Dell to expand ink distribution, launch IT management services
Dell
CEO Michael Dell said that the company will expand its retail
partnerships to sell Dell branded printer ink into more outlets.
Dell
made the remarks speaking at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando.
Dell spent a lot of time talking about how the company will expand its
channel presence, which currently accounts for $9 billion in revenue of
Dell’s $61 billion annual total.“We think there are opportunities to go
with,” said Dell. “We’re not going to be all things to all people, but
there are channel partners that want to work with the capabilities we
have.”Dell’s move into printer ink distribution seems to be a direct
attack on HP’s cash cow. Dell didn’t name what retailers would be
selling the company’s printer ink.Dell also noted that the company is
launching new services to simplify IT management. That lineup is
expected to be released at noon, but the gist is to offer centralized
management software and services for remote management.
On other topics:
*
Dell won’t be offering cloud computing services on demand. Dell said
the company sees itself as a “provider to the cloud providers.”Is
Dell’s core PC business under fire? Given thin clients, flexible
computing, virtualized desktops Dell was asked whether the core PC
business will be eroding. Dell said it plans to offer products and
services to tackle all of those markets. It will add devices as
customers ask for them. For instance, Dell will launch a tablet PC
shortly.Consumerization of product design. Business customers are also
interested in consumer-focused products, said Dell, referring to the
company’s laptops that come in various colors. “The thing that
surprised us a bit is that our business customers showed interest in
personalization,” said Dell.