and Email Security appliances and software running release 8.2 now feature best in class multi-layer AV protection including DELL SonicWALL GRID AV, McAfee AV, Kaspersky AV and Cyren AV.  

 

Identity & Access Management

The new Dell One Identity Cloud Access Manager 8.1 enablessecure access to all internal and cloud-based web applications, enforcing security policies and controls while improving user productivity, and the new version adds SaaS-based, multi-factor authentication via Defender as a Service

 

Dell also expanded the Security Analytics Engine included with CAM, to gather information from more sources to further expand the ability to make context-aware security a reality with real-time, adaptive decisions and enforcement.

 

Data Security Solutions

Today’s business needs means data is travelling between more locations than ever before. Dell Security Solutions is announcing three new solutions in the Dell Data Protection (DDP) portfolio to ensure data is protected wherever it goes.

 

• Dell Data Protection | Cloud Edition 2.0 allows businesses to encrypt their data and enact enterprise-class policy controls as the data moves from the endpoint to leading public cloud platforms. The latest edition of DDP | CE 2.0 encompasses Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive for Business in addition to Box and Dropbox. DDP | CE 2.0 also allows businesses to retain control of their encryption key making it easier to meet compliance and empower seamless collaboration amongst employees. 
• With customers storing more information on remote servers outside data centers with traditional security infrastructures, sensitive data is becoming increasingly exposed. Dell Data Protection | Server Encryptionprovides comprehensive software encryption for Windows servers in branch or remote offices, including state and local government offices, retail outlets and law offices handling confidential client data. DDP | SE enables businesses to better protect data on vulnerable servers and enjoy easier management and compliance reporting.  
• The new Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Recoverysolution will provide customers with simple continuous backup for laptops, desktops and tablets, designed to minimize data loss and enable fast, easy recovery.  

 

 

 

 

Dell SecureWorks

Dell SecureWorks recently announced the general availability of its new on-demand Emergency Cyber Incident Response (ECIR) capability for clients deploying assets on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This new offering is in response to the growing enterprise adoption of production workloads on AWS and customer demand for on-demand incident response solutions optimized for the dynamic and agile operating environment of the cloud.  Designed and refined through collaboration with AWS, Dell SecureWorks’ Emergency Cyber Incident Response helps organizations investigate cyber incidents affecting their assets deployed on the AWS Cloud. Though cloud infrastructure does not change the fundamentals of incident response and digital forensics, cloud infrastructure requires modifications to the process for efficient and effective containment, mitigation, data collection, and analysis within the cloud. As a result, Dell SecureWorks has codified these techniques in order to perform highly efficient and scalable cyber incident response investigations. 

 

Dell Services

Dell Services is introducing Dell AEGIS, a tool that helps enterprise customers identify and assess the vulnerabilities associated with a company’s mission-critical applications and take preventive measures. AEGIS is in addition to Dell’s Managed Security Services, which bring together an end-to-end portfolio of security services for all industries to protect key information assets across public and private cloud, networks, hosts and applications. Dell Services security experts become an extension of customers’ in-house IT staff and provide security analysis, device and technologies configuration, alert management and 24×7 monitoring.

 

Availability 

• Dell One Identity Cloud Access Manager 8.1 is available on October 28 worldwide.
• Dell SonicWALL Email Security is now available worldwide.
• Dell SecureWorks’ on-demand Emergency Cyber Incident Response (ECIR) capability for clients deploying assets on Amazon Web Services (AWS) is available now in the North America, Latin America, EMEA, APJ and ANZ regions. 
• Dell Data Protection | Cloud Edition 2.0, Dell Data Protection | Server Encryption and Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Recovery are available today in the United States and select countries around the world.
• Additionally, the integrated solution of X-Series switches, TZ Series UTM firewalls, SonicPoint Series wireless access points, WAN Acceleration Series and GMS will be available in 2016.

 

Supporting Quote:

 

Curtis Hutcheson, vice president and general manager, Dell Security

 

“Attacks and hacks on business assets continue to be a common occurrence and are becoming more sophisticated. It is imperative for organizations to implement a solid security strategy that protects them not just today, but for the futureThese new solutions provide superior protection to our customers’ applications, data, customers and employees through an integrated suite of next-generation firewalls , user security and access, and end point controls.”

DellWorld 2015 Press Release – Mobility

Dell Reignites the PC: Smaller, Faster and Optimized for the Future Workforce

 

• New portfolio of OptiPlex business PCs is smaller, faster and more energy efficient 
• Wyse 5050 AIO zero client provides robust security and high performance for VMware environments
• New Dell printing solutions offer one-stop access to multiple cloud-based services for easy sharing, collaboration and printing 
• Dell Services now a systems integrator for Usablenet, expanding its enterprise mobility solutions capabilities

 

DELL WORLD, AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 20, 2015 – Dell announced today at Dell World the most significant refresh to its OptiPlex commercial PC portfolio in five years, the Wyse 5050 AIO zero client for VMware, and new cloud multifunction printers to meet the changing needs of the future workforceConsidering the needs of a tech-savvy workforce always on the go, these new offerings are designed to increase employee productivity by helping them seamlessly connect to the business critical data and applications they need to get the job done. In addition, Dell Services is investing more in mobility applications and strategies to strengthen the way its commercial customers stay mobile, productive and efficient

 

We are defining the future of the PC and the role it plays in meeting our customers’ most pressing computing needs,” said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman, Operations and president, Client Solutions at Dell. “We are investing in this part of our business like never before, bringing new innovations to market that are redefining the role of the PC – whether it’s an ultramobile 2-in-1, thin or zero client, or a desktop that now handles workloads for a mobile workforce who require a robust collaboration solution.”  

 

New Dell OptiPlex Desktops Optimize the Modern Workplace

The OptiPlex line of PCs are the world’s most secure commercial desktops available with industry-leading endpoint security solutions from Dell’s own Dell Data Protection suite that include comprehensive encryption, advanced authentication, leading-edge malware protection and advanced threat protection. OptiPlex is also the world’s most manageable commercial desktop portfolio with Intel® Core vPro processortechnology and Client Command Suite. All of this is backed by enterprise-class support including Dell ProSupport Plus and Configuration & Deployment Services.

 

The fully revamped OptiPlex portfolio unveiled today will forever change perceptions about the commercial desktop withits smaller, faster and more energy-efficient Micro Form Factor, Small Form Factor, Mini Tower and All-in-One designs. Therapidly evolving workforce requires businesses to invest in technology that enables employees to work faster, make better decisions, and be more productive and collaborativeYet today, over 200 million Dell commercial customers are working on a PC that is more than four years old. 

 

The new OptiPlex PCs feature significant improvements over previous generation systems including:

• OptiPlex 7040 with 6th Gen Intel Core vPro processortechnology offers up to 70 percent better performance versus five year-old system 
• up to double the memory capacity than previous generation product
• four times the storage capacity of previous generation product
• power consumption reduced by up to 63 percent with the new OptiPlex 7040 Small Form Factor
• background system noise decreased by up to 32 percentwith the new OptiPlex 7040 Small Form Factor

 

With these performance gains and new features, OptiPlex desktops are playing a new role in a world that is highly mobile. For example, the portfolio includes a new collaboration and conferencing solution utilizing the OptiPlex 7040 Micro with 6thGen Intel Core vPro processor technology and Intel® Unitesoftware to deliver simple, instant and secure collaboration and meeting capabilities through wireless connectivity. Now, onsite and remote employees can easily see the same content displayed in a room, transition between presenters in the room or over the phone, make annotations and transfer files instantly. No dongles or adapters required!

 

The new OptiPlex portfolio offers space-saving versatility with its smaller footprint. The Mini Tower is 43 percent smaller than the previous generation and Micro desktops can save more than 7,700 square feet of valuable workspace when replacing 10,000 legacy desktops – this is important as companies are reimagining a more collaborative and future-ready work environmentThe updated portfolio, which is leveraging a new 3000/5000/7000 model numbering structure to simplify product comparison and selection for customers, includes:

 

• OptiPlex 7040: Enterprise-class desktop with premium management and security and the most expandability, including discrete graphics, dual hard drives and triple display, all in an innovative, compact design;
• OptiPlex 5040full-featured commercial desktop with advanced performance, best-in-class security and manageability, without sacrificing the business-critical features;
• OptiPlex 3040: A business desktop offering best-in-class security, manageability and high performance at the lowest entry price point for a commercial desktop;
• OptiPlex 24 7000 Series All-In-One (7440): The world’s most secure all-in-one with an ultra-sleek and premium design, a 23.8-inch Full HD display and an optional 4K Ultra HD display;
• OptiPlex 22 3000 Series All-In-One (3240): An all-in-one experience with business-class performance, productivity features, and new 21.5-inch Full HDdisplay.

 

Wyse 5050 AIO Zero Client: High Performance and Elegant Design
Dell Cloud Client-Computing has been meeting the needs of customers from a variety of industries – from healthcare to education to finance and government – as they look to desktop virtualization solutions to empower their workforce with secure delivery of apps and data from the datacenter to the endpoint without hampering productivity. According to IDC, Dell was the No. 1 provider of thin and terminal clients worldwide for 2014, and has shipped more thin clients year-to-date in 2015 than anyone elseThe Wyse 5050 AIO zero client is designed for VMware environments and provides the robust security businesses require with a zero attack surface for viruses and malware.

 

• High Performance and FunctionalityThe Wyse 5050 AIO features a vibrant, Full HD 23.6-inch display. With powerful PCoIP technology, it offers full USB peripheral interoperability, rich multimedia, and support for high-resolution 3D graphics and advanced applications such as CAD and video editing.
• Easy to Deploy and Run: Wyse zero clients allow for hands-off management or remote management with Wyse Device Manager, and also include Dell BIOS support, giving the administrator the ability to make adjustments to hardware functionality. Deploying the AIO zero client is effortless with a simple one-cord design and out-of-the-box automatic setup.
• Elegant Design: The Wyse 5050 AIO is based on the best-selling Dell 24 monitor – P2414H. With the zero client on the back of the monitor, and built-in power supply, the 5050 sits elegantly on a desk without clutter. There are six USB ports, including four on the side of the chassis for convenient and easy access, and the zero client features rotating and detachable base for flexibility and comfort in positioning.

 

Dell also announced the latest version of its Dell Wyse Cloud Client Manager, release 9, a cloud-based management platform that manages thin clients, mobile devices, and mobile workspaces from a single console. With this release, Dell is making it easier to manage devices with centralized reporting and control of multiple branch offices and by allowing administrators to organize devices into multi-level groups and delegate administration of selected groups through role-based access control. In addition, this release enhances the management capabilities for Android, Windows and iOS platforms by adding support for iOS9, Windows 10 and enhanced application management functionality.

 

Dell Document Hub and Multifunction Printers 

As part of Dell’s end-to-end solutions for business customers, the new H-Series and S-Series multifunction printers are designed to meet the online collaboration needs of businesses of all sizes. 

With 64 percent of workers performing at least some of their work tasks at home and half of desktop users incorporating other devices as well, it has become necessary for offices to offer complete printer connectivity wherever workers may be and whatever devices they may be using. The new H-Series printers (models H625cdw, H825cdw, and H815dw) include the Dell Document Hub, which allows customers access to multiple cloud storage services at the same time, such as Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, Salesforce or Evernote for easy sharing and printing. The printers provide direct access to the Document Hub from the printer or PC for office-based employees, while remote employees can access it as an app on their mobile device or PC.  Ideal for smaller organizations and executive offices, the printers provide easy WiFi set up by SMBs and micro-businesses with limited or no IT teams. 

 

The S-Series smart/multifunction printers (models S2825cdn and S2815dn) are designed for the robust security needs of larger enterprises with built-in security features, easy scanning to SharePoint On-Premise, as well as printing from Android and iOS devices using the Dell Document Hub app.

 

Fully Managed and Automated Enterprise Mobility Solutions

To help companies at any stage of their mobility transformation, Dell Services combines industry-leading technology and expertise to help automate and streamline the process of deploying and managing mobile endpoints, together with the core infrastructure. Dell Mobility Services represents a unified, end-to-end solution built with best-of-breed security and management technology, as well as automation capabilities, to help customers mobilize every application, keep data secure, provide an enhanced end-user experience and gain better control of applications, data and devices.

 

As part of the strategy, Dell Services is now a systems integrator for Usablenet, a technology services company focused on enterprise mobile strategy and execution. Adding Usablenet’s mobile platform to Dell’s end-to-end solutions will give Dell customers access to best-in-class mobile sites, apps and workload-specific enterprise mobility solutions. As a Usablenet partner, Dell Services can deliver an end-to-end mobile and multichannel solution, ranging from user experience design to data integration, mobile site and application development, implementation, and support. Dell Services now offers a variety of industry-focused enterprise solutions with enterprise Usablenet platform-based services, including:

 

• UX services to research and design award-winning mobile user experiences;
• Mobile Experiences, including consumer-facing mobile sites, employee productivity apps, enterprise applications and experiences on interactive kiosks; 
• APIs and web services to enable multichannel applications and legacy integration.

 

Revolutionizing Healthcare with Mobility

An example of how Dell’s services and expertise will be applied is in the healthcare space. Healthcare providers need greater flexibility and access to information. Dell has demonstrable success, one of which was being ranked by Gartner as the top healthcare services provider for the sixth year in a rowWith industryleading healthcare domain expertise and partnerships and a global Mobile Apps Services team of 200+ associates, Dell Services is revolutionizing care delivery, patient engagement and creating workflow efficiencies.

 

Dell has created “accelerators” for provider and health plan customers to quickly launch their own branded mobile apps. These starter kit apps come pre-built with rich functionality out of the box for providing information to patients both on and off premises. Providers can empower their patients with access to their own health information, interact with a care team and manage their own health. Dell also enables virtual visit solutions for its customers to allow patients to consume anytime, anywhere healthcare services; and offers remote patient monitoring solutions to minimize readmission penalties and reduce costs of care delivery for chronic patients.

 

Availability

• The new OptiPlex 7000 Series, 5000 Series and Micro PC with Intel Unite software are available today. The OptiPlex 3000 series will be available in November 2015. 
• The Wyse 5050 AIO zero client is available starting December 2015 in the United States. It will expand to other regions in 2016.
• Cloud Client Manager release 9 is available in select countries around the world starting in November 2015.

 

• The H-Series cloud multifunction printers and S-Series smart / multifunction printers are available today in the United States, and will expand to select countries around the world starting October 29.

DellWorld 2015 Press Release – IoT

Dell Disrupts Internet of Things Marketplace with Dell EdgeGateway 5000 Series and New Analytics CapabilitiesExpanding End-to-End Portfolio of IoT Assets

 

• Edge Gateway 5000 Series delivers purpose-builtgateway with powerful analytics capabilities, expansiveinput/output (I/O) options and ability to operate in extreme environments
• Solution designed for rigors of building and factory automation sectors; signals Dell’s deep partnerships with operational and information technology organizations,including OSIsoft
• Dell Edge Gateway adds to industry’s broadest portfolio of IoT assets, spanning newly revamped Dell Statisticaadvanced analytics, hardware, digital services and security and manageability software 

 

DELL WORLD, AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 20, 2015  Dell today announced the launch of the new Edge Gateway 5000 Series purpose-built for the building and factory automation sectors. Composed of an industrial-grade form factor, expanded input and output interfaces, and with wide operating temperature ranges, the Edge Gateway 5000, combined with Dell’s data analytics capabilities, promises to give companies an edge computing solution alternative to today’s costly, proprietary IoTofferings.

 

Making good decisions using data generated by sensors is the central objective of IoT. Yet the rich data generated by IoT devices presents its own set of challenges. Harbor Research estimates that by 2020 smart systems will create over 194 petabytes of data. The sheer volume and complexity of managing this new decentralized, localized data can quickly overload traditional environments and analysis tools. Edge analytics, carried out with the help of versatile gateways, will help with this data overload by determining what data needs to be acted on quickly and then filtered or stored. 

 

The Dell Edge Gateway sits at the edge of the network (near the devices and sensors) with local analytics and other middleware to receive, aggregate, analyze and relay data, then minimizesexpensive bandwidth by relaying only meaningful data to the cloud or datacenter. Thanks to new Dell Statistica data analytics also announced todayDell is expanding capabilities out to thegateway. This means companies can now extend the benefits of cloud computing to their network edge and for faster and more secure business insights while saving on the costly transfer of data to and from the cloud.

 

“Organizations are struggling to make the best decisions regarding the data volume and complexity created by the vast numbers of sensors, embedded systems and connected devicesnow on the network,” said Andy Rhodes, executive director, Commercial IoT Solutions, Dell. “As more of the data isprocessed in real time at the edge of the networkthe gateway becomes the spam filter for IoT.”

 

Dell’s end-to-end portfolio of IoT-enabling solutions

The Edge Gateway 5000 is the newest addition to Dell’s end-to-end portfolio of IoT-enabling solutions and serviceswhichprovide customers with choice and flexibility to architect IoT ecosystems with analytics at the edge, the cloud or the data center. The gateway is available for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to build into their solutions or for building and factory automation customers to use as part of their IoT strategy which can span data center solutions, advanced analytics and digital services. Additionally, customers’ can take advantage of Dell’s global availability, trusted security options, and Dell Support and Deployment services including ProSupport which provides end-to-end hardware support throughout the entire product lifecycle, helping customers maximize their gateway environment and minimize time spent on maintenance.  

 

For example, ELM Energy is already using Dell gateways to make a difference in securing a more sustainable energy future. ELM’s FieldSight Controller automates decision structures that toggle between the use of distributed energy sources such assolarwind and backup generators and traditional utility grid sources.  The systems also help customers make decisions about the most effective times to broker surplus energy back to the open market.

 

“Through the power of technology, ELM Energy and Dell are enabling real-time decision making that is optimizing and balancing power generation and maximizing the use of renewable energy,” said James Richmond, president, ELM Energy. “For example, if the renewable energy being generated exceeds demand, our technology is able to automatically decide if the excess should be fed back to the grid or stored for later use when the renewable sources are unavailable. The new Dell EdgeGateway 5000 Series is the perfect platform for our FieldSightEdge software to perform computing functions close to the source, at a fantastic value.” 

 

Additional Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series benefits include:

• Ability to be mounted on the wall and to operate in locations with extreme temperatures like boiler rooms and deserts 
• Expansive I/O structure designed to bridge both legacy serial connections (RS-422/485, CAN bus) and modern wireless networks (Wi-Fi, 802.15.4 mesh) to the internetwith expansion capability for future options
• Operating system flexibility with choices that include Ubuntu Snappy, Wind River Linux, Windows 10 IoT Enterprise
• Security foundation including TPM, secure boot and BIOS level lockdown of I/O ports
• Manageability with Dell Command|Monitor for Linux and Dell Cloud Client Manager
• Dell is working with innovative independent software vendors and system integrators like SAP, OSIsoftEigen Innovations and Lucid to add domain expertise 
• Standard Dell lead times allowing customers to receive hardware quickly, a rarity in the OT industry today
• Consulting, strategy and integration from Dell Servicesto help information-intensive enterprises like healthcare and insurance customize IoT approaches for their industry 

 

Dell and Intel are also launching the Connect What Matters” contest for innovative IoT solutions built on Dell EdgeGatewaysThe contest is open to commercial companies and solutions can be developed for any vertical. Participants will compete for the Best IoT Design, and the deadline for submissions is March 31, 2016.

 

Supporting Quotes

 

Rose Schooler, vice president, IoT Strategy and Technology Office, Intel

 

“The Dell Edge Gateway 5000 Series based on the Intel® Atom™ processor E3800 product family is designed to bridge the data needs of traditional operational technology with the manageability demands of information technology. The result is a solution that meets the needs of IoT customers.”

 

Patrick Moorhead, founder, president and principal analyst, Moor Insights & Strategy

 

“Enterprises are looking for vendors who understand the modern architectures required for comprehensive IoT and realize the importance of aggregating and analyzing data from the edge to the datacenter. With a comprehensive set of services, software and hardware solutions from the gateway to cloud to data center, Dell has a comprehensive offering including the necessary security and manageability capabilities. Dell is taking a pragmatic and realistic approach to IoT implementations.”

 

Richard Beeson, Chief Technology Officer, OSIsoft

 

OSIsoft’s expertise in Operational Technology and Operational Intelligence, combined with Dell’s Edge Gateway and deep understanding of IT, will enable commercial and industrial operations to collect and analyze new sources of data for transformational insights. The new gateway will lower the barriers to pervasive monitoring, enabling operators and engineers to capture additional sensor data without impacting or upgrading traditional automation and control systems.”

 

Availability

 

• The Dell Edge Gateway will be available in select countries in December 2015 and start at USD $1,199.Learn more online at www.dell.com/IoTgateway