I'm here in Las Vegas at my first VMworld with 20,000 other computer geeks from around the world. We're all here to network with tech influencers, share best practices, and learn about the latest and greatest offerings from VMware. As the Systems Management Evangelist on the Dell TechCenter team I'm excited to talk about Dell's integration with VMware products, in particular the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter.
The Dell Management Plugin for vCenter streamlines systems management tasks by allowing systems administrators to manage both virtual and physical machines directly through the vCenter console from a single "pane of glass". Sounds great right? But what does this mean technically?
The vCenter plugin seamlessly integrates with the Dell iDRAC with Lifecycle Controller and the OpenManage Systems Administrator agent on a deep level. That means directly from the vCenter console you can perform popular tasks on Dell systems such as agent-free firmware and BIOS updates, inventory management, warranty management, and you can perform tasks such as setting the RAID level on machines directly (no link and launch here), and much more. For full information about the plugin including how-to demo videos, please visit the Dell Management Plugin for vCenter page on Dell TechCenter.
There was a great buzz around Dell's vCenter plugin at VMworld 2011 Las Vegas. Here's the rundown of events where it was mentioned:
In a Monday VMworld Session entitled "A Practical Approach to Virtual Infrastructure: Managing and Securing Your Hybrid Data Center", Dell strategist Eric Kuzmack presented the benefits of the plugin to a packed house. He also talked about how Dell is changing the way we as a company think about and approach software. Dell knows that companies view software and ease of management as key differentiators. Therefor, Dell listens to customer feedback and invests large amounts of time and money into developing software products such as the vCenter plugin - we are changing perceptions that we are just a hardware vendor.
On Tuesday, Dell held an intimate vCenter Plugin Customer Council with early adopters of the plugin. Staying true to Dell's history of listening directly to customers, we gathered feedback from those who have had time to test drive and form opinions of our new product. These influential customers provided great insights into what they like and what can be improved in the future. While I can't share specifics about what's to come in the vCenter plugin, let's just say that many of the improvements on customers' wish lists are already being addressed in planned future releases. There were also a some great new suggestions from customers that will likely make it into future releases as well.
Also, in case you were wondering if the plugin supports ESXi 5, full support is coming soon.
Later on Tuesday at the Dell TechCenter User's Group in the fabulous Encore hotel, two of our own Dell TechCenter community members Johnathan Franconi (@s1xth) and Matt Vogt (@mattvogt) gave a great presentation on the plugin to other DTC community members from a customer point of view. During our 2 hour event, It was awesome to see community members interact in real life as they do online every day at DellTechCenter.com. The event was also an excellent opportunity to put familiar names to faces and to further strengthen the personal ties that make our IT community strong.
Speaking of the IT community, during his presentation Matt Vogt said it best when he mentioned that social media has played a great role in bringing systems admins together and that admins are much better off communicating with and learning from each other than operating in silos. It's exciting to help run a community that brings people together in a positive way and I hope that Dell customers who met tonight for the first time in real life form lasting friendships that continue online and in real life (IRL).
Speaking of our customers, to read more about what they have been saying about the Dell Management Plugin for vCenter, go directly to their blog posts about this new and useful tool.
I can't believe it's already Day 3 at VMworld here in Las Vegas. I'm blogging this during
By now, you might have heard about the incredible Dell presence at VMworld. If not, make sure and follow
The Dell Management Plugin-In for VMware vCenter, which allows Systems Administrators use VMware vCenter