DELL COMMUNITY

Adamo XPS: Thin, Elegant and More

DELL-Mike S — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:30:00 GMT

You might have seen some of the online buzz about the Adamo XPS on sites like Gizmodo, CNET and Engadget since our recent announcement. I wanted to take moment and provide some insight into this addition to our Adamo product line-up. Like Lionel mentioned, the Adamo brand has always been about providing cutting-edge innovation, premium design, craftsmanship, and luxury to the high-end consumer. This started with the original Adamo Thirteen which utilized authentic materials throughout including an aluminum frame and glass display assembled with Swiss watch-like craftsmanship. With the original Adamo, we worked to deliver this at a mere 16.4mm high and that helped make it the world's thinnest laptop at the time.

We wanted to build on that. That's why we decided to take some of the knowledge gained during the Adamo Thirteen development and push it even further. The result is the Adamo XPS a laptop that is 9.99mm. To give you an idea of how thin 9.99mm is, most cell phones today are thicker. The current iPhone is 12.3mm thick and a common USB port, found on most computers these days, is 7.5mm.

To arrive at a product this thin, we had to really start from the ground up. The traditional 'clamshell' laptop design just would not work. Over lots of late nights brainstorming, sketching, and prototyping we finally arrived our unique hinge design which results in an angled keyboard that is similar to a traditional desktop keyboard.

This angled keyboard allows for more efficient cooling, improved acoustics, and most importantly it folds into the display essentially disappearing when the laptop is closed. When you want to open the system again just swipe your finger across the cover and the keyboard pops open. Very cool and very James Bond! I've seen that GottaBeMobile.com mentioned that the latch does require power to open, which is true. If you find yourself needing to open the system for some reason without power (or if there's a technical issue with the battery and AC adapter), we've provided an override tool that does the trick. We've also included a 'hot swap' feature that allows you to switch batteries while in sleep mode without turning off your system.

The engineering team needed to be really creative in order to maintain the 9.99mm height. Lessons learned from Adamo Thirteen included unique mounts that allowed us to remove the metal casing surrounding the Solid State Drive. The team also split the motherboard into multiple pieces to allow the other components to be in the same plane. That is, in a traditional laptop the motherboard sits at the bottom, the keyboards and other component sits on top. All of this was too tall for the Adamo XPS so we effectively put the keyboard, and other components at the same level as the motherboard to minimize height. The team also needed to relocate the I/O ports (USBx2, audio, Display Port, and power) to the LCD since the palm rest was thinner than the ports.

Beyond making it thin, we didn't want to compromise on hardware. It sports a Core 2 Duo 1.4GHz ULV processor, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 128GB SSD drive and a slick 13.4 inch HD display. If you want to see more photos, Brian Solis posted some good ones on his blog, or you can check out the Adamo XPS set on Dell's Flickr page.

With its ultrathin yet sturdy design, aluminum enclosure, diamond cut logos, metal keycaps, and wing-inspired design accents we set out to make the Adamo XPS simply breathtaking. A lot of effort went into designing the next product under the Adamo brand. We hope you like the Adamo XPS.

Curriki: From HyperStack to HyperLearning

DELL-Bri B — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Joshua Marks has focused his 20-year-long career on using emerging technologies to enable and improve learning opportunities for all children in both formal and informal settings. As Chief Technology Officer, Joshua oversees all technology development and hosting infrastructure for Curriki.org.

Not many people remember The Manhole or Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond The Mackerel as they were very early CD-ROM games and the first from Cyan Worlds, who went on to make the blockbuster game Myst. The Manhole actually pre-dated the CD-ROM and was packed with several floppy disks in its first version. I still have a really cool special edition Osmo with a holographic Osmo world on the CD jewel case. What fewer still know is that Myst, like Osmo and The Manhole before it, were created using a nifty program by Bill Atkinson for the original Macintosh computer called HyperCard. HyperCard gave the world, and educators in particular, the promise of the concept of Hypertext and HyperMedia even before the advent of the World Wide Web. HyperCard was like a “gateway drug” for many future game designers and developers, and an early example of the promise of making tools for average people to create interactive media and hypertext-based content.

HyperCard, when released in 1987, was quickly adopted by educators because its graphical drag-and-drop and intuitive “Index Card” metaphor-based user interface enabled them to easily make simple quizzes and interactive lessons that allowed kids to explore concepts in a more engaging, multi-sensory and self-directed way. Much like the Public Domain shareware libraries of Basic programs I talked about in my last post, HyperCard once again enabled a group of innovative people, now without an interest in learning a programming language, to create and share interactive learning resources. These shared HyperCard games and activities become known as “Stackware.”

Some of these Stackware programs were enhanced and commercially published. Perhaps the best ever, besides Osmo and Myst, was the Voyager iterative exploration of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (which you can’t find anywhere but would make a killer interactive DVD with its detailed movement-by-movement analysis of that amazing work. Here’s a demo.). Sadly, HyperCard was officially discontinued in 2004 after years of neglect and now most of that creativity has been lost to history. But the lesson remains that if you provide innovative teachers a tool that is easy enough to use and understand, they will create really useful stuff and share it. That is what we are trying to do at Curriki, and in a way that will never be able to be discontinued.

As we continue to evolve Curriki, we seek to enable and inspire creativity and sharing. We, like HyperCard, are thinking beyond the “book” metaphor and into the world of hyper-connected hyper-media. What is new about Curriki is the collaborative way we seek to have end users create, mix, remix and improve the content. It is no longer about an author creating a work for a large or even mass audience; it is about the massed creating and sharing with the masses (or communities of practice with themselves). While Apple first used the “desktop” metaphor, and HyperCard used the “index card” metaphor, Curriki is lacking that single concept, idea or picture that serves as the organizing principle to bring all of the pieces of Curriki together: the communities of practice and peer review, the collaborative editing and remixing, the multitude of content and media types, the interactivity, and the idea of a shared library we can all add to.

Please add your comments on what metaphor you believe best encapsulates the ideas, purpose and experience of Curriki. Is it a “garden,” or a “library” or “rock soup,” or…???

Joshua Marks
Chief Technology Office
www.curriki.org

The Clipper Group: Simplifying the SMB IT Experience

DELL-Antonio J — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:45:00 GMT

Today I would like to share the following article, Dell Expands the Data Center Options, which discusses the importance of simplifying the SMB IT experience. SMB datacenters have the same requirements from large data centers to remove complexity and make simple the IT process. This article does a great job presenting how well Dell is working to address these requirements from a SMB perspective. SMBs need to improve efficiency with more flexible and agile data center requirements, while controlling the costs. With our newest enterprise offerings – servers, storage, software and services we are working to deploy to our customers the infrastructure solutions that match the SMB data center requirements.

You can check out the article on The Clipper Groups's site.

Authored by Paul Tumarkin: Over 230 Organizations Send a Clear Message: We Need to Integrate 21st Century Skills into Content

DELL-Bri B — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:39:00 GMT

Along with being a father, guitarist, student of aikido, and dog-lover, Paul Tumarkin serves as the Communications Director for the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education.

In June, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) hosted the first National Summit on 21st Century Skills in Washington, D.C. focused on the critical need to combine rigorous core subjects with skills such as critical thinking, communication, innovation and creativity. Over 350 policy-makers, education leaders and business professionals joined in the discussion. In addition, the Partnership held an online Cyber Summit that drew over 3,000 participants. Those events were not endings but beginnings.

Based on feedback received from the national, state and local participants, the Partnership put forth a set of guiding principles to clearly define and advance the teaching of 21st century skills and core content. The National Action Agenda on 21st Century Skills was launched on October 9, 2009. You can read the principles on the P21 website here. The effort was widely supported by over 230 organizations – including Dell, the National School Boards Association, Upper Arlington City (Ohio) School District, Community Unit School District #200 (Ill.), National Staff Development Council, Catalina Foothills (Ariz.) Unified School District #16, National Association of State Boards of Education, Norfolk (Va.) Public School District and many others.

Certainly, discussions continue, but the message is clear from all sectors of U.S. society: our education policies, practices and strategies need to change to effectively prepare our children for the world that awaits them.

According to Ken Kay, President of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, “The fact that so many schools, districts and state departments of education have signed demonstrates that the 21st century skills movement is gaining momentum in our communities and that we are closer to providing a world-class education for every child.”

So where will the movement go next? As we head to an eventual reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the 21st century skills movement will have a voice in the process. The Partnership will engage with the Obama administration and state and local leaders to ensure education policy is on the right track.

Still, a movement is only as good as its supporters – we need your voice! So, subscribe to blogs like this one or the P21 e-newsletter or Twitter. How about writing your own blog or--even better--a letter to the leaders in your state?

Whatever you do, be heard. Be a part of change.

Dell Repository Manager Demos

DELL-Scott H — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:16:00 GMT

I'm a big believer in simple tools with flexibility to create solutions for your needs.

As a technical person I find nothing more satisfying than hacking a piece of code to create a unique solution.

Dell Repository Manager allows you to create custom repositories that contain the Dell Update Packages (DUPs) which are then exported to either an ISO file of a lightweight deployment script for Windows or Linux.

I've created two demos that show both. The first one is an overview of the product and shows exporting to lightweight script for use in Windows.

In the second demo I hack on one of the files to automate the deployment after exporting the ISO and mounting across multiple blades in the chassis. The changes to the script eliminate the user input and also reboot the blades if the updates were successful. The nice thing is it is a simple shell script you can edit. If you are familiar with simple scripting I'm sure you'll find yourself building more intelligence into the code. I've also included details on editing the script used by Repository Manager to automate the execution and reboot after completion.

Watch the demos here.

Betfair Places its Odds on Dell With Windows 7

DELL-Kathy B — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:02:00 GMT

Last week we experienced one of the most significant and exciting launches from Microsoft… the release of Windows 7! As part of the Microsoft Technology Adoption Program (TAP), Dell consultants worked with a number of customers during their testing and implementation of both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

At Betfair – home of the world’s biggest betting community – robust IT is crucial. Staff at the firm process six million transactions every day; that’s more than the combined total of the European stock markets. Security and high availability are paramount, as are energy efficiency and ease of maintenance.

When the IT team replicated a standard workflow across various operating systems, they saw a 20 percent performance increase with Windows 7. This improved performance will boost staff productivity, as well as increase the time the IT team has for value-added work. New features of Windows 7, including BitLocker and AppLocker will improve security. With staff queuing for upgrades, the end-user benefits are clear. Eighty percent of Betfair’s staff in Europe will be using Windows 7 within the next month.

Ian Burgess, Head of Microsoft and Datacentre Platforms, Betfair says: “We have a list of tickets in our support system from people requesting Windows 7. It’s faster, easier to use and has lots of features that produce a more polished, seamless user experience.”

Betfair has also significantly reduced energy consumption. For example, Windows Server 2008 R2 takes advantage of the energy saving features of Dell PowerEdge servers and Intel technology. Hyper-V will also help to achieve efficiency and simplify management. Burgess says: “One of our Hyper-V clusters has four nodes with capacity to spare, whereas before there were seven nodes at full capacity. That equates to a massive energy saving across our datacentres. We’ve achieved this through the combined features of the PowerEdge R610 servers, and Windows Server 2008 R2.”

So whether your main motivation is the safety of your mission critical data, energy efficiency or the time your IT team spends managing your client estate, read on for an idea of how Dell can support you. If you're interested in more information your company's migration to the Windows 7 environment, take a look at IT Expert Voice, where best practices and news related to Windows 7 in the enterprise is discussed.

ATI CrossFireX – Dual 1GB ATI Radeon Mobility HD 4870 with GDDR3 memory

DELL-John B — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:01:00 GMT

A few days ago I ran across an interesting thread on notebookreview.com, where Alienware customers noted some confusion regarding the graphics memory on the ATI HD 4870 in the Alienware M17x. Some folks were reporting that their invoices listed the memory as GDDR5 instead of GDDR3, and were wondering which memory was actually on the card.

Just to clear up any remaining confusion, the card definitely has GDDR3, *not* GDDR5. While we’ve taken steps to correct the invoicing error, I hit up some folks from our engineering team to provide more detailed information on the subject.

The Alienware engineering team evaluated both GDDR5 and GDDR3 with the 4870 card. Because of specific design constraints associated with notebooks and the 4870, they found that the GDDR3 memory provided the better overall user experience for gamers. There are no current plans to offer GDDR5 in combination with a 4870 in the M17x.

Alienware will honor full refund requests for customers with incorrect invoices. I do recommend testing the cards for yourself before opting to return your M17x, though. I think you may be pleased with the results

Virtualization Déjà Vu

Dell-Jennifer G — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:15:00 GMT

I remember riding in the car which a bunch of teenagers a few months ago when the Seether song “Careless Whisper” came on the radio. They loved it - so edgy, such a great sound. Ugh, really? Had they never heard of Wham? George Michael? I’d like to forget the 80s sometimes, too, but please. How could those kids think that song was an original? Don’t even get me started about Limp Bizkit covering “Faith” … blasphemy.

It happens in music, and it happens in IT -- and it appears to have happened this week.

The recent VCE announcement from Cisco, EMC and VMware sounds very familiar, a lot like the Business-Ready Configurations for Virtualization (also known as vPOD) Dell’s been doing all year.

Their “IT flexibility and lowering the cost of computing” message – yeah, doing that since March. If the popular saying “imitation is the best form of flattery” held true, these three companies would have also leveraged Dell’s passion for customer choice. But they didn’t. Instead, they seem to be focused on locking customers into a proprietary stack of technology. Customers don’t like that. That kind of situation could easily turn into a couple of million dollars.

Fortunately, Cadence Design Systems will never have to worry about that. Check out how they used Business-Ready Configurations to save about $2.7 million in physical-hardware cost. Using Dell’s run books Cadence expects to double the speed at which they deploy VMs to roughly 200 per month.

As we continue to integrate existing and new partners into the configs (EMC, Brocade, Juniper, Scalent), customers will find it even easier to deploy a customized, virtual environment start to finish.

Where is Milli Vanilli these days, anyway?

Keep Your Photos Coming!

DELL-Bri B — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:23:00 GMT

It’s been two weeks since we launched the Where Do You Like to Learn student photography competition. We have already received some absolutely stunning photos and I invite you to check out the Flickr set of the entries so far.

As you can see from the pictures below, students enjoy learning in places that inspire them, and sometimes that is outside the classroom walls.

LeighV

C-DS

JovanaS

Show us where you like to learn! There are two weeks lefts to enter the competition for the student’s chance to win a Latitude 2100 netbook and a tablet PC and projector for their classroom.

Don’t forget to check back on November 20, 2009, when we will announce the top 10 finalists and you to vote for your favorite. (By the way, you’ll be entered to win a Latitude 2100 just for stopping by and voting.)

Top 10 Enterprise Features in Windows 7, and what it means to Channel Partners

DELL-Jeff J — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:38:11 GMT

I saw this article in Dell Power Solutions Magazine, and had to cut and paste it here. What we keep telling Channel Partners is that the opportunity doesn't just end with Windows 7. An implementation of a new OS gets you viability into the enterprise, and can lead to remote backup, Exchange migration/upgrade, security, storage or even data center refresh engagements. Look for more articles here to take this idea further.

Desktop operating systems are geared toward making life easy for end users—and the Microsoft® Windows® 7 OS is no exception. Ten key features of Windows 7 Enterprise work in conjunction with the Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 R2 OS to advance enterprise efficiency:

1. DirectAccess connectivity: DirectAccess enables mobile users to access enterprise resources simply and securely when out of the office, without the extra step of initiating a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

2. BranchCache™ local caching: BranchCache caches content from remote file and Web servers at local branch offices, helping to reduce wide area network (WAN) traffic, boost network application responsiveness, and increase efficiency for end users.

3. AppLocker™ application control: For enterprises that demand the highest levels of compliance, administrators can leverage AppLocker to dictate which applications are allowed to run on desktop and mobile client systems.

4. BitLocker™ security: BitLocker enables IT administrators and end users to right-click on a drive to enable BitLocker protection, while the BitLocker To Go™ feature offers protection for removable storage devices.

5. RemoteApp™ access: RemoteApp enables end users to access programs without actually installing them on the remote computer, which can also help save administration time and reduce maintenance costs.

6. Multilingual support: Windows 7 Enterprise language packs can support several dozen languages from a single master image.

7. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI): Designed to improve end-user productivity while also simplifying desktop administration and security for IT staff, VDI supports desktop functionality using virtual machines hosted on servers.

8. Image management: Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) enables administrators to build and service OS images using a single consolidated tool set.

9. Power management: A variety of power management features are designed to increase platform and processor efficiencies and help IT strategists improve the bottom line.

10. Windows PowerShell™ command-line shell: Windows PowerShell can help increase management control and enhance IT productivity through an interactive shell, scripting functions, and graphical interface applications.

In these ways, Windows 7 Enterprise can help significantly boost client security and productivity while simplifying end-to-end IT management and control. For large enterprises intent on advancing business efficiency while reducing total cost of ownership, the question is not whether to migrate to Windows 7—but when.

Dell Channel Partner featured in Reuters and TMCnet

DELL-Jeff J — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:07:50 GMT

Integrated Bank Technology, a company specializing in providing core processing and imaging software applications for financial institutions, has joined Dell's PartnerDirect program as a Certified Dell Partner. Read about it in TMCNet or Reuters

OPI Colors Now Available in Dell Design Studio – That’s La Paz-itively Hot!

DELL-Sarah R — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:00 GMT

As you may have read, Dell has partnered with the color experts at OPI to bring 26 classic nail polish colors to the Dell Design Studio. Starting today, you can personalize your Dell Studio, Inspiron or Mini laptop with your favorite OPI color at Dell.com, whether for yourself or a holiday gift for the color lover in your life.

Many of OPI’s top selling colors including I’m Not Really a Waitress, Big Apple Red, Princesses Rule!, Louvre Me Louvre Me Not, Cajun Shrimp and Green-wich Village are now available. Looking for something bright? Check out Need Sunglasses? yellow, In My Back Pocket orange (Alyssa Kolsky Hertzig’s at Allure Magazine’s favorite) or my personal favorite Teal the Cows Come Home. Want to make a statement with some shimmer? Try Happy Anniversary, Smitten with Mittens or Holiday Glow.

You can view all the 26 options online and check out the full set of images on our Flickr site. Let us know what you think!

Also, check out the inspiration from OPI behind some of your favorite shades:

La Paz-itively Hot!

“Inspired by the lifestyle and culture I equate with South America – a passion for music, for love, for life – this color expresses the kind of wild abandon that makes me want to take off my shoes. And dance on the beach. With the wind in my hair. What can I say – it’s a hot color, not for the shy.” - Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI

I’m Not Really a Waitress

“Living in LA puts me in the heart of the entertainment industry, where you can see celebs and celebutantes just by grabbing a latte. My inspiration behind I’m Not Really a Waitress, OPI’s best-selling shade of all time, is the response you hear from every would-be actress who is waiting tables until her big break comes along. Created for the OPI Hollywood Collection, this is one shade that’s totally ready for its close-up!” - Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI

Big Apple Red

“Who doesn’t love New York? It has everything – fashion, theatre, four distinct seasons, energy, excitement, and the best bagels anywhere. Hands down. The place where the official color of fashion is black, this city offers big buildings, big ideas, big beauty – and big inspiration. For this big color.” - Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI

Authored by Jan Demedts: Maximize on the Power of Peer Training

DELL-Bri B — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:25:00 GMT

Jan Demedts

IT Consultant and System Administrator

Don Bosco Onderwijscentrum, Belgium

Maximize on the Power of Peer Training

On training pioneer teachers in IT skills so that they can act as IT role models and influence colleagues through peer to peer training (from a K-12 perspective)

A demanding job

Teaching is a multi-layered and demanding job. The educational landscape is constantly changing, with new generations of students entering the classrooms every year, bringing in new words, fashions, skills, likes and dislikes. Teachers are challenged on a daily basis to prove themselves as educator, instructor, administrator, manager, psychologist, coach, companion, even standup comedian. Successful teachers need to draw from a broad range of social, educational and collaboration skills while they are working with students, colleagues and other partners outside of the school.

With the invasion of audiovisual equipment, computers and other electronic devices into everyday school life, teachers are also challenged to prove themselves as able technologists, not just during moments of preparation, but also on the class battlefield with up to 30 IT-savvy youngsters watching, commenting, assessing. Lots of things can go wrong: the projector doesn't show the pc image, there's no sound from the speakers, the webserver or even the school's internet access is down. Arghhh!

It's not just being able to handle the hardware and do some basic troubleshooting. To maximize learning and educational opportunities and to facilitate school administration, teachers are required to manage their subjects/class groups in learning platforms and student management systems, be proficient with online assessment/grading tools and collaboration tools like Google Docs. Frequent changes in software and platforms (upgrades, new functionality, change of provider) mean that there's always something new to be learned. Also teachers have tried out many web 2.0 applications and put them to good educational usage, with You Tube as one of the better known examples.

Teachers must also know about the potentially unwanted aspects of information technology. They need to know about the darker sides of the internet (as many students already do), about the pros and cons of social networking (Netlog, Facebook …) and should be able to advise their students on how to deal with privacy and cyberbullying.

The picture will be clear now: to get through the daily routine of 21^st century school life, teachers need a broad range of IT skills combined with flexibility, creativity and … stamina.

Training the teachers and dealing with resistance

Taking all this into account, a major question arises: how to provide efficient IT training that makes teachers adopt the required IT skills and make them feel proficient, happy and confident in their daily routine?

This is no easy matter: not all teachers welcome the new IT techniques and some teachers even openly question IT at school and resist IT decisions made by the school management.

It is important to understand why. Many teachers have a strong individualistic side to their personality since they are used to managing class groups on their own and behind closed doors. At the same time they are intellectuals, critical of decisions taken at higher levels and wary of yet another change. Many times they have good reason: over the last decades K-12 schools have been swept by waves of pedagogic reform and an increase of control and administrative requirements.

A second reason why some teachers resist IT is the stress that comes with IT: some people are good with computers and others simply are not. Some teachers jump at new software and will readily put new IT techniques to the test in the classroom, while others dread having to take a class to a computer room and will postpone this as long as they can. They feel clumsy in front of their students and oppressed by the new curricula that want teachers to use computers in their classes to improve the students' interest, activity and learning efficiency.

Especially the fact that teachers have to use IT in front of large groups of IT-savvy and highly critical (pre-) adolescents should not be underestimated. Being able to work a computer at home or in an office does not equal being able to work a computer publicly in a classroom with the projector magnifying the demonstration of the teacher's IT skills.

It certainly does not equal managing a group of 25 students, each working on a computer of their own, and being able to teach well in the subject that is being taught: IT is only the method, improved learning is the real aim.

A good IT training strategy

A good IT training strategy should accept this resistance against IT/change and should try to work around it. The school management should not simply try to force new IT skills down the teachers' throats. The motto for school leaders is: be respectful to your human capital, motivate your decisions and set up well-devised change implementation schemes!

Good support facilities at school are very important in this respect: teachers should be able to get help and advice from school-based IT coordinators whenever they need it. Teachers also have every right to a dependable infrastructure: enough high quality hardware, a stable computer network and server infrastructure, good backup facilities, a trustworthy internet connection ... so ample IT funding for schools by the government and education boards is vital.

There should also be regular training opportunities. However, sending all the teachers on a regular basis to IT training sessions during (paid) work hours, is not feasible. That would be too disruptive for school life: the lessons must always go on for most of the students. Sending all teachers to IT training sessions after work hours (in their private time) is also something a school cannot easily do. Although widely underestimated, teachers have loads of school work after school hours ...

On the job IT-training to evangelize new IT-based methods

What then is the best way to train teachers in IT skills?

Let's start with the input. Teacher training schools have an important responsibility in procuring freshly trained teachers that are fully proficient and motivated to implement the K-12 schools' IT strategies. But once on the job and through the years, both young and older teachers will need IT-training to keep up with change in school IT.

A major question then is who should give the IT training sessions. Every school has one or more IT administrators: are they the best IT trainers? For many teachers they aren't since the IT-guys are perceived as being too savvy and too fast with IT ("IT is easy for them"), which to many teachers is intimidating and causes stress.

In my experience there is a better way to optimize the efficiency of K-12 schools IT training schemes:

send a small number of volunteering teachers during work hours to internal or external training sessions on specific IT subjects given by specialised trainers or by the school's own IT-administrators

for most teachers, target at on the job training in the school when the teachers aren't teaching (in between lessons, during noon breaks)
work with a peer training model: train volunteering/pioneering teachers to be IT evangelists/role models and let those teachers spread the news, the IT-skills and examples of concrete implementations into lesson plans
invite and reward these evangelists to give short IT training sessions in the schools on well-defined subjects and make sure the announcement/invitation to these sessions is worded in simple language so that it is clear to the target group
for these sessions, try to get some teachers of the target group to put their name on the attendee list: if the training session is meant for beginners, the IT skills of the teachers on the list should be rated by their colleagues as indeed beginners level ... otherwise real beginners will not put their names down for fear of losing face during the IT training session
stimulate the different departments (maths, modern languages, science, ...) to organise internal demos and share lessons material on the schools learning platform
do not rush things: let the IT evangelization spread at its own pace.

What You Need to Know About the Windows 7 Upgrade Process

Lionel_Menchaca — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:45:00 GMT

It’s been a busy time since Windows 7 launched last week. Many customers who bought systems after June 26 have registered for upgrade kits to move from Vista to the of Windows 7. So many, in fact, that we've had to address performance issues on the Windows 7 upgrade site. We've also recently corrected an issue that was causing incorrect ship date information in some cases.

Update: I heard from customers like Direct2Dell reader johnkett, shf doc and a couple of others that they could not get beyond documenting their current version of Vista during the registration process using the Chrome browser. Switching to Internet Explorer works. Firefox works as well.

Each upgrade kit will consist of two things: the Windows 7 operating system disc and an Upgrade Assistant DVD, which contains Windows 7 drivers and more. In this post, I want to take a few minutes to explain the process of getting your Windows 7 upgrade kit for eligible systems. First, I’ll outline the core steps of the process, then will explain each one further from there.

Determine system eligibility
Register your eligible system for the upgrade at https://win7.dell.com.
Place your order for the version and language of Windows 7 that you want
Once you successfully place your order, you can check the order status from the Windows 7 upgrade site at https://win7.dell.com

Checking system eligibility: You can buy a qualifying machine from June 26 - December 31, 2009. Check the system eligibility link (see image below):

Registering your system:

To register your system, start at https://win7.dell.com. You'll be prompted to enter some information like your name, e-mail address, the date of your purchase, the system type and service tag. In the Tell Us About the OS Purchased section (see below), be sure you choose the right OS version and details like 32 pr 64-bit. One common issue here is that customers are not choosing an OS language at this point in the registration process. If you do not specify an OS language, Arabic is the default language.

Some customers are running into an issue where either their system is not being recognized or that their system is not eligible for the upgrade even though they meet the eligibility requirements. If this is happening to you, feel free to let me know in the comments of this post or contact me (see the details in the last paragraph below).

Once you get through these details in registration, you'll be asked to create an account user name and password. You should see a screen like this one when you finish the registration process:

Soon after, you will receive an e-mail that confirms that you've registered. Form there, you will need to place your order.

Placing your order:

First step is to log back into the Windows 7 upgrade site. From there, you will see all the systems you registered in the top row. Assuming your OS language is available (see schedule here), you will be able to place a check in that box, the click the Add Kits to Cart button. Once it is moved down from the Registered section into your Upgrade Cart section, click the Complete Your Order button:

From there, you will be asked to complete details like your shipping address and credit card details (if shipping & handling fees apply). You will then be asked to confirm the order, review the terms and conditions, and complete your order. Soon after you complete your order, you will receive an e-mail that confirms your order details.

Checking Order Status:

At this point, once you log into the upgrade site, you will see an Order Status link. The time it takes to ship the upgrade kit will vary based on lots of factors like volume and where we're shipping to. In some cases, it may take up to 2 - 4 weeks.

If you encounter issues in any of the steps above, you can comment on this post or contact me directly through sending me a private message or you can e-mail me here. If you go that route, please share your service tag or order number, and let me know some details about your specific situation and I will try to help.

Many of the resources are found at the Dell Windows 7 Upgrade Site. That’s where you’ll find things like the FAQ, the System Eligibility List, the Release Schedule. Here’s the main Windows 7 Forum Page. Another main technical support resource is Dell’s Windows 7 Support Center (click on the image below to check it out).

We know there are many customers out there who are looking forward to getting your Windows 7 upgrade kit. We'll be doing everything we can to get them out to you as soon as possible.

Curriki: Building Communication and Digital Literacy in the Classroom with Digital Storytelling

DELL-Bri B — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:05:00 GMT

Anna Batchelder is a Curriki International Consultant and Founder of Bon Education.

If you are looking for a project to build your students’ communication and digital literacy skills, why not have them participate in a digital storytelling project?! As this excellent introduction to digital storytelling by Curriki member Robin Surland points out:

Digital storytelling consists of a series of still images or video images, combined with a narrated soundtrack to tell a story. Many times an additional music track is added to invoke emotions.

Once, you’ve reviewed Robin’s excellent backgrounder, you’ll be ready to take a look at the link Curriki member Anne Leftwich posted here that provides in-depth information on how to create a digital story. Thanks Anne!

Need help visualizing the process before you get started? Here’s “How to make a Digital Story” in a nutshell:

Determine what personal experience you wish to present in your story. If you need a bit of help selecting a topic, try filling out this worksheet on the seven basic elements of a digital story by Indiana University.
Select images that you wish to display in your story. Beyond your own digital photos, Flickr (creative commons licensed images) and OpenStockPhotography are useful places to find images to accompany your narration. Indiana University has a nice template that will help you storyboard your ideas.
Draft a 3-5 minute script to accompany your images.
Select music (optional). ccMixer and Open Source Audio are two places where you can find large quantities of open music. Make sure that the track you select allows you to share and remix the original music. For example, click on the cc box featured on the left hand side of this audio. You should be directed to this page that tells you exactly what you can and cannot do with the track.
Note: If you find this whole copyright thing confusing (i.e., What images and music from the Internet are you allowed to use legally in your digital story?), the Creative Commons website has lots of great advise. The Wanna Work Together video is particularly helpful.
Pull it all together! Create a final storyboard that clearly shows how your images, script and music will all fit together. Indiana University has provided a useful template for this.
Select which software you are going to use to create your digital story. Here is a list of possibilies. Voicethread is another nice tool for this. To learn how to use Voicethread, watch this YouTube tutorial.
Produce your digital story!
Share it with others! (The fun part!)
Create a digital storytelling assignment for your students and share your lesson plan with others in the Curriki community here.

For more detailed information on digital storytelling, take a look at the Digital Storytelling Cookbook from the Center for Digital Storytelling. Or, take a moment to watch this YouTube video (created by Stanford’s Teacher Education Program).

Have fun and feel free to share additional digital storytelling resources in the comments section of this post.

Anna Batchelder

Curriki International Consultant

Sharing UK experiences on B2B social media

Neville Hobson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Note from Lionel: Below is a guest post from Neville Hobson. He and Shel Holtz continue to be a big influence on me as a blogger and communicator. If you're interested in social media and its impact on communications not already familiar with their podcast For Immediate Release, I urge you to check it out. I'm pumped that Neville will be taking part in an event at Dell UK headquarters with a host of other folks. Here's the scoop from Neville:

If you want some insight into who's doing what in business-to-business engagement with social media in the UK, the Dell B2B Social Media Huddle on December 7 is an event that you'll not want to miss.

During a full day at Dell's UK headquarters in Bracknell, we'll be hearing about and discussing insights and examples of B2B communication with social media from a wide range of business people who have direct experience of planning and executing communication strategies in which social media have played a measurable role.

The aim of this informal event is to bring together senior communications and marketing professionals to exchange and share experiences on B2B social media for mutual benefit.

The event is divided into three principal sections:

A general overview of the B2B social media landscape
Case study mash-up / unconference
Roundtable sessions on:
- Integrating social media into your programmes in the right way
- Social media and monetization techniques

The second section - case study mashup/unconference - has great promise to be the most interactive experience for everyone. There's no set agenda: if you have a business story you'd like to tell, you can do that on the day.

We've got a terrific line-up of speakers to help everyone make the most of the day:

Neville Hobson, Head of Social Media Europe, WeissComm Group, UK
Richard Binhammer, Senior Manager Corporate Communications, Dell Inc., USA
Steve Lamb, PR Manager, Microsoft Ltd., UK
Benjamin Ellis, Director and Co-Founder, Redcatco, UK
Kerry Bridge, Digital Media Communications, Dell Public Sector, Dell Ltd., UK
Jamie Grenney, Senior Director of Content, Community and Social Media, Salesforce.com, USA
Michelle Goodall, Online PR and Social Media Consultant/Trainer, Econsultancy.com
Sarah Wright, Enterprise Programmes Marketing Manager EMEA, Juniper Networks, UK
Henry Clifford-Jones, European Director, Advertising at LinkedIn, UK

You can get the details, including the agenda, in the event PDF at Slideshare. The brochure will be updated as more speakers join us.

The event is free of charge: if you'd like to participate, just sign up.

Dell Highlights Green Leadership with U.S. Congress

Gil_Casellas — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:25:00 GMT

I had the pleasure this week of sharing Dell’s environmental achievements and commitments with Members of the United States Congress. I testified at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement, meant to examine federal government policies to purchase and dispose of IT in environmentally responsible ways.

I highlighted Dell’s green operations, including our improvements in energy efficiency in our facilities, our use of renewable energy, and our achievement of operational carbon neutrality. I also described the work we are doing with our suppliers to encourage improvements in their operations. But the Representatives were most interested in the ways that we help our customers – especially the federal government – achieve their environmental goals.

As an original and active participant in the ENERGY STAR and EPEAT programs, Dell helps shape the standards for environmental stewardship, while we provide a broad range of products to the federal government that meet these high standards. We also help our customers rethink and improve how they use IT, from the desktop to the data-center. Finally, I described how our industry-leading programs for disposal of unwanted electronics help customers, including the federal government, ensure that environmental stewardship extends throughout the complete life-cycle of the IT they purchase.

If you’d like to learn more about our environmental initiatives, I invite you to check out my full prepared testimony, or visit www.dell.com/earth.

SRI in the Rockies

Robert L Williams — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:13:00 GMT

We just got back from SRI in the Rockies where I had an opportunity to meet with several socially responsible investors and stakeholders. Dell was happy to be a sponsor and help celebrate SRI in the Rockies 20th anniversary. This is an important event that brings together a community of investors, stakeholders and academics all focused on creating a cleaner environment, more socially responsible business practices, and better working conditions for everyone.

I held a short group presentation to discuss engagement between our corporate responsibility and IR function and our stakeholders at large. Engagement with our stakeholders has always been an important part of raising our awareness at Dell. We began more than 12 years ago when I first received a call to fill out a SRI survey and we had no corporate responsibility team at the time. We went out to disparate groups throughout the organization to answer most of these questions.

Today things have changed significantly. We have a strong Corporate Responsibility team and through involvement of stakeholders like you, Dell took a leadership position in becoming the first company to offer a free consumer recycling program, the first to become operationally carbon neutral, and now we publish our list of Tier 1 suppliers. Every product we make is more energy efficient and has a bottom line effect for both our customers and Dell.

Our progess here has been more of a journey and you, the stakeholders and SRI community, have always been there steering and mentoring us as we go. During our discussion, one of our long time friends in this process has been Tim Smith from Walden Asset Management who has always counseled us on important issues. We appreciate this candid feedback. To Tim and others, we say that we appreciate your help, and look forward to your continued help and involvement.

Please take a look at our Corporate Responsibility report. We have made a lot of progress but there is always more to do. If you have feedback, please share it.

Thanks. And we look forward to next year's SRI in the Rockies conference in San Antonio.

Learning About Cloud Storage From Nirvanix’s Geoff Tudor

DELL-Barton G — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 GMT

On Friday I grabbed lunch with Geoff Tudor, SVP of business development and co-founder of Nirvanix . After they cleared the plates I talked to Geoff about what Nirvanix does and where he saw cloud storage heading.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Some of the topics Geoff tackles:

Providing cloud storage for the enterprise from five data centers around the world that are pooled and presented as one large global file server.
The Nirvanix “secret sauce”: the file virtualization layer that sits on top of pooled/virtualized commodity storage.
How Nirvanix’s offering is different than Amazon’s S3 (hint: one’s targeted at enterprises and one’s targeted at developers)
Customers such as the NASA/ASU library which is the largest cloud storage use ever and stores images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera.
Security and how Nirvanix addresses customer’s concerns.
What Geoff sees in the future for cloud storage.

Pau for now…

SAN HQ 2.0 First look

DELL-Jeff S — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:35:00 GMT

If you are already a part of the EqualLogic fan base, hopefully you downloaded a free copy of SAN HQ 1.0 off the support site. Less than a year after introducing an already great product (free to customers on support I might add), Dell EqualLogic is getting ready to debut the second version, likely before the end of the year.

SAN HQ 2.0's interface is still as snappy, informative and intuitive as the previous generation, with some added capabilities:

Packaged Reports --

"Top 10" reports such as Top 10 Busy Volumes, Top 10 Hosts by Connection, and more.
Performance Report
Host Connections Report
Group Configuration Report with Alerts
Capacity Utilization and Trending Report
Thin Volume Status Report
Replication Status Report
Alerts Report for All Groups
Hardware Summary Report

Enhanced Analytics: calculation and display of maximum theoretical IOPS; degraded performance limits; estimated percentage-busy IOPS for groups, pools, and members; IOPS vs. latency; and volume queue depths

Broader Data Collection: additional metrics on iSCSI sessions, outbound replication, volume collections, network ports and controllers, including temperature charts

New Alerts: including those for unreachable member ports, port status, member disk mirroring issues, and disk alternate signatures

Better Communication: finer-grained control over e-mail notification and group e-mail settings

Improved Usability: single sign-on, new wizards, simpler navigation, and chart enhancements

Since a picture is worth a 1000 words, I'll save my usual marathon-length blog and throw up some screen captures from our two groups in the DellTechCenter monitored by SAN HQ 2.0:

Figure 1: Main page of one of our groups.

Figure 2: New with 2.0 SAN HQ Report Wizard

Figure 3: Page from "Top 10" report generated

Figure 4: Expanded Network port and controller information available in 2.0

One More Reason Channel Partners Should be Excited About Latitude Z

DELL-Jeff J — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:36:44 GMT

Latitude Z landed the number 6 spot in PC World’s top 100 best products for 2009. Like I said before, it is the PC for the person that wants to be the coolest guy in a room. Check out the link to the article here.

Windows 7 Migration and IT Expert Voice Site

Lionel_Menchaca — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Recently on Direct2Dell, we’ve hit you over the head with several consumer-focused Windows 7 blog posts, but the fact is that Windows 7 has a lot of implications for businesses as well.

It’s no secret that many companies are still running Windows XP on client PCs. In a survey we recently with Federal IT decision-makers, 72 percent said they did not adopt Vista. That said, I think Windows 7 will reverse this trend and many businesses will be migrating to the new OS.Take a look at Bruce Eric Anderson’s post on Inside Enterprise IT where he dives into the details and asks about migration plans.

That’s the backdrop for a new information portal we’re launching called IT Expert Voice. It’s a project we’re undertaking with Federated Media. While Dell is sponsoring this site and some of our folks will provide input on topics of interest, editor-in-chief Esther Schindler is responsible both for assigning the insight cases and for selecting what content goes on the site.

From the About section of the site: “IT Expert Voice is a resource for IT professionals who are concerned primarily with making technology work in their organizations, and in particular with deploying Windows 7 in a sane and trouble-free manner.”

Esther's primary areas of focus will include virtualization, mobility, storage, cloud services, and automated management - but you'll also find plenty of other technical overviews (tuned for an enterprise audience, obviously). If you've got other areas you'd like to see them write about, shoot an e-mail to Esther with your suggestion.You can also ping her via Twitter @estherschindler.

If this sounds of interest to you, I’d welcome you to check it out at www.itexpertvoice.com. You can also follow them on Twitter @ExpertVoice.

Windows 7 Arrives for Large Enterprise Customers - What Is Your Migration Plan?

DELL-Bruce Eric — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 GMT

The day that many of us have been waiting for has come: the official launch of Microsoft Windows 7 and general availability (GA) for consumer customers. What this means is that PC manufacturers like Dell can begin shipping systems with Windows 7 on them. Of course, large corporations and other enterprises have had beta programs in place for some time now so last week's announcement was very much focused on consumers' use of Windows 7. Microsoft hosted events in New York and elsewhere, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer himself spent more than five minutes with Matt Lauer on The Today Show touting the benefits of Windows 7, but again heavily focused on consumers. In my view, Windows 7 is a given for consumers as almost all PCs will ship with it.

What I want to talk about today is why large companies should look at Windows 7. The enterprise is where the real decision is to be made and I think there are good reasons for corporations to begin the switch.

Dell recently did a survey of Federal IT decision-makers with the 1105 Government Information Group about their Windows 7 adoption. It’s not surprising that 72 percent reported their organizations did not adopt Windows Vista. Many of those organizations are likely running Windows XP and some may even be running Windows 2000.

Forrester Research published a report of their own recently, “Windows 7 Commercial Adoption Outlook,” that provides quite a few tips for migrating to the new OS. The report points out that about 79 percent of PCs used by small-to-medium businesses are still running Windows XP; that is in-line with our research in the federal space.

There have been a great number of comparisons of the new OS to Windows Vista as well as Windows XP. Many are suggesting that Windows 7 is very similar to XP so I'm sure many CIOs in large enterprises are wondering why make the switch at all. After all, no one in IT gets promoted for forcing an OS switch on their company’s workforce.

I think we all know how the current economic situation has led to a very frugal approach to IT spending. However, keeping laptops and desktops in circulation for more than four years can lead to higher maintenance and energy costs, and can reduce employee productivity. According to IDC, IT organizations may be incurring operating costs as much as 20.5 percent higher than necessary to acquire, manage and decommission their desktop and notebook PC equipment when comparing tightly managed three-year life cycles with less systematic, longer-span life cycle management strategies.

Also, J. Gold Associates says that keeping a laptop in circulation for years four and five can cost organizations $9,600 in lost end-user productivity and the cost to fix a laptop not under warranty can reach $1,425.

To provide evidence of lost employee productivity, Dell commissioned a performance study that compares current Latitude laptops products to similar models that are three and four years old. Examples of the results include:

The battery life of a Latitude E4300 laptop running Windows 7 is up to 85 percent longer than a Latitude D620, a 3-year-old system, running Windows XP;
The Latitude E6400 running Windows 7 offers up to 63 percent better performance than a Latitude D620 running Windows XP;
With a Dell Latitude E6400 laptop you can reduce boot time by up to 29 percent compared to a previous generation Latitude laptop.

(Details on all of these claims are available in the footnotes here.)

So, aside from all the cost, performance and enhanced features of Windows 7 as a motivator to migrate, there's also the news that Microsoft has finally announced an end-date to the support they'll offer for Windows XP. According to the Microsoft Support site, Windows XP will enter its “extended support’ phase on July 7, 2010 with extended support ultimately ending in April 2014. While that seems a long way off, many analyst firms are urging large enterprises to begin their migration planning now as it takes time to assess your applications and determine what your roll-out plan is. So, it seems that migration isn’t so much of a “will we” question, but more of a “when will we” question.

Dell recently announced Dell’s a Windows 7 Readiness Assessment to identify application compatibility, hardware compatibility and migration readiness and to provide the recommendations needed to help make your transition to Windows 7 as smooth as possible. But applications are but one part of the migration process. We're making available to you a webcast entitled "Preparing for Windows 7 Migration" that discusses just how a corporation conduct such a significant migration. Here are a few other issues that need IT staffs need to consider:

Determining application compatibility including your Web applications;
What new system imaging and deployment technologies are there to consider;
Deciding how new virtualization technologies should be leveraged;
Determining whether to deploy 32-bit or 64-bit versions of the OS;
Dealing with extensive amounts of user data that will need to be migrated;
Handling a more distributed workforce with a larger number of devices;
Training both IT and end-users

We'd be eager to hear your thoughts on your organization. What are your migration plans? Do you plan to do a wholesale of all your clients at one time or stagger it out? What's the primary operating system you'll be migrating from? Do our numbers above match with your environment?

UK heroes tread the path to success

Steve Felice — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting the launch of our Take Your Own Path campaign in the UK - our seventh country launch in Dell's first globally integrated marketing campaign for SMBs. The event was held at the St. Pancras Grand, an art nouveau-style oyster bar inside the station that houses the Eurostar trains bound for Paris and Brussels. The inspiration being that Take Your Own Path is all about a journey, and that the heroes have arrived at their destination.

Our heroes cover a diverse range of industries but all have one thing in common - a burning desire to follow a dream and make it a reality. It was a real honour to meet such an inspiring and enthusiastic group of entrepreneurs. I also had the pleasure of congratulating the co-founders of A Suit That Fits.com - winners of the UK Dell Small Business Excellence Award 2009 who were invited to the event as special guests.

Each of our UK heroes - Lonely Planet, Good Energy Group, Jagex, Masternaut and Innocent Drinks - spoke to the assembled media and partners about how Dell had made a difference to their business - from being able to communicate from far flung places to the excellent service, and always delivering and being great to work with.

I was especially filled with great pride when several of the heroes mentioned how they really appreciated the way we took personal responsibility in meeting commitments to help them succeed. Beyond the technology and service that we provide, it is when we take the initiative to go that extra mile for the ultimate benefit of our customers that we deliver a truly competitive differentiator for Dell.

You can see photos from the event on Dell's official Flickr page and also watch some of the videos from the morning. The event generated significant media coverage in the UK, including CNN International, Marketing Week, IT Pro, Yorkshire Post, New Media Age, Marketing Magazine, and Hexus.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Dell's aim is to be the number one SMB technology brand globally by delivering solutions that delight our customers, and this campaign is proof of our progress in this journey.

Gartner’s Bittman: Private Cloud’s Value as Stepping Stone

DELL-Barton G — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:38:00 GMT

Yesterday Gartner distinguished analyst Tom Bittman, who covers cloud computing and virtualization, posted some thoughts and observations from the Gartner Symposium in Orlando.

Private Cloud-o-maina

Based on Tom’s observations, private cloud (however defined) seems to have captured the hearts and minds of IT. Before he began his talk on virtualiztion he did a quick poll asking how many in the audience considered private cloud computing to be a core strategy of theirs. 75% raised their hands. While not overly scientific, that’s a pretty big number.

Little Miss Appropriation

The logical next question one may ask is what do people mean when they say “private cloud.” According to Tom the three most common ways private clouds are being (mis) described are:

IT defending its turf: Shared services that were being re-labelled as private clouds (but without a self-service interface, or much automation at all)
Vendors defending their products: Old products being re-labelled as private clouds in a box (I described most of these as “lipstick on a pig”)
Advanced server virtualization deployments: Although few have a true self-service interface, the intention is certainly there

So it looks like there is quite a bit of misappropriation of the term. However, as we previously learned, just because there is hype and misuse of terms, doesn’t mean there isn’t value in the concept of “private cloud.” The question is what is that value?

Tom sees private cloud’s value as a means to end and concludes his post by saying:

The challenge with private cloud computing, of course, is to dispel the vendor hype and the IT protectionism that is hiding there, and to ensure the concept is being used in the right way – as a stepping-stone to public cloud… [italics mine]

(I’m not your) Stepping Stone

This is where I disagree. I believe that while private cloud can be a path to the public cloud, it can also be an end unto itself. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we will always have heterogeneous environments and in the future that will mean a mixture of traditional IT, virtualized resources, private clouds and public clouds. In some case workloads will migrate from virtualizaiton out to the public cloud but in other cases they will stop along the way and decide to stay.

IT will become more efficient and more agile as the cloud evolves but there will be no Big Switch (see above illustration), it (IT) will need to manage a portfolio of computing models.

Pau for now…