Around the Globe

Dell began selling in retail stores in late 2007. Now we have more than 43,000 points of sale all over the world. China represents about 20% of that total with more than 6,000 retail locations across the country selling Dell laptops, netbooks and PCs. Today we opened the first Experience store in Shanghai, China.

Update: Take a look on the Dell Flickr photo site to see images from the store opening event.

Our consumer business leaders are focused on exploring new ways to reach consumers, listen to them and respond to their needs with new products and services. It’s part of a drive to create a 360-degree customer experience and retail stores are an important channel for Dell to deliver on that customer promise.

Design and personalization are at the core of our DNA. Our new store provides a single location where our consumers can truly discover, try and buy Dell products and enjoy the fun of self expression. The Dell Experience store showcases the entire Dell consumer product portfolio and delivers “over-the-counter personalization”, allowing customers to design every aspect of their PC. The 205-square-meter store features five interactive brand experience stations, including a dedicated zone for small and medium-sized business customers.

We introduced the Adamo into China in March. This brand represents the very finest in craftsmanship and materials science and has turned into a hot topic with local lifestyle media.

Gamers can test their competitive skills on Alienware M17x in our Alienware zone. Alienware invaded China this summer and quickly became a hit with gaming enthusiasts. They may soon see new Alienware laptops, desktops, monitors and accessories launched here and there is no better place then the Dell experience store to get a hands-on demo of what real power means to gamers.

Our new Mini 10 netbooks are displayed in our Lifestyle zone. We’ve embedded, China Mobile 3G technology into our smallest, lightest and most colorful-designed laptops Dell has ever produced.

 The last zone is where consumers can work with our professional sales team to build their own Dell. The Build-to-Order bar has a 6-meter wide video wall that shows all the choices available to you. You can design and personalize your own Dell at our BTO bar and have the most the most personalized PC on the planet made just for you.

The new Dell Experience Store is located on the first floor of the newly opened Buynow II electronics center at Cao Xi Road and Zhao Jia Bang Road. Our partner, Buy Now, was founded in 1998 and has become one of the most prominent IT malls in China. Now there are 11 Buynow IT Malls, located in major cities in China. In the near future, Buynow will have at least 35 IT Malls in operation across China.

Shanghai now has become one of the hottest spot for tourists all over the world. If you have opportunity to visit Shanghai you are most welcome to drop by at our Experience Store.

A little more than three years ago, Dell created the Enterprise Technology Center, informally known as Dell TechCenter. It has grown from it's very meager beginnings to a site boasting regular members from more than 140 countries -- large enterprise customers, small and medium-sized business and even public institutions. I recently sat down with the team behind the TechCenter to get a sense of what they do and how they are a big resource for our data center customers.

The team is made up of Scott Hanson (@dellservergeek), Kong Yang (@kongy_dell) and Jeff Sullivan (@SANpenguin) a team whose sole focus is helping customers figure out the "what if" scenarios for their PowerEdge servers, Dell|EMC, PowerVault and EqualLogic storage systems, and the myriad applications of those systems including systems management, virtualization, operating systems, de-duplication, among many other topics.

Dell TechCenter is a community that discusses data center issues from a technical perspective. You will not find any PR/marketing types in their lab (aside from when I was there to interview them :)) -- these guys have pocket protectors and propellers on their heads. You won't find glossy brochures on their site. You won't find them linking to news releases. What you'll find is great technical content to help you get more out of your data center.

These guys were recently out at vmworld 2009 and were geeking out with all their virtualization colleagues. In fact, just before they left, @dellservergeek had a group of us over to his house to hang out with the whole TechCenter team along with @virtualtodd, @gabvirtualworld and @B_renda, @dennismsmith (who is the guy behind our break-fix oriented data center community forums) and @lionelatdell, among others.

Let's hear them describe what they do.

If you haven't been to the TechCenter, give it a try. Here are the various coordinates at which you can find these guys and their work:  

• Dell Enterprise Technology Center, aka Dell TechCenter, community site

• Dell TechCenter Blog

• Dell TechCenter Delicious Links

• Dell TechCenter group on LinkedIn

• And soon, we'll have a fan page on Facebook

I invite you to come on to the Dell TechCenter site, look around and let us know what you think.

I have the privilege of chairing the Global Giving Council, the newly-formed executive team here at Dell charged with governing our giving practices.  2008 brought significant changes to Dell giving, as highlighted in our recently released corporate responsibility report.  We established an aggressive giving goal, adopted a new strategy focused on making a global impact, and launched an innovative signature program that is already making a real difference in countries around the world. 

Actively participating and giving back to the communities where we live and work have long been priorities at Dell.  But when we committed to the aspirational goal to increase our giving to one percent of Dell’s pre-tax profits by 2010, things got serious.  We promptly realigned our giving strategy to better reflect who we are as a company.  We decided to focus Dell giving worldwide on youth in the areas of education, digital inclusion and sustainability – because we have seen first-hand the power of connecting children to the digital world and the importance of protecting our planet.

By year’s end we narrowed the global giving gap from .42 percent to .74 percent of pre-tax profits, increasing our giving to $24.5 million ($8 million more than the previous year) – an increase that tracks well with our long-term aspirational goal.  In the U.S., our Dell Foundation continued its good work by awarding $2.5 million in Equipping Youth grants.

We also launched Dell YouthConnect, a digital inclusion initiative that promotes math, science, literacy and technology skills for youth in emerging countries.  It began in India and has since expanded to Brazil and Mexico.  We invested $2.7 million in cash and equipment in 2008 with plans in place to grow the program in the coming months. Our employees are fully engaged on the ground with our YouthConnect partners by helping to deploy and support the technology and volunteering and interacting with the children who participate.

Of course the heroes of our giving initiatives are, as always, our people.  The Dell team continues to rally around charitable causes in record numbers.  Dell employees gave $8.5 million to the charities of their choice during the annual charitable giving campaign.  They also volunteered 28,000 hours to community causes during Global Community Involvement Month. 

Dell Giving is serious business and, as our progress in 2008 indicates, we’re serious about it.  Please share your ideas and feedback.  We are eager to partner with our communities, customers and employees to make a real difference in the world we share.

What an exciting and energy-charged year on the diversity front! Diversity and inclusion are business imperatives that not only make us a better company but also deliver significant business advantages. There is no better way to showcase this than in the diversity section of our FY09 Corporate Responsibility Report, that we launched earlier this week.

Here are some highlights. The Global Diversity Council chaired by our CEO Michael Dell, underscores our commitment to diversity at the highest levels of and throughout our company.  A global team of senior Dell executives sets and continually revisits our diversity strategy and identifies how we can drive greater diversity across our businesses. 

In recognition of Dell's commitment of more than $1 billion in annual supply-chain spending with diverse suppliers, we were inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable. It is a great honor to be one of the 16 members of the Billon Dollar Roundtable and will see us continuing to partner with our peer members to provide thought leadership in advancing diverse businesses. 

Working Mother magazine included us in its list of Top 100 companies to work for - a list where we hope to see Dell as a 'regular' going forward.  For the fifth consecutive year we maintained our perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, signaling our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and fair workplace practices for all.

 While we have made great inroads in our programs, we know we can do more . We have aggressive goals for the coming year including:

• Increase the retention of our women and African-American and Hispanic employees in the U.S.
• Double our participation rate in employee networking groups
• Increase our executive-level participation in diversity efforts
• Actively identify flexible work solutions for employees

I hope you take the time to read the diversity section of the report  and I welcome your ideas and feedback to make Dell the workplace of choice for many.

Over the past couple months we've introduced several new products to the Vostro line of products that offer the right features, services, durability, and resources to serve the distinctive needs of small business. From the ultraportable Vostro 1220 to the Vostro All In One (the first all in one exclusively for small business), these systems are preconfigured with tools like free videoconferencing and are designed to be "easy to buy, easy to own."

Dell listens to small businesses to ensure no stone is left unturned when it comes to meeting our customers' needs.  That's why I'm pleased to announce the latest additions to the Vostro portfolio - the Vostro 1014, 1015 and 1088.

These new 14.1 and 15.6 inch systems redefine the entry level for the Vostro line and are primed and ready for your everyday computing needs with set configurations that help you meet the daily challenges of running a small business.
Key features include:

• Notebook processor and chipset: the latest Intel Core 2 Processors to get the most out of your software
• Improved battery life: work for longer with great battery life with power efficient design and WLED LCDs
• Media flexibility: A built-in 5-in-1 media reader to easily transfer pictures, video, data to and from your laptop
• Optional integrated webcam: connect with customers and colleagues across the globe through voice and video for free when you choose the 2.0 megapixel camera
• Color options: Express your personal style and stand out in the crowd with choice of color backs - black, blue or deep cherry red
• Improved energy efficiency: Cut down your power consumption with Energy Star 5.0 certification

Dell also provides an integrated modem with each system to give you the flexibility to connect to the internet, even when there is no broadband available. And of course, the computers come equipped with the Dell gold standard of services you've come to rely on. Specially-trained SMB technical support is available in three ways (phone, online chat or DellConnect) to help solve problems as fast as possible.  And, with Dell Backup Recovery Manager Dell can quickly get you back to business as usual.

For those wanting to get their hands on the machines, the products will be available direct and through select Dell partners. Some of these laptops are already offered in parts of Europe (starting at £255) and will be available in Asia Pacific and Japan starting today. Over the next several months, these laptops will be available to customers in Latin America, United States and Canada.

Check out the set on our Flickr page to see all the images of the Vostro 1014 and 1015 laptops.