At EMC World 2016 this morning, CEO Joe Tucci and Michael Dell are describing a range of steps that will transform Dell and EMC into Dell Technologies. Here's a live blog from the conference.
Tucci stepped to the stage first. Referring to the Dell-EMC merger, which still faces shareholder approval and other regulatory reviews: "This isn't the end of something great. This is the beginning of something greater."
Why do a big M&A deal now, and why with Dell? Tucci pointed to moments in time when markets change. He noted the billions of devices that need to collect and analyze data -- and processed in real-time. The Dell deal will allow Dell-EMC to address those customer opportunities, he asserted.
More than likely, this is Tucci's last EMC World -- particularly as CEO. He thanked attendees for their support. "I appreciate everything you've done for me and with me." The response was a standing ovation.
Keynote Recap: Michael Dell
Dell thanked Tucci, and then described the IT journey from the first EMC World conference in 2001. Then, he described the journey from 2016 to 2031 -- when the entire Library of Congress will be able to be transmitted over the Internet in three minutes, and half the cars on the road will be driverless.
Dell described how we're shifting from servers and PCs to the Internet of Things to the Internet of Everything. "All of these connected nodes and devices will generate massive amounts of new information," says Dell. "Getting insights in real time will be the challenge of our generation. We're at the beginning of IoT. It's been called the next industrial revolution. The next quantum leap" for humans.
Artificial Intelligence will amplify human creativity and the ability to solve the world's greatest challenges. "Together, we'll develop the technologies to make those possibilities a reality. From the edge to the core to the cloud."
Dell pointed to a range of synergies across the companies -- creating "the world's largest enterprise systems company." And yes, he mentioned channel partners as a key to success.
As a privately held company, Dell-EMC will be able to address for the long haul focused on customers -- rather than worrying about a 90-day shot clock (i.e., quarterly earnings per share).
Dell also confirmed that Dell-EMC will be known as Dell Technologies. The enterprise side of the business will be called Dell-EMC, while the client (PC) business will be called Dell (I'm double-checking those names; stay tuned).
Rivals like HP are "shrinking their way to success, which isn't possible. They are separating their edge from the core with less innovation, less investment, less software and they are losing share to Dell. We're going in the opposite direction. We can be the essential technology infrastructure for the next industrial revolution."
But he said the deal is about Dell's and EMC's mutual customers. "You are going to cure cancer; feed and water the world; create jobs and do more on a global scale," he added. "We have the scale for you to dream that big."
Tomorrow, by the way, marks the 32nd birthday of Michael Dell launching his company.
The M&A deal remains on track under the original terms on the original timeline, he added. (That means it will likely close by October 2016.)
David Goulden, CEO, EMC Information Infrastructure
Among the key points he raised:
- Businesses now have three IT requirements: Agility, efficiency and speed
- The data center foundations now require flash, cloud-enabled, scale out and software defined.
- All of that requires strong protection and trust (backup and recovery, business continuity and built-in security).
Product Launch News
- MyService360 debuts as a free management dashboard for customers. But how about service providers?
- Virtustream Storage Cloud: Don't call it an Amazon alternative.
- More launch details here soon.
Coming Soon: Extended Q&A, Session I
- Tucci and Dell
- Goulden
- Howard Elias, president and COO, global enterprise services; co-leader, Dell/EMC Value Creation an Integration Office.
- Recap comong soon
Extended Q&A, Session II
- Executives from across EMC, Virtustream and more
- Recap coming soon
Check this blog regularly today for ongoing updates.
