Dell at CeBIT 2011

CeBIT 2011I was excited and pleased to hear PH Ferrand speak at CeBIT. Our goal for our participation at CeBIT is for all visitors to walk away from the event recognizing that technology and how it is used is changing, and that Dell will provide the right solutions and services to meet customer needs. This was very clearly represented by the incredible booth we had with interactive demos, and all the speeches that were delivered by the team throughout the week. See photos below.

PH Ferrand, CMO of the Consumer Small and Medium Business, spoke to the audience – more than 350 listeners – at CeBIT about how Entertainment, Mobility and Social Media are driving dramatic changes and leading to the Consumerization of IT in businesses of all sizes. He explained how we are now reaching the point where new entrants into the workforce have never lived in a world without the internet, and so they are more demanding of technology, and have grown up using it as part of their daily lives.  In other words – we've reached a generation where people expect to use social media at work, and expect that particular devices will be available to them.

This of course, creates a big question for businesses. How do businesses evolve? How do businesses adapt to accept all types of devices, utilize social media, deliver virtual workplaces and provide security of sensitive company data?

He talked about how Dell is responding to this challenge. Considering these trends, companies like Dell must do more than react. We need to be visionary and stay ahead of the trends. Consumerization will become as much of a business decision as a technology decision for our customers.

PH outlined how Gartner has said "consumerization" is the single trend that will make the largest impact on IT during this decade. Another recent study claims 95 percent of employees say they already are using at least one self-purchased device at work. The lines between home and work have essentially blurred. Companies need to start thinking about whether their IT and business policies are reflective of the current environment in which workers today are already operating.

Eco-systems for business must now begin to manage all types of devices and operating systems from Android to Microsoft. Dell is well positioned by heavily investing in an open-standards approach and providing services and solutions that support our customers' needs regardless of operating system or device. 

PH asked if the landscape is changing, what is Dell doing to help customers seize this opportunity?

Dell's growing mobility business was built around the notion that people want personalized devices to do their jobs, connect with family and friends, and be entertained. Gartner is predicting that people will very soon customize 90 percent of the information, tools, education, and technological resources they use for both work and at home for leisure and entertainment.

He outlined how we are helping business customers embrace change by offering advice, solutions like systems management and desktop virtualization, and services so companies can give employees the experience they want, while achieving business goals, and without compromising precious company data. In other words, Dell is developing products, solutions and services to meet the changing needs of businesses today.

There was a great reaction when he introduced the audience to some of the latest products that Dell has developed: the Streak 7, the Inspiron Duo, and the Venue Pro Windows Phone 7-based smartphone, which we had just launched in Germany so went down a storm!

The real takeaway from the audience was that it's an exciting time to be in the technology industry and they can't wait to see what's next. I have to agree!

Dell's Paul Henri Ferrand

You can see a video of PH's keynote from the Cebit livestream of the day. PH comes on stage at 42.54 minutes, so you will need to forward to that point in the video (or you can click on the Keynote: Paul Henri Ferrand link from that page to jump right to it). Photos can be found on Flickr and PH's slides on slideshare.

(Please visit the site to view this video)

About the Author: Michael Rufer