New Products

Best Practices. Dell recommends Windows® 7 Professional. Products.

Planning Guides New Products.

Ease IT Decisions. By Tom Farre

Vendor and analyst references can save valuable time and resources. Find out about the latest products and services from Dell and the details that make them distinctive.

As an IT manager at a midsized business, it’s likely you don’t have the time, bandwidth, the staff resources or the expertise to fully evaluate new 1. Latitude ST a true tablet for business technologies, choose and size the right solution, and deploy and test it The best Dell introduced its first 10-inch global slate tablet, the Latitude™ ST. The device is built for while performing your everyday work. business users, with an Intel® Atom™-based processor and the Windows® 7 operating system But there is a lifeline that can make your job easier. Technology tech resources and applications. Available with Dell Data Protection | Encryption, the Latitude ST features the vendors provide a wide range of planning guides to support companies enterprise-class security and manageability of a corporate desktop. Users enjoy the mobility like yours. Often prepared by independent analyst firms, these how-to To gain the most value from vendor-supplied intellectual of a touch screen and the flexibility to use a stylus if they choose. documents can help you make the right decisions. capital, follow these guidelines: More information: dell.ca/tablet Guides provide a head start Search far and wide: “The IT executive at a midmarket company doesn’t have the staff or the expertise to be a master of every new development,” says Steve The Web is rich in technology resources, including the Duplessie, founder and senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), sites of vendors, analyst firms and technology portals. which is known for its series of ESG Lab Validation reports. “If someone Some examples include: can supply a reference architecture or validated solution that supports • delltechcenter.com 2. Higher-density EqualLogic arrays certain fundamental requirements, that can save a lot of time.” There’s still the need to compare one architecture or solution to another, but the • technet.microsoft.com Dell introduced the EqualLogic™ PS6100 and PS4100 family of virtualized, IP-based storage arrays, buyer has a head start. along with a new firmware version 5.1. The new arrays offer performance improvements by As an example of what’s available, Dell offers Reference Architectures, • enterprisestrategygroup.com/esg-lab-analysis including 2.5-inch drive support for increased density. The PS4100 series supports up to 36TB in a Business-Ready Configurations (BRCs) and Implementation Guides that • principledtechnologies.com single array and 72TB in a single group. The midrange PS6100 series provides up to 72TB in a single cover solution installation, optimization and tuning. These go beyond array and 1.2PB in a single group. EqualLogic PS series arrays work with each other regardless of technology and product comparisons, often guiding users through the • bitpipe.com generation, so customers can leverage existing equipment. screens and keystrokes to deploy complex applications and systems. • techrepublic.com More information: dell.ca/iSCSI Guides for many needs “People use our documents for different purposes,” says Bill Look beneath the surface: Catchings, chief technology officer of Principled Technologies, a firm Anyone can make a claim, but the best reports are backed that has written numerous tutorials, including three Collaboration Deployment Guides for Dell. These guides are specifically tailored by independent testing and open documentation. 3. Services accelerate desktop virtualization depending on the size of the customer’s business. “Prospective buyers Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions (DDVS) combine prepackaged services with configured will find them helpful as decision-making resources, while those charged and tested hardware and software to simplify and accelerate the deployment of virtual desktop with hands-on implementation will glean valuable data from our own hands-on work.” technology. The solutions can be cloud or locally based—both use the same reference architecture and hardware including Dell PowerEdge™ servers, Dell EqualLogic™ storage and Dell Tom Farre, a freelance journalist and the former editor of VARBusiness, has PowerConnect™ networking. Dell is also leveraging its relationships with Citrix® and VMware® to been covering information technology for more than 20 years. integrate their solutions into DDVS.

More information: dell.ca/DDVS

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84683_us_smb_fy13q1_cdm_april_cata_canada_dtp4.indd 24-25 3/1/12 11:23 AM Products In-Depth. Products In-Depth.

Massive Storage, Virtualization Gets

Small Footprint. Quick and Easy. By Howard Baldwin

Find out what’s inside the new Dell DR4000 backup appliance. Dell’s vStart 50 makes virtualizing servers simple, smart and fast.

Catalyst spoke with Abhijit Dinkar, storage development engineering director at Dell, about the Dell DR4000 backup appliance. The product One of the key metrics in IT these days is time-to-value. The faster comparable servers targeting SMBs from other vendors. “The vStart 50 is developed with intellectual property gained from Dell’s acquisition of storage vendor Ocarina Networks, and leverages advanced data you can get technology up and running, the sooner you can start is simple, smart and fast,” says Mayorga. “We designed it to be more deduplication and compression technologies. deriving value from it. This is especially true for a small or midsized reliable and faster to deploy than anything our competition can provide.” company that doesn’t have the IT resources available to buy, load, Catalyst: Why will IT managers want to know about the DR4000? Catalyst: Can the DR4000 integrate with existing environments? configure and virtualize servers as fast as the business needs them. Silicon Valley-based freelancer Howard Baldwin has been writing about business That’s where the Dell vStart 50™ virtualization appliance comes and technology since 1987. Dinkar: DR4000 is a storage appliance optimized for storing backups in Dinkar: Absolutely. DR4000 supports industry-standard protocols such in. The latest member of the vStart family is designed to serve the ™ the data center. To an IT manager, it is important to back up critical data as NFS, CIFS and Symantec OpenStorage, which allows it to integrate needs of small and midsize businesses; the vStart 100 and vStart as quickly as possible and be able to recover it swiftly when necessary. seamlessly into existing environments. IT managers can replace 200 servers for larger enterprises were released early in 2011. The DR4000 has one of the fastest data transfer throughputs in its class. their existing backup product with a DR4000 without changing product brings the sensibility of appliances to servers—everything is DR4000 deploys state-of-the-art storage reduction techniques, allowing any data protection workflows or policies. DR4000 is certified to in one box, preloaded, precabled and pretested. “It’s a turnkey solution,” it to store massive amounts of data on fewer hard disks. DR4000 is also work with industry-leading backup applications and supports all key says José Mayorga, worldwide enterprise product manager involved Simplified Administration Included designed for completely hands-off administration—once deployed, the features required for a comprehensive data protection strategy. in vStart development at Dell. “It’s racked, cabled, labeled and tested, ™ system protects itself from most common types of hardware failures and it comes with Dell technicians to get it up and running.” The Dell vStart 50 is designed for easy management. and notifies the IT manager when any maintenance is required. Catalyst: If you were an IT or business decision maker, why would The cumulative time savings of the vStart 50 compared to a traditional It comes with the Dell Management Plug-in for the ® ® you consider the DR4000? server depends on the expertise within any given company, says vCenter virtualization management tool from VMware . Catalyst: How does the Dell DR4000 implement Ocarina technology Dinkar: DR4000 brings down the total cost of ownership (TCO) Mayorga. “Networking, virtualization and storage each require a different The plug-in allows administrators to: to deliver additional capabilities? significantly compared to tape or homegrown disk-based solutions. set of skills.” Installation could take even longer if a business ordered • Set thresholds on the system alerts from important Dinkar: DR4000 is another manifestation of Dell’s effort to integrate The ease of deployment and management potentially helps a servers from one company, storage from another and switches from to most important to your environment the leading deduplication and compression technology acquired business’ bottom line by reducing expensive engagement with a third. “If there’s a problem, who do you call?” asks Mayorga. 24-hour from Ocarina Networks. DR4000 features a high-speed, in-line specialized IT administrators. Dell ProSupport™ with Next Business Day On-site Service after Remote • Track installed system components, such as BIOS engine that deduplicates and compresses data during ingest and DR4000’s advanced data protection features ensure that the Diagnosis is included, with four-hour mission-critical response time* and firmware, along with warranty information on hence reduces the amount of storage needed to store backups. data is retained reliably. Customers interested in an off-site disaster available as an option. those components DR4000 is designed to easily integrate with other future Dell recovery solution will find optimized replication—a feature available in Overall, however, it’s also designed to be more reliable. For instance, • Perform firmware updates inside vCenter. products with built-in deduplication. DR4000—very attractive. This feature can be used to maintain a replica the vStart 50 includes four network switches rather than two. It also of all data on one DR4000 on a second DR4000 at a remote site. offers more memory and storage capacity than

“It’s racked, cabled, labeled and tested, and it comes with Dell technicians to get it up and running.” - José Mayorga, Worldwide Enterprise Product Manager, Dell

*Availability and terms of Dell Services vary by region. For more information, 26 Catalyst visit www.dell.ca/servicecontracts or contact your sales representative. Catalyst 27

84683_us_smb_fy13q1_cdm_april_cata_canada_dtp4.indd 26-27 3/1/12 11:23 AM Products In-Depth. Products In-Depth.

Massive Storage, Virtualization Gets

Small Footprint. Quick and Easy. By Howard Baldwin

Find out what’s inside the new Dell DR4000 backup appliance. Dell’s vStart 50 makes virtualizing servers simple, smart and fast.

“It’s racked, cabled, labeled and tested, and it comes with Dell technicians to get it up and running.” - José Mayorga, Worldwide Enterprise Product Manager, Dell

*Availability and terms of Dell Services vary by region. For more information, 26 Catalyst visit www.dell.ca/servicecontracts or contact your sales representative. Catalyst 27

84683_us_smb_fy13q1_cdm_april_cata_canada_dtp4.indd 26-27 3/1/12 11:23 AM Product Reviews. News. Region: Americas

Read what industry experts, leaders and test labs are saying about Dell products, solutions and services. United States Inaugural Dell World concentrates on customers In October, more than 2,500 industry leaders and IT professionals attended the inaugural customer event Dell World 2011, Dell’s first large-scale U.S. event in more than a decade in Austin, Texas. Founder Michael Dell spoke about the importance of IT in business success and stressed Dell’s role as a solutions and services provider. Attendees were able to interact in sessions including idea exchanges with peers and industry experts; immersive, hands-on technology explorations; and intimate discussions about their most pressing IT concerns. The conference also employed a social media app that allowed attendees to give real-time feedback during presentations and trade contact information with one another. Register for online access to keynotes and sessions: dellworld.social27.com

United States and Panama MD36X0f offers Small but powerful PowerEdge R310 YouthConnect expanded to U.S. and Panama The U.S. is now the 10th country, following Panama, where Dell is partnering with nonprofit storage for real- PowerConnect is well engineered organizations to give students in underserved areas access to the latest technology and learning opportunities. Dell YouthConnect is investing $3 million to work with 24 nonprofit world applications 8024F switch for entry level educational organizations in the U.S. The Dell PowerVault™ MD36X0f modular Equipped with 20 SFP+ ports and four At a price tag similar to that of a decent data storage system touts balanced mixed dual-media ports supporting multiple desktop, the Dell PowerEdge™ R310 server ™ workload performance through application- connections, Dell’s PowerConnect 8024F is an entry-level solution, catering to aware management tools. Utilizing a 6Gbps 10Gbps switch is best suited as a high-end businesses of modest means. The R310 is SAS interface for back-end connection and server consolidation switch or as a Layer 3 highly customizable, and with up to 32GB an 8Gbps Fibre Channel host-attached core for smaller data centers. The 8024F of DDR3 memory, is capable of handling option that accommodates high-availability also offers LACP link aggregation of up to most small-business needs. Despite the low Global application requirements, the MD36X0f 8 ports, supports 4,000 VLANs and 32,000 baseline price, the R310 is as well engineered is ideally suited for consolidation and MAC addresses, includes auto-MDI/MDIX, as the higher-end PowerEdge servers. Dell boosts energy efficiency virtualization in midrange environments and and many of the other specs IT managers The server does make some compromises, Dell’s 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report highlighted the progress the company is making in remote office locations. have come to expect from a 10Gbps switch. most notably its single processor socket. creating energy-efficient products. Server performance per watt has improved by 31 times over the past five years; Dell laptops and desktops consume 25% less energy than in 2008; and customers Enterprise Strategy Group Lab confirmed the For the full review: Nonetheless, the socket is capable of taking ® ® have saved nearly $6 billion through Energy Smart products since 2005. The company also made system’s performance and scalability for a mix http://review.techworld.com/ a range of quad-core Intel Xeon 3400 strides in packaging and recyclable materials. Dell does note that as part of its IT solutions strategy, ® sme/3214243/dell-powerconnect- processors. The standard model comes with of applications, including those for Microsoft it will consume more energy itself than it has in recent years. This is part of an overall plan to host ® 8024f-review/ 16GB of ECC-protected memory, which can and Oracle . From an application perspective, customer data and help customers save energy while conserving total resources. In 2010, Dell was be upgraded to 32GB. the MD36X0f application-aware plug-ins can named Newsweek magazine’s Greenest Company in America. provision and manage data and storage. For the full review: For the full review: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/reviews/sme- www.enterprisestrategygroup.com/2011/06/ servers/2011/01/07/dell-poweredge- Global dell-powervault-md36x0f-series-mixed- r310-40091349/ workload-performance-with-application- Online partner Demo Center aware-data-management/ Last May, Dell launched PartnerDirect 2.0, expanding its partner program into three tiers and offering enhanced incentives and benefits to partners who achieved higher status in the program. One of the latest benefits to Premier Partners is the remote demonstrations platform at demos.dell.com. The Demo Center provides anytime, anywhere access to a suite of hosted demos. Once they have received their account details, Premier Partners can schedule demos through the Demo Center at any time without need for advance notice.

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