Barney's Blog

Blog archive

Dell Into Virtualization for Real

I just wrapped up a 2,500-word feature story about Dell's virtualization strategy for our new magazine Virtualization Review. I also spent weeks deciphering Sun, IBM and HP plans. These last three vendors have multiple hardware environments, their own management tools and, in two cases, homemade hypervisors. This was all as intricate as a Dennis Miller commentary (though far more interesting and less pretentious).

Dell was far different. What Dell does is sell standard servers that run standard third-party virtualization software. The strategy took all of two seconds to comprehend -- even for me. Dell has extended this to shipping servers with the embedded version of VMware, as well as the option to buy servers with Xen pre-installed. Dell also has a new Web site where you can easily buy virtual wares.

Dell may not have the broadest range of tools, but at least you won't get a headache trying to figure it all out.

Posted by Doug Barney on May 12, 2008


Featured

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.

  • Roadblocks in Enterprise AI: Data and Skills Shortfalls Could Cost Millions

    Businesses risk losing up to $87 million a year if they fail to catch up with AI innovation, according to the Couchbase FY 2026 CIO AI Survey released this month.