Computerworld Dell News

CIOs will soon blend non-tech, traditional IT roles

(Fred O'Connor) — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:35:00 GMT

Next-generation CIOs will have to consider how technology affects other corporate departments as well as handle traditional IT management functions, especially those accompanying mobile device management and greater data analysis, according to panelists who spoke at the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Windows 8 touchscreen devices to cost more, Dell says

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:43:00 GMT

Touchscreen laptops and tablets with the upcoming Windows 8 OS will be priced higher than their non-touchscreen counterparts, Dell's CEO said on Tuesday.

Dell profit shrinks in the first quarter

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:51:00 GMT

Dell on Wednesday reported a drop in profits for the first quarter, weighed down by a revenue decrease and slower sales of consumer products.

Why Israel is a hotbed for flash storage innovation

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:43:00 GMT

Israel is where the USB flash drive was invented and where innovative companies such as Anobit and XtremIO are drawing American companies to their shores in droves to get a piece of the intellectual property pie.

Baidu unveils low-end smartphone with cloud platform

(Michael Kan) — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:29:00 GMT

Baidu, which runs China's most popular search engine, unveiled a smartphone that features its own mobile platform.

SAP lays out cloud strategy post-SuccessFactors deal

(Chris Kanaracus) — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:06:00 GMT

SAP announced a broad set of plans to become a player in cloud computing, spanning from a "loosely coupled suite" of business applications to data integration and PaaS (platform as a service) Tuesday during the Sapphire conference in Orlando.

Dell, IBM announce servers with new Intel Xeon chips

(Agam Shah) — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:09:00 GMT

Dell and IBM on Monday announced servers with Intel's latest Xeon server chips, which will bring faster throughput and memory allowing servers to take on more complex workloads while reducing data center costs.

Apple's e-store satisfaction score jumps, thumps Microsoft's

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:15:00 GMT

Apple's online store scored the highest satisfaction rating of any computer-related company, and handily beat rival Microsoft, a consumer pollster said today.

New from Dell: An Ubuntu Linux laptop aimed at developers

(Katherine Noyes) — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:12:00 GMT

Dell has taken what you might call an on-again, off-again approach to offering Ubuntu-preloaded hardware over the years, but on Monday the company made an announcement that Linux fans are sure to cheer.

Red Hat, Dell sign OEM pact

(Jon Gold) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:37:00 GMT

The announcement Tuesday of a new partnership between Dell and Red Hat could mark a further expansion of open-source software use in the enterprise.

Dell unveils first Intel Ivy Bridge-based server

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:04:00 GMT

Dell on Tuesday announced a new microserver with Intel Xeon server processors based on the Ivy Bridge microarchitecture, which has not been officially announced by the chip maker yet.

Extreme Networks adds heavy dose of copper to 10G switches

(Jim Duffy) — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:33:00 GMT

Extreme Networks Monday unveiled 10G Ethernet copper modules for its BlackDiamond X8 core switch and new fixed copper versions of its Summit X670 top-of-rack switch.

Review: Dell EqualLogic SANs make the most of automated tiering

(Paul Venezia) — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:11:00 GMT

Dell EqualLogic SSD and SAS hybrids highlight no-muss, no-fuss, fast storage tiering across multiple arrays

Facebook's open-source data-center project gains ground

(Agam Shah) — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:21:00 GMT

Facebook's year-old project to develop open-source hardware designs with the aim to build efficient data centers gained momentum on Wednesday, with some top technology companies joining the effort and introducing server designs.

Dell simplifies the blade server

(Brian Chee) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:03:00 GMT

Dell's PowerEdge C6220 squeezes four two-socket servers into 2RU, delivering blade server density at a rack-mount price. Insider (registration required)

Dell brings 40-Gigabit Ethernet to PowerEdge blades

(Stephen Lawson) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:09:00 GMT

Dell will flesh out its new virtual networking strategy at Interop next month when it shows off a 40-Gigabit Ethernet switch for the PowerEdge M1000e blade system announced Tuesday.

Fast-forwarding firewall faceoff

(David Newman) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:14:00 GMT

Next-generation firewalls claim to identify application-layer attacks and enforce application-specific policies while delivering top-notch performance, even with advanced security features turned on. Insider (registration required)

Rackspace launches new OpenStack-based cloud portfolio

(Ted Samson) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:11:00 GMT

Company unveils array of new services, including a MySQL offering optimized for the cloud

Dell says AppAssure now its premier backup product

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:31:00 GMT

Dell's first in a flurry of software acquisitions was backup vendor AppAssure, which Dell said will be its primary data protection application even as it still resells Symantec and CommVault products.

Why 'Ultrabook' Doesn't Mean Much

(Jason Cross) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:49:00 GMT

If I use the term "Ultrabook," you picture a very particular kind of laptop, don't you? It's super thin, sleek, and light. It's small enough to fit in a small shoulder bag or large purse...something very much like the Macbook Air. This is the image Intel has tried to cultivate for its Ultrabook brand. If you go to Intel's own Ultrabook site, you see a rendered faux-laptop that could almost be mistaken for Apple's. What about a 15.6-inch laptop that weighs as much as a Macbook Air, iPad, and smartphone combined? Would you call that an Ultrabook? Intel would.

Report: IBM, Red Hat to join OpenStack

(Brandon Butler) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:32:00 GMT

IBM and Red Hat could soon be joining the ranks of OpenStack supporters, giving the open source cloud project a big boost.

Dell to acquire modernization specialist Make Technologies

(Loek Essers) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:16:00 GMT

Dell plans to acquire Make Technologies, which specializes in helping businesses replace outdated IT systems, the company said Thursday, marking its third enterprise-related acquisition announcement this week.

Dell buys application modernization firm Clerity

(Chris Kanaracus) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:05:00 GMT

Dell said Tuesday it has purchased application modernization vendor Clerity Solutions, in its second enterprise software-related acquisition news this week.

Dell's Wyse buy a hedge against slowing PC sales

(Agam Shah) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:30:00 GMT

Dell's plan to buy Wyse Technology is an effort to boost its client hardware portfolio and protect the company from the effects of the recent slowdown in PC sales, analysts said on Monday.

Dell Buys Wyse to Continue Evolution to 'Not Really a PC Company'

(Tony Bradley) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:41:00 GMT

Last month Michael Dell let the world know that Dell is "not really a PC company." Today, Dell announced that it has reached an agreement with Wyse that extends Dell's portfolio of products and services even further beyond the traditional PC market.

The Best Deals on Printer Ink

(Melissa Riofrio) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:36:00 GMT

If you buy a cheap inkjet printer, you're going to pay a small fortune for the ink to run it (assuming that you use the ink that its manufacturer specially designed for it). Even so, the size of the bill depends to a great extent on which brand of printer you buy. Some printer makers, like Kodak, work hard to keep their ink prices reasonable, while others, like Dell, consistently charge top dollar.

Dell to buy thin-client company Wyse Technology

(Mikael Ricknas) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:20:00 GMT

Dell has signed an agreement to acquire thin-client hardware and software company Wyse Technology, to expand its desktop virtualization offerings, Dell said Monday.

Dell expands virtual desktops into the cloud

(Brandon Butler) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:35:00 GMT

Dell said this week it is expanding its virtual desktop offerings into the cloud through a partnership with another company.

Dell plans new smartphones in the U.S. later this year

(Agam Shah) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:45:00 GMT

Dell plans to introduce new smartphone models in the U.S. later this year, the company said on Thursday.

Ethernet Alliance chair talks about key trends, what's next

(John Dix) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:40:00 GMT

John D'Ambrosia, Chief Ethernet Evangelist in the CTO Office at Dell (he came onboard when Dell bought Force10), is a founder of the Ethernet Alliance and currently serving as its chairman. Network World Editor in Chief John Dix recently caught up with D'Ambrosia for an update on the Alliance and Ethernet advances. Insider (registration required)

Dell ends smartphone sales in the US

(Agam Shah) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:28:00 GMT

Dell has stopped selling smartphones in the U.S. as it tweaks its mobile strategy to focus more on emerging markets and higher-margin products.

Security firms disable second Kelihos botnet

(Lucian Constantin) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:43:00 GMT

A group of malware experts from security companies Kaspersky Lab, CrowdStrike, Dell SecureWorks and the Honeynet Project, have worked together to disable the second version of the Kelihos botnet, which is significantly bigger than the one shut down by Microsoft and its partners in September 2011.

7 Great All-in-One Desktop PCs

(Nate Ralph, Sarah Jacobsson Purewal) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:51:00 GMT

Traditional tower desktops have had a good run. All-in-one PCs--expensive upstarts just two or three years ago--have all but usurped the throne.

New Dell PowerEdge: More power, deeper management

(Oliver Rist) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:50:00 GMT

First look: 12-gen, 2U Dell PowerEdge R720xd pairs hardware heft with first-rate remote management tools

7 ways Alcatel-Lucent hopes to change the conversation

(Jim Duffy) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:42:00 GMT

A favorite marketing tagline for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise is "Change the Conversation."

Dell plans over 20 data centers in Asia, as customers look to cloud

(John Ribeiro) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:48:00 GMT

Dell plans to set up over 20 data centers in Asia to meet growing demand from customers for a mix of private and public clouds, the head of the company's Asia Pacific and Japan region said.

PCIe SSD consortium, product test lab created

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:56:00 GMT

The University of New Hampshire has created a consortium to develop a test suite to ensure interoperability between PCIe SSDs that conform to the Non-Volatile Memory Express specification.

PC shipments expected to remain weak in 2012

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:11:00 GMT

Worldwide PC shipments are on track for a small increase, but will remain weak throughout 2012, according to industry analyst firm Gartner.

New Apple iPad kicks PC industry while it's down

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:52:00 GMT

With the unveiling of Apple's latest iPad on Wednesday, PC makers must accelerate efforts to keep the tablet from taking a bigger slice of their business.

Dell: U.S. job growth is in services, not manufacturing

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:10:00 GMT

Michael Dell, the chairman of the company that bears his name, does not see manufacturing as a big job creator for the U.S. To him, job growth will be in services and adoption of new technologies

Servers are refreshed with Intel's new E5 chips

(Agam Shah) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:23:00 GMT

Top server makers on Tuesday announced major product upgrades with Intel's new Xeon E5 processors and technologies that deliver better performance and throughput for robust virtualization and cloud deployments in data centers.

Disk storage system sales in Q4 top $8.5B, 6.2 petabytes

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:23:00 GMT

The fourth quarter of 2011 saw healthy external disk storage system growth, as did the year as a whole, with revenues growing by 10.6% to $23.5 billion.

Hands-on: Dell's XPS 13, a next-gen ultrabook

briannadel@compuserve.com (Brian Nadel) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:20:00 GMT

Dell has introduced its XPS 13 ultrabook, a light, well-designed laptop that offers an impressive balance of style and performance.

Climate change or not, weather hurt tech

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:22:00 GMT

Scientists expect that climate change will increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, and last fall's flooding in Thailand fit the definition of extreme.

Remains of the Day: Free for all

(Dan Moren) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:03:00 GMT

Apple's offering free developer IDs to programmers; hackers have found a way to get free ebooks from the iBookstore; and Dell is about to go PC-free. The remainders for Monday, February 27, 2012 are free and clear.

Dell claims it has network virtualization architecture too

(Jim Duffy) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:52:00 GMT

Dell this week is throwing its hat into the virtual networking ring with an architecture that initially is long on vision but short on specifics.

Dell releases next-gen 10GbE storage arrays

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:33:00 GMT

Dell EqualLogic today unveiled the next generation of its mid-range storage arrays, which use 10GbE ports to create iSCSI storage networks using existing copper or fiber infrastructures.

Perfect storm slams into HP

sgaudin@computerworld.com (Sharon Gaudin) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:46:00 GMT

A bad global economy, poor market conditions and confusing management moves combined to create a perfect storm that slammed into Hewlett-Packard and staggered the PC maker in its first fiscal 2012 quarter.

Wall Street Beat: Software results temper bad news on PC front

(Marc Ferranti) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:26:00 GMT

Disappointing earnings reports this week from Hewlett-Packard and Dell were offset by more encouraging results from software makers, confirming forecasts for general trends in IT spending this year.

Dell buys AppAssure for software backup

(Chris Kanaracus) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:18:00 GMT

Dell said Friday it has purchased backup software vendor AppAssure, in the first of an expected run of acquisitions following Dell's appointment of former CA CEO John Swainson as head of a new software division.