Internet of Things

Propelling Human Progress: Sensors, Processors Are Jet Engines, Data Is Fuel

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Yesterday in New York City, Dell celebrated IQT Day, exploring how the Internet of Things (IoT) is making things smarter (IQ – get it?), and Dell’s role in the digitization of everything. If you weren’t able to tune in (replay), here’s my big takeaways from the day.

jet airplane

You really can’t overstate the impact IoT will have on our world, starting now.

Michael Dell reinforced that absolutely every object will soon be streamlining data, creating a second version of our physical world that is virtual, connected and can be analyzed, manipulated and managed… but only if we turn that data into actionable information, into intelligence. Organizations that do that are the ones who’ll disrupt their markets, best serve their customers and edge out their competition.

Michael said sensors and processors are the jet engines propelling human potential, and data is the jet fuel. He’s right. Take AeroFarms. They’re using the Internet of Things to transform crop productivity, using less water, reducing waste in the supply chain and ultimately getting more fresh food onto our plates. Taken more broadly, think of the impact this kind of innovation can have on hunger, nutrition, food deserts, water use… the ripple effect goes on and on.

So how do we make all this happen? For Dell’s part, we announced our new IoT division. This division is the best example, to date, of the Dell Technologies value proposition to customers. It spans Dell Technologies to create complete IoT solutions – from the edge to the core to the cloud – that just work for customers. We’ve asked Ray O’Farrell to lead it, and I’m happy to be serving as the executive sponsor.

Ray O'Farrell speaking at Dell IQT Day event

We also talked about the hardware (from PowerEdge servers to Edge Gateways), software (including VMWare IoT Pulse for securing and managing the edge) and partner programs we’ve established to help customers implement and make IoT real. It was a busy day and this is just the beginning.

All in, we’re making a $1 billion investment into IoT; we believe the opportunity it presents for organizations of all sizes is far bigger than that. You’ll be hearing more from us in this space. Stay tuned.

About the Author: Jeff Clarke

Jeff Clarke is vice chairman and chief operating officer for Dell Technologies responsible for running day-to-day business operations, shaping the company’s strategic agenda and setting priorities across the Dell Technologies executive leadership team. Jeff directs the Services, Infrastructure Solutions Group and the Client Solutions Group, and manages Global Operations including manufacturing, procurement and supply chain. Jeff is also responsible for setting the long-term strategy and leads planning for technology areas such as AI, Multicloud, Edge and Telecom. Jeff joined Dell Technologies in 1987 as a quality engineer. Since then, his remit has grown to lead the company’s biggest transformations that resulted in Dell Technologies No.1 worldwide share positions in many of its core infrastructure and PC products. He’s also passionate about Dell’s social impact agenda and plays an active role in advancing Dell’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, employee resource groups and 2030 moonshot goals. Prior to joining Dell Technologies, Jeff served as a reliability and product engineer at Motorola, Inc. He serves on the College of Engineering Advisory Council for his alma mater, the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1986.