Dell extends cloud to the edge as next business “Frontier”

• Dell Technologies’ Project Frontier will deliver a software platform for edge operations to scale edge applications and infrastructure securely
• For 42% of businesses, assembling a complete edge solution is the most challenging step in edge deployments

In an effort to lower the cost and complexity of their infrastructure and boost creativity, businesses are rapidly deploying and using cloud services. This is why companies are turning to multi-cloud, which can provide a variety of advantages for their business, including flexibility, regular best-of-breed updates, and options for choosing vendors.

However, this is causing growing complexity – customers are losing more and more control over how users access various types of clouds, and expenses are also rising. Organizations are also becoming aware of the widespread cloud sprawl, and it’s becoming a daily challenge for them.

Therefore, to properly implement multi-cloud, Dell Technologies is introducing Multicloud by Design. Multicloud by Design has two key fundamental tenets: the first is ensuring that they can provide a portfolio of software and services that aid in bringing cloud services to any location where data resides.

“The second fundamental is we’re building out a powerful multi-cloud ecosystem that is going to empower our customers with the freedom of choice to deploy any type of cloud,” said Sam Grocott, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing at Dell Technologies.

Extending cloud to the edge for a successful business transformation

As organizations generate data from Internet of Things (IoT) devices, smart sensors, and other devices on the edge of their networks, and as the clouds have received a lot of attention, this data must be gathered, stored, and processed in order to meet the growing demand for real-time, data-driven decision-making.

Hence, in order to help customers securely manage and orchestrate edge applications and infrastructure for deployments at a global scale, Dell Technologies launched Project Frontier, which will deliver an edge operations software platform integrated with Dell’s edge portfolio.

As more businesses want to manage and protect data at the source, yet have little access to IT support, the complexity of edge operations — in settings ranging from production floors and retail stores to remote wind turbines — is increasing.

According to a 2022 IDC survey, putting together a full-edge solution is the most challenging component of edge deployments for 42% of businesses. Organizations want a simple and efficient solution to manage and secure the broad ecosystem of edge technologies since the amount of data generated is increasing as much as nine times annually, and is predicted to reach 221 exabytes by 2026.

The next frontier of business transformation is at the edge — where devices, infrastructure, and data come together to deliver real-time insights at scale, according to Gil Shneorson, the senior vice president of edge solutions at Dell Technologies. The company is witnessing exponential growth in applications running at the edge.

“With this growth comes complexity. It’s not feasible to have IT staff deployed at every edge location. Our decades of edge experience combined with our new solutions help customers simplify their edge and streamline their data to gain insights ranging from factory safety and the speed and precision of patient care in hospitals, while providing more choice in how they realize their edge and multi-cloud technologies,” said Shneorson.

Application orchestration, infrastructure management, and an edge secure environment are the three main features that drive Project Frontier.

“We believe the combination of these features is quite unique. The element of secure device onboarding is very transformational. For instance, we can ship equipment to customer sites that can be powered, connected to a network, and automatically deployed without a human touch while also having zero trust. That significantly increases security while lowering complexity for edge customers,” he added.

Securely scale edge operations for any enterprise use case

Customers can expect the following from the Project Frontier edge operations software platform:

• Combine existing and new enterprise edge use cases using their preferred software applications, IoT frameworks, operational technologies (OT), multi-cloud environments, and future technologies supported by an open design.
• End-to-end supply chain security solutions are used to support Zero Trust-enabled security protection spanning edge applications, data, and infrastructure from design to deployment.
• End-to-end edge operations that are more efficient and reliable thanks to centralized management, zero-touch deployment, and secure device onboarding.
• Automation to simplify edge installations and operations across potentially thousands of edge requirements, requiring little or no in-field IT skills.
• Integration of storage and computation hardware at the edge with workloads for easier maintenance and enhanced security.
• Global planning and support services are provided across 170 countries, to help design edge deployments and provide a roadmap for expanding customers’ edge infrastructure to meet new demand.

“We will continue to innovate at the edge. We’ll keep releasing new edge-optimized products and industry-specific vertical solutions that use those products. We invite our larger customers and partners to participate in an edge design program through the Project Frontier Software Platform,” Shneorson concluded. “Participants in that program will have access to Project Frontier as it develops so that we can have a continuous feedback loop and make sure that, when it launches, it meets their needs as intended.”

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