Innovate and thrive in today’s digital economy
Customer expectations are rising. Driving business growth to maintain a competitive edge is a priority. You need an agile IT environment that adapts quickly to its changing needs, fosters innovation, and supports growth.
To create this environment that fosters innovation, organizations are embracing a multi-ecosystem approach to cloud, which includes leveraging the benefits of a Microsoft Azure Hybrid cloud environment.
If you’re looking to deliver an innovative Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud experience on-premises, or want to utilize Microsoft Azure Arc to extend Azure data services and management to Dell Technologies’ on-premises cloud deployments, our consulting services will help you get there.
Key Benefits
- Understand your current state, business goals and how to build your cloud by design
- Implement Azure Stack where and how you want
- Build a high-performing DevSecOps team who can develop modern applications
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Dell APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure |
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| Simplify deployment and operations Achieve faster time-to-value with automated deployment and advanced, full-stack single pane lifecycle management. |
Accelerate application modernization Innovate faster with consistent Arc-enabled services for automated DevOps and application workflows. |
Optimize workload placement Address a broad set of workloads with Dell software-defined storage and edge-optimized node configurations. |
APEX Cloud Platform for Azure is engineered collaboratively with Microsoft to optimize Azure hybrid cloud operations. It empowers organizations to unlock innovation with a consistent Azure experience across their IT environments. Through extensive integrations and numerous automations, the APEX Cloud Platform empowers IT organizations to simplify app modernization and accelerate DevOps.
The platform enhances Azure operations by providing consistent management and operations with centralized Azure tools, while mitigating security and compliance risks with an intrinsic approach to security that extends Azure governance across all deployment environments.
Simplify hybrid cloud
The Dell APEX Cloud Platform Foundation Software, an integral part of the platform, provides deep, cross-layer integrations and intelligent automation that simplify initial deployments and cluster creation, in addition to ongoing operations across the complete technology stack. IT admins can use familiar tools, such as Windows Admin Center and the Azure Portal, for a simple, consistent and centralized way of operating dispersed Azure deployments. Accelerate time to value with Compared to manual deployment. Based on internal
APEX Cloud Platform for Azure is purpose-built in collaboration with Microsoft to optimize Azure hybrid cloud experiences. Microsoft engineers use a robust CI/CD pipeline to comprehensively test and certify monthly updates and patches for the complete APEX Cloud Platform stack on Dell hardware and software running in Microsoft labs, ensuring that users can access updates within just four hours. Testing includes the entire stack from the Azure Resource Bridge to the hardware. Thorough testing of baseline upgrades by both Microsoft and Dell engineers instills customers with confidence in the reliability of their upgrade experience. Collaborative engineering means Dell and Microsoft engineers partner to proactively remediate bugs before each release, securing the reliability of every upgrade.
Accelerate application delivery
Stay current with availability of updates The platform empowers organizations to innovate faster by boosting DevOps productivity and IT agility with a responsive cloud operational model that’s delivered on-premises. Designed to support both virtualized and modern, containerized apps, the platform accelerates app modernization and DevOps initiatives by optimizing delivery of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on-premises. In addition, Azure Arc– enabled on-demand application and data services simplify application environments and accelerate app modernization. API-driven programmability also enables simpler DevOps and app workflows. Extend Azure on-premises to private cloud and edge deployments with flexible compute, storage, and GPU resources to help you address a broad set of workloads, helping you drive innovation everywhere.
Optimize workload placement
Based on continuous joint CI/CD testing with Microsoft. Results may vary. September 2023. The platform uniquely offers flexibility to utilize Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) as well as Dell’s enterprise block software-defined storage (SDS). With a shared, universal storage layer based on Dell’s SDS across on-premises and public cloud locations, the APEX Cloud Platform for Azure simplifies workload mobility, giving you control over where your applications and data reside. The platform is the only offer in the Microsoft Premier Solutions for Azure Stack HCI category that supports linear scaling of storage resources independently from compute.
Additionally, the platform mitigates potential security and compliance risks effortlessly by integrating with Azure management and governance services. IT can use the centralized Azure portal to enforce consistent full-stack security and governance policies across locations. The APEX Cloud Platform for Azure takes a full-stack approach to security with sophisticated controls and multilayered protection from security threats. Advanced lifecycle-management capabilities help ensure that the full technology stack always remains in compliance and up to date. Furthermore, by delivering developer-friendly app and data services on-premises, application teams can avoid data and application sprawl across insecure or noncompliant locations.
The Platform
We really can’t talk about delivering operational consistency and accelerating time-to-value without talking about this important piece of software, the Dell APEX Cloud Platform Foundation Software.
With this software, Dell is really leveraging and evolving its highly differentiated management and orchestration capabilities from its VxRail system software. We have taken the M&O IP that distinguishes VxRail and we have customized it for Azure environments with this software. The software plays a key role in
- Automating initial deployments
- Streamlining on-going operational tasks
- As well as deliver operational consistency across your dispersed Azure on-prem and Cloud deployments with centralized management.
