4 transformations that can future proof your organization

A number of transformational technologies are taking root, and advances are arriving faster than most organizations can keep up with. Many businesses aren’t prepared for the future that artificial intelligence (AI), 5G networks, Wi-Fi 6, cloud computing, and other technologies are influencing. How can organizations prepare for a future we don’t even know yet?

The Dell Technologies World 2019 theme of “Real Transformation” attempted to answer that question. Preparing for the future doesn’t mean gazing into a crystal ball. It means investing in technology that won’t be obsolete in six months, which is how long many companies can guarantee their solutions and hardware for, and becoming nimble enough to continually transform along advances in technology.

Backed by workshops, trainings, and new products like Dell Technologies Cloud, Dell Technologies World 2019 illustrated how companies can future proof their business by reinventing four aspects of it.

From edge to core to cloud

The first step to future proofing is understanding it’s not an isolated activity. Focusing on security but forgetting about your workforce doesn’t lead to success.

Dell Technologies World 2019 put this idea on display by showcasing not only the manufacturer’s seven businesses, including VMware, RSA Security, and Virtustream, but also its partners like Microsoft. Together, those companies and partners create a portfolio addressing business needs, end to end.

Each had a booth at the conference’s solutions expo, where customers, partners, and distributors learned how the companies worked together to provide a comprehensive portfolio from 5G to AI to cloud. This new format allowed us to learn more about the entire ecosystem and see what transformation and future proofing actually look like.

Transforming your business in four key areas

To achieve real transformation, Dell Technologies World 2019 broke the requirements into four buckets, releasing products that aligned with each. By transforming your company in all these areas, Dell Technologies surmises, you can create an end-to-end environment that will continue to realize your business’s goals despite the rapid pace of change.

1. Digital Transformation is fueled by data: How can you use software to mine actionable insights from the data you collect and then act on those findings? It’s the big bucket into which the other buckets fit and conveys the idea that the only way to truly future proof a business is to embrace continuous transformation.

2. Workforce Transformation is about delivering the right devices and technologies to your workforce to maximize productivity. This involves deploying, managing, and supporting user devices.

In that vein, Dell Technologies released Unified Workspace on the first day of the conference. The solution incorporates Dell hardware, VMware Workspace One, and SecureWorks. It helps address companies’ concerns about tracking PCs, evaluating life cycles, and maintaining security, so their employees can maximize their productivity.

3. IT Transformation requires companies to modernize infrastructure and platforms, increasing speed while lowering risk.

Dell Technologies Cloud, announced at the conference, makes that possible. We’d been hearing and hypothesizing about the solution for a long time, and now it’s finally here. It’s a data center-as-a-service offering, and it isn’t meant to compete directly with Azure and AWS — it provides flexibility around cloud infrastructure and enables organizations to find the right home for each workload. Dell Technologies Cloud works on-prem, in the cloud, wherever you need it to.

4. Security Transformation helps organizations to better manage risk and empowers them to develop in other transformation areas more securely. Security threats will continue to evolve, and businesses should prepare for future attack vectors now.

A product that piqued our interest in this area was the PowerProtect Software X400 Appliance, which is an enterprise-grade backup solution tied to VMware. You can have a hybrid or All Flash solution, which provides high performance and low latency.

This is one product we were hoping to learn more about, especially as it relates to Integrated Data Protection Appliances (IDPAs). We know a lot of companies using IDPA, and they want to know how PowerProtect will fit into the IDPA roadmap. Right now, PowerProtect isn’t replacing IDPA, it’s adding to the line.

Future proofing requires true transformation

From hands-on training and certifications to discovering new technologies, Dell Technologies World 2019 got us thinking about everything it takes to future proof an organization. The conference provided a high-level roadmap to real transformation, and everything that it includes, from hardware, software, and solutions to strong partnerships with companies like Microsoft, Intel, and even SHI — Dell awarded us Transformational Partner of the Year and its President’s Circle Award at the show.

But each organization has different needs and different goals. It needs to approach transformation and future proofing in its own way. Contact your SHI account executive to talk through how to get started.

Simeon Kezengwa contributed to this post.