SecureWorks Adds Security Monitoring for Customer Workloads on AWS | Dell

SecureWorks Corp. (NASDAQ: SCWX) is expanding the capabilities of its vendor-agnostic, data analytics engine -- the Counter Threat Platform (CTP) ^TM -- to now provide security monitoring of client applications and data being hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The solutions are designed to enhance the security of an organization’s applications and data being hosted on AWS. 



SecureWorks Adds Security Monitoring for Customer Workloads on AWS | Dell

Dell Services Launches Comprehensive New Business Processing Platform for Insurance Industry | Dell

Dell Services today announced a new state-of-the-art Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) offering for Property and Casualty (P&C) to help insurance carriers reduce time to market, lower processing costs and elevate service to agents and employees with a pay-as-you-go model.



Dell Services Launches Comprehensive New Business Processing Platform for Insurance Industry | Dell

Denali Holding Inc. Announces Pricing on High-Yield Notes | Dell

Denali Holding Inc. (the "Company") today announced the pricing of the previously announced offering by two of its wholly-owned subsidiaries as co-issuers (the "co-issuers") of $1,625,000,000 5.875 percent Senior Notes due 2021 (the "2021 Notes") and $1,625,000,000 7.125 percent Senior Notes due 2024 (the "2024 Notes" and, together with the 2021 Notes, the "Notes"). The 2021 Notes will bear interest at 5.875 percent per annum and will mature on June 15, 2021. The 2024 Notes will bear interest at 7.125 percent per annum and will mature on June 15, 2024.



Denali Holding Inc. Announces Pricing on High-Yield Notes | Dell

Dell 43 Multi-Client Monitor P4317Q | Dell

Dell today announced the release of its Dell 43 Multi-Client Monitor (P4317Q), the company’s first multi-client display designed specifically for financial institutions, trading floors and software developers. The Multi-Client Monitor is the latest example of Dell’s commitment to innovation, intentional design and meeting the needs of customers by offering users the opportunity to view up to four independent clients in a single view or easily switch between four independent systems in full-screen view.



Dell 43 Multi-Client Monitor P4317Q | Dell

Dell Services Expands Enterprise Mobility Offerings with New Partners | Dell

Dell Services today announced it is giving customers enhanced solutions and strategic support for their enterprise mobility strategies through two new partnerships. Partnerships with Apperian, Inc., the leading platform for securing and managing enterprise mobile apps, and Kony, Inc., the fastest growing cloud-based mobile application development platform (MADP) in the industry will help Dell customers through the development, deployment and management of their enterprise mobility applications. These partner capabilities will complement the innovative and award winning Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) offerings Dell has introduced into the marketplace.



Dell Services Expands Enterprise Mobility Offerings with New Partners | Dell

Dell, VMware ‘Double Down’ on Desktop Virtualization

VMware News Releases

Dell, VMware ‘Double Down’ on Desktop Virtualization

New Dell vStart for VDI, with VMware View® bundles, cloud client devices and channel programs designed to deliver simplified success
Joint offerings help channel partners deliver VDI to growing small and midsize business segment

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 28, 2012 – Today at VMworld 2012, Dell and VMware announced the expansion of the companies’ joint efforts to simplify the delivery of world-class desktop virtualization solutions. 

As part of the companies’ expanded strategic relationship, Dell and VMware will deliver new, turnkey virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) bundles based on VMware View.  The joint solutions will provide customers and channel partners with tested and validated hardware configurations and vertically optimized reference architectures, along with new fulfillment mechanisms and enhanced incentives for joint channel partners.

Organizations are looking to implement trusted VDI solutions, which can scale with them as they grow. According to the results of the recent “Trends around Desktop Virtualization for Small and Midsized Organizations” study conducted by Spiceworks (April 2012), more than 60 percent of customers are planning to roll out or evaluate desktop virtualization in 2012. As a result, channel partners are seeking ways to respond to customer demand with solutions that work seamlessly and offer the ability to scale, delivering value to customers and their businesses.

Cloud client computing in combination with desktop virtualization enables organizations of all sizes to offer anytime, anywhere access to the applications, data and services people want while simplifying IT management and security. The combination of Dell and VMware technology can help customers and channel partners deliver more effective desktop virtualization solutions faster to drive business advantages, embrace bring your own device (BYOD) and mobility challenges and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO).

Dell vStart for VDI, with VMware View – Delivering VDI Success
Core to the joint initiative is the new Dell vStart for VDI, with VMware View bundle, a combination of Dell vStart preconfigured and tested server, storage and networking hardware that has been validated and optimized by VMware for optimum performance and scalability with VMware View.  The solution also includes Dell Wysecloud clients designed for VMware View. These bundles come with validated reference architectures.

This offering will provide channel partners flexibility to offer a wide range of solutions, from turnkey “View-in-a-box,” to a la carte components needed to expand existing VMware View installations. Moreover, solutions will be available in configurations optimized for healthcare, education and government organizations, as well as for the specific BYOD and mobility needs of private businesses.

Quotes
"Dell vStart for VDI, with VMware View®, is an exciting development for MCPc in our efforts to help customers design, implement and manage next generation workspaces.  Our customers, especially small and midsize organizations, are asking for simple and cost effective VDI solutions, and we expect this initiative to be particularly attractive to our customers in the mid-market as well as healthcare and education, “ said Jed Ayres, SVP Partner Management & Marketing, MCPc, Inc.  “This will be a catalyst for growth at MCPc as it provides a turnkey VDI technology stack coupled with programs and training to make sure our entire organization can deliver on this game changing value proposition."

"We are pleased to expand our strategic relationship with Dell to provide our joint channel partners and customers VDI solutions that offer security, ease of deployment and scalability," said Vittorio Viarengo, vice president, End-User Computing, VMware. "With the new vStart for VDI with VMware View®, we are enabling small and midsize businesses to quickly transform their organizations and help their employees work smarter, while reducing costs and driving efficiencies in IT."

“Customers are increasingly turning to cloud client computing technologies to solve their business challenges,” said Tarkan Maner, vice president and general manager, Cloud Client Computing at Dell. “Dell recognizes the considerable contribution made by our channel partners worldwide in counseling our customers and implementing robust solutions that meet their needs.  Through our strategic relationship with VMware, we have devised a number of turnkey VMware View configurations, reference architectures and incentives to provide our joint partners with the tools needed to rapidly provide enhanced value to customers and prospects in the mid-market segment.”

“Today’s news reinforces Dell’s commitment to channel partners,” said Greg Davis, vice president and general manager, Global Commercial Channels at Dell. “In the past week, Dell announced the Dell vStart for VDI with VMware View as well as the Dell PartnerDirect Desktop Virtualization Solution Competencyboth designed to enable channel partners to optimize their business and better serve their mid-market customers helping them meet their business needs.”

About VMware
VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. With 2011 revenues of $3.77 billion, VMware has more than 350,000 customers and 50,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com.

About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. Dell’s global alliance with VMware produces tightly integrated cloud and virtualization solutions with exceptional performance, reliability and simplified management based on VMware technology running on Dell end-to-end infrastructure solutions. To learn more, visit http://www.dell.com/vmware.

Join us at Dell World 2012 – The Power to Do More. Technology professionals will learn from one another and identify key challenges and opportunities connected to the top forces changing business today. Learn more atwww.DellWorld.com or follow #DellWorld on Twitter.

Dell is a trademark of Dell Inc. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

VMware, VMworld and VMware View are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

Dell Expands Portfolio of Desktop Virtualization Solutions For Light IT and Complex IT Environments

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Date : 3/30/2012

Round Rock, Texas

·         Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions (DVS) Simplified offers easy-to-install and manage plug-and-play solutions

·         DVS Enterprise offers high performance, large enterprise-ready initiatives

·         University of Connecticut advances distance-learning capabilities with DVS Enterprise

·         Dell is further strengthening its position in the desktop virtualization solutions (DVS) space with the availability of end-to-end offerings that are designed to help a wide range of IT organizations implement virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI).

The new solutions – which deliver an array of productivity benefits for end-users and IT managers – include:

·         DVS Simplified Appliance, which delivers easy-to-install and easy-to-manage plug-and-play solutions for organizations with limited IT complexity. It includes Citrix VDI-in-a-Box software for easy, repeatable deployment.

·         DVS Enterprise, for large-scale rollouts and for more demanding IT environments. It integrates technology from VMware and Citrix.

·         DVS Simplified Desktop as a Service (DaaS), a forthcoming solution based on Desktone’s leading software platform.

With virtual desktop initiatives, organizations in such diverse sectors as education, healthcare and finance benefit from advanced security, enhanced mobility and streamlined IT management so they can focus on their core business objectives.

“Our portfolio of DVS solutions help organizations of all sizes quickly and easily take advantage of the many benefits of deploying virtual desktop initiatives,” said Dell’s Steve Lalla, vice president and general manager of the company’s mobility solutions group. “We see an increasing number of customers turning to Dell as a trusted partner to help take the guess work out of developing virtual desktop architectures. With DVS Simplified we took our expertise in engineering an out-of-the-box experience to the virtual desktop space, and with DVS Enterprise, we make it easy to deploy desktop virtualization solutions across the enterprise that fit diverse user needs.”

DVS Simplified Appliance
DVS Simplified Appliance is an easy, affordable, all-in-one desktop virtualization appliance for organizations with less-complicated IT environments. This solution is uniquely designed to remove traditional cost and complexity barriers associated with deploying virtual desktop infrastructures. The simple integrated VDI appliance can be setup in hours, and scales seamlessly by simply snapping together more of the appliances.

The integrated appliance consists of a Dell server pre-configured with virtual machines, management software, and hypervisor components from Citrix installed and ready-to-run. It includes three years of Dell ProSupport™ service for hardware and software. DVS Simplified is available direct or through Dell PartnerDirect resellers. For more information, please visit dell.com/dvssimplified. Dell PartnerDirect resellers can access related DVS Simplified content at the DVS partner portal page.

“Dell and Citrix are bringing the benefits of desktop virtualization to the mass market with Dell DVS Simplified, which makes virtual desktops simple, with affordable and predictable costs,” said Kumar K. Goswami, vice president of Products, Citrix. “This-easy-to-deploy and easy-to-manage appliance expands our ability to deliver on the vision of empowering efficient workplaces that support mobility, the freedom to Bring Your Own Device and streamlined IT management to businesses that may have previously lacked the resources and infrastructure needed for desktop virtualization. Combining the simplicity of the solution with the market presence that Dell has in the desktop space, we are excited about the opportunity to reshape the desktop virtualization market.”

DVS Enterprise
DVS Enterprise is designed for organizations with more demanding IT environments and diverse end-user requirements. It enables deployments starting with as few as 50 seats and the flexibility to scale to thousands of seats, helping to reduce key initial acquisition costs. DVS Enterprise combines the latest Dell 12G servers, Dell storage and Dell network components with VMware or Citrix software. For more information, please visitwww.dell.com/virtualdesktop.

“Dell and VMware’s collaboration efforts continue to enhance the end-user experience and performance of virtual desktop environments for customers of all sizes,” said Vittorio Viarengo, vice president, End-User Computing, VMware. “With the availability of Dell Desktop Virtualization Solutions Enterprise for VMware View™ 5, Dell expands upon its desktop virtualization portfolio to deliver secure and easily managed VDI solutions.”

The University of Connecticut, one of the most revered higher education institutions in the Northeast, recently deployed Dell’s DVS Enterprise solution as part of the school’s distant-learning program, which links the university with individuals statewide, nationally and internationally. 

“We are focusing on distance-learning and online education, and Dell’s Desktop Virtualization Solutions are helping us accomplish our goal of expanding student access to the university’s resources, from anywhere, anytime,” said Jeremy Pollack, director of IT for the University Of Connecticut School of Business. “The desktop virtualization solutions from Dell are powerful and easy to implement and allow us to run demanding applications in a VDI environment.”

DVS Simplified DaaS
DVS Simplified DaaS utilizes Desktone’s Desktops as a Service (DaaS) software platform and Dell’s global datacenters and Services to provide quick, seamless deployment of VDI environments. Available next quarter, DVS Simplified DaaS will provide quick, seamless deployment and management of VDI environments. This solution expands upon Dell’s Enterprise ‘as a Service’ virtual desktop offering released last year, which targets customers requiring fully-managed, fully-outsourced services. The new solution is designed for an array of organizations, from small and medium businesses to large enterprises, to deliver a turnkey virtual desktop solution with rapid on-boarding, scalability, self-service, and self-management. 

“The combined power of Desktone’s DaaS Platform—which was built from the ground up to deliver desktops from the cloud—and Dell’s datacenter IP and Services delivers the reality on the virtual desktop vision for everyone,” said Peter McKay, CEO of Desktone. “This is the revolutionary step in cost and scale that the industry has needed in order to accelerate the adoption of virtual desktops.”

Committed to helping customers solve their toughest IT needs, Dell’s Desktop Virtualization Solutions team provides full end-to-end solutions -– from datacenter hardware, software and services to end-user devices, including thin clients. 

About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.

Dell SecureWorks Cited as a Leader in Managed Security Services

Date : 3/30/2012

Atlanta, Georgia

Dell SecureWorks has been cited as a “Leader” in “The Forrester Wave: Managed Security Services: North America, Q1 2012” report (March 2012). Dell SecureWorks was among nine Managed Security Services (MSS) providers that Forrester Research Inc. invited to participate in the study. 

Forrester states in the report that, “An increasing number of CISOs (chief information security officers) now view security outsourcing as a viable method for reducing costs and improving their security capabilities.” 

Forrester evaluated the MSS providers’ current offerings and strategies against 60 criteria, and noted “SecureWorks remains a top player in the very competitive MSS market. Dell SecureWorks’ strongest asset is the quality of its analysts. SecureWorks’ correlation and logic engine technology, as well as its Counter Threat Unit research team, provide clients with the latest emerging threats and ensure that suspicious activity is detected and reported immediately.” 

Dell SecureWorks’ proprietary, purpose-built security platform - the Counter Threat Platform (CTP) - filters, correlates and analyzes more than 20 billion events across the company’s customer base every day. Utilizing the CTP and knowledge of the applications and technology customers use, the Dell SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit security research team delivers early warnings and actionable security intelligence tailored to each of its customers so they can quickly protect themselves against threats and vulnerabilities before impact.

“We appreciate the recognition by Forrester as a leader in the highly regarded Forrester MSSP Wave” said Mike Cote, vice president of Dell SecureWorks. “Our success in the MSSP market is due to our focus on and relationship with our customers, and our elite, renowned security intelligence that we deliver to our customers,” said Mike Cote, vice president of Dell SecureWorks. “We believe this recognition reflects our more than 14-year dedication to information security services that help customers keep their critical assets safe while enabling them to conduct business more efficiently.”

Forrester mentions in the report that, “MSSPs leverage impressive economies of scale to offer clients an enhanced security environment, cost-effective security, and a scalable and flexible security platform capable of handling future expansion.” 

Dell SecureWorks serves as an extension of an organization’s internal team to achieve its security objectives. The company helps organizations dramatically reduce the number of false alarms they have to respond to, helps fill gaps between their resources and their security demands, and watches over their IT systems and data 24 hours a day. Understanding the challenges organizations face with compliance, ever shrinking budgets and even smaller in-house security teams, Dell SecureWorks offers a broad range of information security services and service delivery options, including full outsourcing, co-management, monitoring, and on-demand software-as-a-service. 

For a complimentary copy of “The Forrester Wave: Managed Security Services: North America, Q1 2012,” visit Dell SecureWorks’ website at www.secureworks.com. 

About Dell SecureWorks: Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. Recognized as an industry leader by top analysts, Dell SecureWorks provides world-class information security services to help organizations of all sizes protect their IT assets, comply with regulations and reduce security costs. For more information, visit www.dell.com/secureworks.  

About Dell
Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to its customers and uses that insight to make technology simpler and create innovative solutions that deliver reliable, long-term value. Learn more at www.dell.com.

Second Annual Dell Storage Forums to be held in Boston and Paris Unite Industry Leaders, Customers and Partners in Discussion of the Current State of Data Management

Note to Visitors: We have moved!  For current news and information, please visit us at our successor blogs: http://JBK-BizTech.blogspot.com and http://JBK-Current-Events.blogspot.com.  Thank you.

In response to strong demand from Dell customers and channel partners, Dell Storage Forum will take place on June 10-13, 2012 in Boston and on Nov. 13-16, 2012 in Paris.

For more, click the link below:

http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/secure/2012-03-29-dell-storage-forum-data-management.aspx

Computerworld Recognizes Dell for Support of Childhood Cancer Research

IDG’s Computerworld Honors Program has recognized Dell as a 2012 Laureate for its commitment of funding, employee engagement and cloud computing technology in support of childhood cancer care research globally. The annual award program honors visionary applications of information technology promoting positive social, economic and educational change.

Dell is being recognized in the “Emerging Technology” category for providing the secure cloud-based IT infrastructure for the world’s first personalized medicine trial for pediatric cancer conducted by the Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (NMTRC) and supported by The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). 

For more, click the link below:

http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/secure/2012-03-29-dell-computerworld-cancer-research.aspx

Dell PartnerDirect Introduces Cloud Services & Solutions Certification

Note to Visitors:  We have moved!  For current news and information, please visit our successor blogs:  http://JBK-BizTech.blogspot.com and http://JBK-Current-Events.blogspot.com.  Thank you.

Dell announced today a Cloud Services & Solutions Certification for PartnerDirect channel partners that will enable them to provide cloud services & solutions to customers based on both Dell technology and their own technology services.

Today, many organizations are living with complex, overgrown computing platforms that are underutilized, take up valuable data center floor space, consume large amounts of power and cooling resources, and are not easy to manage.

 For more, click the link below:

http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/press-releases/2012-3-29-dell-partnerdirect-cloud-certification.aspx

Dell Helps Growing Businesses Streamline Critical Sales Processes With Addition of eSignature and eDocument Solutions To Dell Cloud Business Applications Portfolio

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Date : 3/27/2012

Round Rock, Texas

• Addition of EchoSign Global Electronic Signature Service from Adobe helps businesses automates entire signature process
• Conga Composer from AppExtremes helps businesses automate the creation of documents and reports using data from Salesforce CRM

Dell is expanding its cloud applications portfolio for growing businesses, Dell Cloud Business Applications (DCBA), with new offerings that extend its Cloud Integrated CRM solution – eSignature services from Adobe® EchoSign® and AppExtremes’ Conga Composer eDocument solutions. The expanded solution helps growing businesses increase productivity and gives them the ability to streamline critical processes involved in sales transactions. 

Just like the other elements of Dell Cloud Business Applications, both Adobe EchoSign and AppExtremes’ Conga Composer are cloud applications delivered as subscription services over the web, so there is no hardware or software to purchase or maintain, and minimal IT deployment effort required. Both solutions are also tightly integrated with CRM applications, allowing documents and data to be shared and stored in a single unified repository. The applications enhance the productivity capabilities of Dell’s Integrated CRM offering, which includes applications from salesforce.com, integration to third party applications with Dell Boomi as well as turnkey services and support packages.

“EchoSign eSignature and AppExtremes eDocument solutions are beneficial cloud tools that help growing businesses increase sales agility and drive revenue,” said Paulette Altmaier, vice president and general manager Dell Cloud Business Software. “By adding these solutions to the Dell Cloud Business Applications family of trusted applications, small and medium businesses can maximize sales with efficient processes with greater visibility into their account stream.”

Accelerated Sales Process with EchoSign eSignature Solutions from Adobe

The Adobe EchoSign electronic signature solution helps accelerate the sales process with an automated signature process, from the request for signature to the distribution and filing of executed agreements and forms. Using EchoSign, organizations can send contracts directly from their CRM system, view contract history, and save signed contracts with specific opportunity or contact details. The customizable, user-friendly interface enables sales representatives to drag-and-drop signature design tools, preview documents before sending them for signature, and set custom alerts. 

“With the ability to track every deal in real-time across sales, legal and finance, EchoSign accelerates the sales process, delivers accurate forecasts and improves the customer’s signing experience,” said Jason Lemkin, vice president of Web business services at Adobe. “By partnering with Dell Cloud Business Applications, we ensure we not only give small and medium businesses greater visibility into their customer contracts, but also the ability to integrate valuable information across business units – ensuring technology helps to innovate, not stifle sales.”

Sophisticated Documents and Reports with AppExtremes Conga Composer

Conga Composer makes it easy to create sophisticated documents and reports using data from salesforce.com. By standardizing all customer-facing information and distributing it through a highly-branded document template framework, Conga Composer helps companies achieve consistency of message and positioning across all customer-facing documents, raising the professionalism of sales-to-customer interactions. Conga Composer enables users to pull salesforce data into MS Office or PDF forms as well as manage and distribute content and reports from within Salesforce CRM. Users are also able to enforce best practices with standardized processes, activity logging and field updates. 

"Conga Composer automates the creation and distribution of documents with salesforce.com data, ranging from account plans and activity reports to complex orders and contracts,” said Mark Whiteside, AppExtremes COO. “The seamless integration of Conga Composer with EchoSign compresses the sales and contracting cycle down to single-click generation and delivery of agreements for customer review and signature." 

Pricing and Availability

EchoSign pricing starts at $20 per user per month with an annual subscription. Conga Composer pricing starts at $12 per user per month with annual subscription and five-user minimum (volume discounts available). Both are immediately available from Dell by calling 877-857-2364.

About Dell Cloud Business Applications

Dell Cloud Business Applications offers a family of integrated cloud applications and services that enable new business processes while leveraging existing software and technology investments. Dell Integrated CRM is a cloud service uniquely packaged to meet the needs of growing companies, delivering Salesforce CRM integrated to existing infrastructure along with reporting, analytics, turnkey Dell services, and support. For more information, visitwww.dellcloudapplications.com. 

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com. 

About Adobe EchoSign

Adobe EchoSign is the leading electronic signatures and signature automation service with more than 4 million users and 50,000 customers worldwide. Adobe EchoSign is a key component of Adobe’s document exchange services platform for reliably exchanging documents for universal access, review and approval. 

About AppExtremes

AppExtremes, Inc. is the developer of the most popular document generation and reporting solutions for Salesforce CRM and Force.com. Ranked among the top ten solutions on the Salesforce AppExchange for more than four years, AppExtremes solutions have been deployed by more than 2,700 salesforce.com customers in 35 countries. Founded in 2006, the privately-held company is based in Broomfield, Colorado. For more information, visitwww.appextremes.com.

Dell Launches ITNinja to Provide Best Online Community Experience for IT Administrators

Dell Launches ITNinja to Provide Best Online Community Experience for IT Administrators

Date : 3/21/2012

Round Rock, Texas

·         As part of Dell’s new Software Group, ITNinja will serve as a product-agnostic go-to resource for front line IT administrators with over 200,000 software application topics

·         ITNinja will build on the success of AppDeploy, the leading community for application and OS deployment.

Dell Software Group in conjunction with Dell KACE announced today that it will upgrade and expand its popular online IT community site, AppDeploy.com, under the name, ITNinja. The new community reaffirms Dell’s commitment to providing forums for the community to engage and share ideas; and validates the results of a new Dell KACE sponsored Dimensional Research survey, “The Value of IT Communities,” which revealed a vast majority of IT professionals are turning to online communities to help do their jobs more efficiently.

The announcement marks a significant milestone for the Dell KACE AppDeploy.com community, one of the leading IT community resources for software deployment best practices, with more than 450,000 monthly visitors, and a community knowledge base that is continually updated by IT professionals. The community will continue to be one of the only product-agnostic communities where anyone can join and share information and answers to the thousands of common problems that make critical IT decisions and support tough.

ITNinja is a deep, content rich community with a strong focus on software topics such as application deployment techniques, configuration settings, and management solutions. Users will be able to leverage the community to find answers and best practices on a range of complex issues.

“ITNinja builds on Dell’s established social media success to deliver a valuable community hub in which IT professionals can not only share tips and information but also form new connections with their industry colleagues,” said John Swainson, president, Software Group at Dell. “With one of the largest knowledgebases of software application topics on the Web, ITNinja will help the IT community find the answers to their software questions quickly so they can focus on innovation and do more.” 

The launch of ITNinja comes at a time when online communities, particularly within IT enterprise, have never been stronger. An online survey of IT professionals sponsored by Dell KACE in February 2012 revealed 80 percent of IT professionals engage in online communities with 70 percent of them visiting several times a week.^[1] And 95 percent of front-line professionals say they save time and do their job more efficiently by using these same online IT communities.^[2] As online IT communities have extended their connections through social media networks, they have become an easy, cost-effective way for IT professionals to engage with companies, access support and knowledge and participate in relevant discussions with peers. 

Content from ITNinja can also be leveraged by Dell KACE customers directly through the Dell KACE Appliance Management Console, providing expertise contextually saving IT teams time on common computer administration tasks.

"ITNinja is like having a subject matter expert available 24/7. I use it every day to figure out how to solve common systems management challenges and get even more value out of our Dell KACE Appliance,” said Matt May, service desk analyst with Black Diamond Equipment. “It’s extremely rewarding to be part of such a passionate community exchanging ideas, tips and information to help us all do our jobs better, it’s truly a value add to being a Dell KACE customer.”

The new ITNinja upgrade will expand the features and scope of the original AppDeploy community making it easier for users to share and find information, including:

·         An ever-growing database of hundreds of thousands of software applications serving as topics of discussion for users wanting to contribute questions, deployment tips, shared links and blog posts.

·         A new activity feed highlighting users’ contributions and providing a customized view of all software, topics, contributors and blogs that they follow to keep them up-to-date on the content they care about most.

·         An engaging user reputation management system with gamification elements that reward users with points and prizes for their contributions (past and present). Points determine one’s “belt” level which is attached to their identity on the site.

·         A new Q&A system that includes rich features for crowdsourcing solutions to technical issues faced by IT professionals.

·         Integration with Dell KACE Appliances - Any systems administrator, regardless of what tool they may use, can access this information through ITNinja.com, but KACE customers can access the same information directly through the interface of their KACE Systems Management Appliance Console offering users a quick reference for common system administration tasks.

To learn more about ITNinja and the impact of online IT communities, join ITNinja’s founder Bob Kelly for a free, introductory webinar, “Introducing ITNinja.com: Community-Enabled Solutions for IT Pros” scheduled for March 22 at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT. Register here.