Dell Launches VIS Cloud Computing Models

Dell is looking to make the path to the cloud less of a hassle, with their new Virtual Integrated System Architecture (VIS). It's designed to support a mix of hardware and software environments to provide customers with the best of the best, without compromising on compatibility. Sound too good to be true? Here's a closer look at Dell's VIS strategy.

Dave Courbanou

September 29, 2010

2 Min Read

Dell Launches VIS Cloud Computing Models

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Dell is looking to make the path to the cloud less of a hassle, with their new Virtual Integrated System Architecture (VIS). It’s designed to support a mix of hardware and software environments to provide customers with the best of the best, without compromising on compatibility. Sound too good to be true? Here’s a closer look at Dell’s VIS strategy.

In a webcast, Dell detailed how they wanted customers to quickly “capitalize on the efficiencies of the Virtual Era.” Dell’s VIS response is designed to allow technology purchases to converge together and allow use of existing infrastructure, without having to gut your data center and start a-new.

VIS is built on three pillars:

Dell Advanced Infrastructure Manager— Otherwise known as AIM, Dell’s manger has been designed to let a single admin allocate server, storage, network and applications resources based on workloads. It allows for a mix of hardware offerings along with the latest virtualization hypervisors to pool resources at will. Dell’s AIM “abstracts the hardware and virtualization layers” so that an admin or customer can just focus on what needs to be done, rather than how the hardware works.
Dell VIS Self-Service Creator— Designed to shorten the time it takes to deploy new business applications, Service Creator creates a standardizing and automated way to move that app package. through web-portal, users can deploy and manage a catalog of apps and services, and — like the AIM — allocate and push across multi-vendor and hardware solutions.
Dell VIS Director— The VIS director has been dubbed the “operations hub” for the entire virtual environment, giving a top-down granular view of the operation at hand. Reporting, trends, dependencies and other solution details are available at a glance for increased effective planning.

Dell Advanced Infrastructure Manager and Dell VIS Self-Service Creator are available today, however, the Dell VIS Director is on hold for a few quarters, but coming soon.

Meanwhile, Dell in March 2010 launched a Cloud Partner Program. Plus, Dell is working closely with OpenStack, the open source cloud standard promoted by Rackspace. We’ll keep watching to see if or how Dell connects the dots between its cloud efforts and the Dell PartnerDirect channel program.

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