Transforming Business Outcomes: Latest Advances in Dell Services and Payment Solutions

Speaker 1 (00:02)
Hello and welcome back to the Dell Technologies Forum podcast series where ideas and innovation meet acceleration. In this series, we bring together Dell Technologies' brightest minds and industry pioneers to help you navigate the ever evolving landscape of technology. I'm Courtney Hughes and today I'm joined by Ricardo Calderon, Vice President of Product Marketing for Services and Payment Solutions at Dell Technologies. Who will help us today unpack the strategic importance and real-world value of Dell Services, how they're helping organizations solve complex challenges, accelerate innovation, and achieve measurable outcomes in a rapidly evolving business landscape. We'll also discuss how Dell's flexible payment solutions will help make these innovations possible. Ricardo, thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 2 (00:52)
Courtney, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:54)
Of course. And we're going to start off with the topic that is top of everybody's mind. It's in every conversation and we see it everywhere. Artificial intelligence. Dell is making huge strides with the Dell AI factory. How is Dell services helping customers move from AI ambition to actual achievement?

Speaker 2 (01:14)
Absolutely, Courtney. So the Dell AI Factory is our comprehensive solution for enterprise AI. And our professional services are the engine that drives it. So we make innovation real for our customers. Think of this way. Technology provides the potential, but services deliver the outcome. So let me explain a little bit more. Organizations face significant hurdles behind AI, like defining the right use cases. Preparing their data and managing complex deployment. Our experts engage at the very beginning of that journey. So we start with strategic workshops to identify high value AI opportunities and conduct data readiness assessment to ensure the foundation is solid. So this approach allow us to rapidly deploy AI solutions that deliver quantifiable results, such as achieving up to 62%, yes, 62% lower cost for on-prem LLMs compared to public cloud alternatives. It's about accelerating time to value for the entire process.

Speaker 1 (02:20)
So Dell Services is focused not just on the hardware, but on guiding businesses at every stage from strategy to secure scalable deployment.

Speaker 2 (02:31)
Exactly. So we're helping organizations capture ROI faster and reduce risk in their AI journey with tailored workshops. We also have proof of value, data preparation, and outcome driven managed services.

Speaker 1 (02:46)
Okay, Ricardo, so beyond AI, businesses are constantly balancing modernization with budget realities and sustainability goals. I'm really curious, how does the Dell Lifecycle Services and Payment Solutions address this complex challenge?

Speaker 2 (03:02)
So our lifecycle services are a game changer. We cover the entire lifecycle from rapid deployment with pro deploy, 24 by 7 global support to ongoing management and responsible recycling at the end of life. This is helping customers transition smoothly to Windows 11 and AI PCs, reducing IT complexity and staying compliant with evolving regulations.

Our tailored payment solutions provide customers with the flexibility, scalability and risk mitigation to maximize their return on investment. Let me share a great example. We recently collaborated with Alfa Laval. They are a global leader in manufacturing solutions to support their sustainability efforts. So through asset recovery services, we provided secure and responsible IT's asset management, helping them retire waste in a comprehensive circular manner.
While extending the life of their IT equipment across their worldwide operations.

Speaker 1 (04:02)
So businesses get to modernize with confidence and sustainability is built right into the process.

Speaker 2 (04:08)
That's right. We are a strategic partner to our customers through their entire journey to ensure a foundation for long-term success.

Speaker 1 (04:16)
And with the rapid evolution of technology and the increasing complexity of IT environments, how is Dell addressing both traditional security concerns and the emerging challenges of safeguarding businesses in an AI-driven landscape?

Speaker 2 (04:30)
Security is a foundation to everything we do. Although our customers having a secure and resilient business isn't just a priority, it's a requirement of operating in today's world. Every day organizations face bigger and more complex cyber threats. However, to protect their IT environment, they have to build resilience and confidence in their ability to recover from downtime. And that's where our service portfolio is built to help customers with these key needs.

Providing a comprehensive portfolio ranging from advisory workshops, managed detection response, IT resilient solutions for cyber, and expert incidents response to recover in case of a cyber attack. This powerful combination of capabilities deliver expertise and outcome that our customers need. Our teams have recently been focused on helping customers protect their use of AI with technologies and expertise provided through these key services offerings.

Speaker 1 (05:28)
Is this about reactive support or something more?

Speaker 2 (05:31)
It is actually both. So we anticipate threats before they become issues. We enable rapid cyber recovery and ensure clients are prepared to protect, detect and respond, no matter how complex their operations are. In fact, in partnership with Microsoft, we provided the support to University of Tennessee system in enhancing its cybersecurity posture to manage detection and response services. This initiative helps the university build a secure foundation for its digital infrastructure, protecting sensitive data and ensuring operations continuity across campuses.

Speaker 1 (06:08)
Now I want to touch on one that I think is important in all of this and in every work we do, it's about the people, right? As the workplace evolves, how is Dell Services empowering people to be more productive and creative?

Speaker 2 (06:22)
Awesome, this is a critical point as well. We deliver purpose-built devices designed for the new era of work. But it's not just about devices, it's about the experience. We provide digital employee experience consulting, helping customers personalize PC deployments, accelerate Windows 11, Copilot Plus adoption, and optimize end-user productivity with proactive support and tailored training.

Speaker 1 (06:47)
So services teams help customers adapt tech for their unique needs and get employees up and running faster?

Speaker 2 (06:54)
Exactly, by optimizing the entire end user journey from deployment to daily use, we help organizations minimize downtime and empower every employee to innovate. It's about ensuring that the technology is not just powerful, but also intuitive and integrated into their workflow.

Speaker 1 (07:14)
And so when you step back and take a look at the big picture, what is the real bottom line for Dell customers?

Speaker 2 (07:20)
The way we see it is that we accelerate measurable outcomes and mitigate risks, helping our customers stay agile, innovative, and well prepared for any disruption. That's why professional services are a key driver of rapid return of investment and long-term success.

Speaker 1 (07:38)
Ricardo, thank you so much for your insights and for showing us how services aren't just support, like they're really truly game changers.

Speaker 2 (07:46)
Thank you, Courtney. Great to be here.

Speaker 1 (07:48)
I know I do have another question for you. Sure. In your conversations that you are having with customers, what challenges do you see them having and how are you and your team helping them?

Speaker 2 (07:59)
Absolutely. So the basic challenge that they face is where to start. They know that they need to innovate. They know that they need to go through the AI journey or if they don't do it, their competitors will do it. Right. And they need help on that. So we come and as I mentioned, we help them and the standard approach, reviewing where the data is, how they can have the best use case scenarios to take advantage of AI. And then we go all the way helping them including managed services so we can do that for them in their environment.

Speaker 1 (08:30)
Have you noticed as far as the data goes that it's everywhere, it's hard to get your hands around when you're in there having these conversations with the customers about gathering all of the data?

Speaker 2 (08:41)
That's probably one of the most difficult part that they face. They want to jump into using AI into their different processes and use cases, but reality, your data is not in the right place and standardized in the right way, then the model will just not work. And that's what we see happening across many companies that they jump into the wagon of AI and they start not seeing the return on investment. And that's where some of them get stuck.

And that's why once again, we just go with a simple day zero approach, day one approach, and we make sure that they are taking full advantage of their deployment.

Speaker 1 (09:18)
Thank you so much, Ricardo. And thank you to our listeners and everyone for tuning in. Don't forget to follow and share the podcast for more on the technology shaping the way we work. And if today's episode got you thinking, join us at a Dell Technologies Forum near you, where you get to connect with peers, see these innovations live, and take the conversation further. Find the nearest forum on our website. Thanks again for listening, and we'll be back soon.