Dell VMware EVO:RAIL solutions: fast, easy, scalable virtual infrastructure and VDI

Last week, IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Client Device Tracker for the first quarter of 2015 once again ranked Dell in the #1 position for thin and terminal clients worldwide with 29.7 percent market share, up 2.5 percent from Q4 2014. We’re seeing a lot of momentum with companies of all sizes adopting VDI solutions. Today, we’re announcing the general availability of Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL Horizon Edition, as well as new updates to Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL. Today’s announcement is a reflection of our strong partnership with VMware and our joint commitment to providing customers with simple yet powerful cloud and virtual infrastructure solutions to help future-proof their IT environments and organizations.

The Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL Horizon Edition (HE), available for purchase today,  is the first hyper-converged end-to-end virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) appliance for VMware EVO:RAIL. This adds an important and powerful component to our fast-growing appliance-based VDI portfolio. Our VDI appliances make it simpler than ever to plan, deploy and run virtual desktops by bundling all the necessary components for VDI from the servers, to the endpoints, to support and services. We offer various “flavors” of these appliances to ensure we’re addressing our customers’ exact needs – whether they’re an up-and-coming startup with a fast-growing workforce, an industrial engineering firm with heavy graphic and collaboration needs, or a growing multinational corporation looking for VDI that will scale with them.

We’re also announcing updates to Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL Infrastructure Edition. Version 1.2 is the first update since the Dell EVO:RAIL solution was introduced last August. It offers an enhanced user experience, as well as greater capacity for future growth. The new maximum scalability for a single cluster of these appliances is now eight, up from four in the initial version, with each appliance designed for approximately 100 general purpose virtual machines (VMs). Since each appliance contains four server nodes, the new maximum cluster size is increased from 16 to 32 nodes, supporting approximately 800 general purpose VMs. These new features allow our customers to spend their time thinking about growing their business knowing that their infrastructure will grow with them.

Earlier this month, VMware introduced the VMware EVO:RAIL vSphere Loyalty Program (VLP), which allows customers with a minimum of eight CPU vSphere licenses to apply them to the purchase of Dell Engineered Solutions for VMware EVO:RAIL, reducing the overall cost by up to 30 percent. This preserves the existing investment in VMware software while reducing the overall cost of an appliance purchase. Customers with OEM, Enterprise Licensing Agreements (ELAs) or other channel resell product are eligible for the program. VMware has a full FAQ on their site.

We believe our success stems from our commitment to listening to our customers, and tirelessly working to address their needs by continuously making our virtualization portfolio more powerful, easier to use, and tailored to the needs of our customers.

About the Author: Jeff McNaught

Jeff McNaught is the Vice President of Marketing at Dell Cloud Client- Computing. Jeff is widely considered the most quoted spokesperson for cloud client-computing in the world. With the experience of hundreds of speaking engagements, articles and press interviews, he is considered an authority on the topics of green IT, cybersecurity, mobility, desktop virtualization and cloud computing. He joined Dell in 2012 as part of the Wyse acquisition and now leads end-to-end desktop virtualization marketing and strategy efforts with his talented team. Jeff joined Wyse in 1987 as an engineer, then led various strategy, development, marketing and general management roles where his most notable achievement was co-inventing and spearheading the development of the award-winning Wyse thin clients, now with tens of millions of units in use worldwide. He lives in El Dorado Hills, Calif., and earned his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.