Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) concedes that "Apple products like Macs, iPhone and iPads are widely accepted on the enterprise computing scene." Instead of denying that reality, Dell's KACE appliance team wants to help MSPs and corporate IT to manage all that

Joe Panettieri, Former Editorial Director

March 19, 2013

2 Min Read
If Dell Can't Beat Apple, Then Dell KACE Wants to Manage Apple

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Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) concedes that “Apple products like Macs, iPhone and iPads are widely accepted on the enterprise computing scene.” Instead of denying that reality, Dell’s KACE appliance team wants to help MSPs and corporate IT to manage all that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) infrastructure. Indeed, the Dell KACE Appliance team is promoting webcasts and other educational engagements to bolster those Apple management efforts. But are channel partners listening to the Dell KACE pitch?

According to an email invite received by MSPmentor, Dell claims its KACE appliances can help IT organizations to:

  • Deploy, manage and secure personal as well as corporate owned Apple devices;

  • Support Mac OS X based desktops, laptops and servers alongside Windows and Linux; and

  • Manage iOS based mobile devices to enable access while enforcing security.

Talk about role reversal. Way back in 1997, Michael Dell suggested Apple — nearly bankrupt at the time — should simply close shop and give any remaining money back to the shareholders. Now, Dell is struggling to transform from a PC company into an end-to-end IT solutions provider. The transformation will likely involve a company sale to Michael Dell and a private equity group — though a surprise bidder may also emerge before Dell’s self-imposed Go Shop period ends this March 22.

Either way, it looks like Dell — the company — has accepted the fact that it’s a multi-platform world. If Dell can’t beat Apple — at least not for the time being — in the tablet and smartphone markers, the Dell at least wants to manage those devices…

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About the Author(s)

Joe Panettieri

Former Editorial Director, Nine Lives Media, a division of Penton Media

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