Dell Cloud Dedicated emerges as a good choice for IaaS
Currently, when people think IaaS, they’re likely to see only Amazon’s EC2 (elastic cloud compute). This is because EC2 really changed all the rules, it allows for a more pure cloud computing experience that’s all encompassing and fairly easy-to-understand. One of the big constants that have emerged over the last several years (with regards to cloud computing) is the dominance of Amazon and AWS (Amazon Web Services) in general. What does this have to do with Dell and their cloud services, you ask? Well, as it turns out, there are very few companies that have the ideas, resources or sheer bravado to challenge Amazon’s dominance in the cloud market. Dell Cloud Dedicated appears to be poised to give the great online retailer / cloud computing giant a little competition in the IaaS department.
Here are some things that Dell Cloud Dedicated has going for it:
- Perfect for all office-like applications
- Dell actually handles management of the infrastructure
- Was designed to make room for emerging apps / software
- You have various networking and storage options to choose from (which can be added to your package)
- Allows for more pointed design of cloud infrastructure that can be used to support one’s outsourcing operation(s)
- Access to private cloud computing resources can be painlessly added
- Provides Hybrid Cloud abilities through connectivity with services like VMware.
- Servers can be assigned to individual customers
- There are unique service options available which can be added
- A completely metered service on all levels (you only pay for what you use)
Basically, Dell Cloud Dedicated is meeting the challenges of the cloud on two separate fronts – immediate capabilities and prepared environment for future abilities. This awareness of the ‘present & future paradigm’ is what makes Dell’s cloud service a contender.
As technology moves forward, we must realize that the actual work or aim of production largely remains unchanged. This is to say that average businesses don’t often come up with entirely new products or types of services; they simply find new ways of accomplishing more well-known tasks. For example, there are plenty of parallels between physical retailers and their online counterparts; at the end of the day, they’re both still selling the same products however (just going about it in two entirely different ways).
However, innovations in approach can make all the difference in the world. But after all is said and done, computing resources are still going to be used to help customers and employees navigate inventory, track sales, etc… The point is, while business itself never really changes, the technology associated with how it is carried out does. Innovations like IaaS allow organizations to approach their internal and external operations from a position of power, stability, security and control, which ultimately translates into benefits for the consumer (through better products, service, access and development).
One of the aforementioned items which make Dell Cloud Dedicated a significant threat to the big cloud vendors (like Amazon) is its ability to incorporate private and hybrid cloud elements. As we continue to witness cloud technology exploding in every direction, the importance of being able to quickly “turn-on-a-dime” and employ a new approach is going to become very essential. Simply put, there are specific abilities and benefits which only private cloud computing can offer. Through DCD, it is possible to quickly leverage these benefits while sacrificing no part of one’s original infrastructure or setup. This is just one example of the sort of power that’s emerging from newer forms of cloud computing infrastructure.
For those businesses that employ IaaS specialists and/or those with basic to extensive cloud computing training and certification, Dell’s Cloud Dedicated solution is akin to a “missing part of the puzzle” which can be used to build a more stable and functional IT operation. At this point it’s unclear as to whether or not Dell’s cloud solution will give Amazon and EC2 a run for their money, but it should be known that it is still very comparable. This is generally (always) very good news for consumers because a greater number of providers often leads fluctuations in overall service costs, which ultimately creates more competitive pricing.
Online ordering and the ability to choose from pre-configured bundles or from a list of on-demand services is another facet of the Dell Cloud Dedicated service. Dell is really going out of their way to provide its users with options galore while at the same time ensuring the strength of each potential offering. Likewise, they are prepared to handle all necessary infrastructure management issues and are employing a security approach that makes use of real-time monitoring (via SecureWorks) as well. Whether or not Dell will really give Amazon some competition remains to be seen, but it should be perfectly clear at this point that Cloud Dedicated should be considered one of the better IaaS choices out there.