We’ve said for a long time that the future of the data center is Open and software-defined, and we’re bringing that future to life. Our focus on transformative technologies such as software-defined networking and network functions virtualization (NFV) are driving proprietary, costly and complex networking paradigms further into the past.
To help accelerate this historic shift, we are increasing our focus on NFV and the global telecommunications market through creation of a strategic relationship with Alcatel-Lucent, intended to bring new levels of innovation to network operations. The agreement establishes a joint reseller and OEM agreement between the two companies. Under the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will embed and resell Dell server, switch and storage solutions as part of its integrated offers, giving Dell better access to the carrier market. Dell is collaborating with Alcatel-Lucent to design in features to optimize application performance and enable innovative ways to address new markets as virtualization expands to service provider networks.
Dell will also offer select Alcatel-Lucent IP routing, optical and Nuage Networks SDN solutions, including Alcatel-Lucent’s virtualized routing software solutions.
Beyond the reseller/OEM agreements, we will work together with Alcatel-Lucent to develop joint carrier NFV and enterprise SDN solutions leveraging our respective areas of strength and innovation. Carrier NFV solutions will comprise Alcatel-Lucent Virtual Network Functions and CloudBand orchestration software along with Dell’s NFV platform consisting of converged server, storage and networking. The enterprise SDN solutions will combine our software-defined data center infrastructure solutions with Alcatel-Lucent’s Nuage SDN solutions. With these new solutions Dell will expand its ability to deliver next-generation software-defined data center and hybrid cloud solutions.
This partnership leverages the complementary nature of both companies’ products and opens up new opportunities to develop powerful new solutions and build stronger ecosystems.
The transformation to a software-defined data center is going to keep picking up steam. Working with Alcatel-Lucent we increase our ability to help enterprise customers and carriers be a part of it so they can reap the benefits of technology that is easier to deploy and operate, more cost efficient, improves their time to service delivery, and enables them to innovate more—and faster.
Today is just the beginning; we look forward to sharing more about this partnership as it progresses. Be sure to tell us about your software-defined journey by reaching out on Twitter. You can find us at @DellNetworking and @DellTelecom. And come meet us in person at Dell World this October. We’d love to hear from you.