Last July, Dell, Intel (INTC) and Samsung formed a new Internet of Things (IoT) association called the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), which, similar to its cousins the AllSeen Alliance and the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), seeks to establish standards for smart devices to work together and talk to one another.

Now the vendor has taken its IoT efforts a step further, teaming with its IoT sidekick Intel to open the doors to a new Silicon Valley-based Internet of Things Lab aimed at providing its customers with a special facility dedicated to exploring, testing and deploying IoT-related solutions. The hands-on lab will be staffed with engineers and technicians to assist customers, Dell said.

The Lab is housed in Dell’s Silicon Valley Solution Center in Santa Clara, California. Dell’s OEM Solutions arm has underwritten the initiative along with some funding from Intel. Dell’s OEM Solutions unit is a premier member of Intel’s Internet of Things Solutions Alliance.

“We are excited to partner with our customers to offer a place where they can come and build new Internet of Things solutions,” said Joyce Mullen, Dell OEM Solutions vice president and general manager. “This lab will be staffed with highly skilled engineers and technicians and is designed to be an active space where our customers can validate and test their solutions on Dell hardware and software systems. We welcome all of our customers to come work with us to build their next generation of IoT solutions in our new lab.”

Dell and Intel IoT Lab participants will be able to build, modify and architect new IoT solutions on active bench space within the new lab. In addition, customers can demo large workloads, connectivity, and data modeling and extraction on Dell’s solutions, including the vendor’s storage technology, PowerEdge servers and blade servers.

The Lab’s goal is to help Dell’s OEM customers improve time to market for new IoT solutions and devices.

“The Internet of Things will enable one of the most significant technological transformations in our lifetime,” said Doug Davis, Intel Internet of Things Group vice president and general manager. “The scope of connected devices is limitless, and it will take great minds from all over the globe innovating together to build a truly connected world. The Dell Internet of Things Lab co-funded by Intel will help accelerate that innovation so the full potential of the Internet of Things can be realized.”