Dell Retail Announces Comprehensive Cloud Solution for Retailers

Dell today unveiled Cloud Client Computing for Retail, its first end-to-end cloud solution specifically designed to enable retailers to seamlessly move to an in-store cloud environment.

The comprehensive offering addresses endpoint devices, networking, security, virtualization, infrastructure, management tools and services to help retailers realize cloud-related benefits such as increased efficiency and cost savings in a Dell-designed Cloud Client Computing solution that is customizable to each retailer's unique environment and needs. The solution allows retailers to simplify store system hardware by hosting and managing complex point-of-sale (POS) and inventory systems centrally in the store or in the cloud. Dell can handle every aspect of the transition, eliminating the time-consuming and costly process of piecing together products and services from various vendors, as many retailers do currently.

"Until now, most retailers have had to cobble together products and services from multiple vendors in order to address cloud solutions and virtualization in their store environment," said Mike Adams, retail industry practice lead at Dell. "As a result of our recent acquisitions that include Wyse, SonicWALL and Quest, Dell is able to provide an end-to-end solution that has been tested and optimized for retail's unique environment. Cloud Client Computing for Retail delivers a reliable, cost-effective, end-to-end solution that can allow access to any application from any device."

According to Maintaining the Competitive Edge in the New Era of Anywhere, Any Time Retail, a recent Dell Wyse white paper, "More and more retail organizations are seeing the value of using a cloud computing or virtualized environment to reduce operating expenses, increase data security, and reduce power requirements... Until now, however, retailers considering virtualization would have to omit point-of-sale (POS) systems from the strategy as no major provider offered a cloud or virtualization-ready POS system that can run today's advanced POS applications."

This solution addresses retailers' needs to make their IT operations as efficient, agile and Seamless as possible to remain competitive. Dell's own Retail Customer Advisory Council has emphasized that retailers are scrambling for ways to keep up with the changing retail environment. With smartphones in hand, connected consumers have instant access to pricing and product information, are able to tap their social networks for recommendations and purchase from competitors on the sales floor. Consumers expect a Seamless experience across channels, to be recognized and rewarded and to Engage with store personnel that are knowledgeable about products and offers.

With retailers facing these challenges related to mobility, security, flexibility, support and cost, Dell's cloud client computing solution hits directly on the unique needs of the retail market. Specifically, the solution can:

allow retailers to access any application or content from any device;
increase device reliability while decreasing cost;
eliminate the risky need to store data on endpoint devices, greatly increasing security;
support a test-once-deploy-to-many-devices model;
allow retailers to seamlessly repurpose endpoint devices for POS, kiosks, customer service or the back office; and,
allow for the quick replacement of endpoints without the need for imaging or staging.

The new offering is made up of three modules:

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