Dell and VMware are helping to simplify virtualization for customers with a strategy that will deliver Dell PowerEdge(TM) servers embedded with VMware ESX 3i hypervisor with a "single click." The initiative, announced at VMworld, is the first in a series of innovations that will expand adoption of virtualization as a standard ingredient in datacenter technology.

Dell will begin the process of putting VMware ESX 3i hypervisor across all virtualization-certified Dell PowerEdge servers starting in early April. Customers will be able to purchase with a single click, easing virtualization planning, deployments and management. More information is available at http://www.dell.com/vmwarenow.

"Virtualization radically simplifies IT -- and we're the only vendor delivering it to customers in a single click," said Brad Anderson, Senior Vice President, Dell Business Product Group. "We're unleashing the potential of virtualization - from servers through storage - and we're making it simple for customers."

"Dell and VMware are delivering on a shared vision for virtualization," said Diane Greene, president and CEO, VMware. "Dell is virtualization-enabling their servers with the VMware ESX 3i hypervisor, giving the PowerEdge line standalone server consolidation capability. Customers can upgrade from the VMware ESX 3i hypervisor to VMware's datacenter virtualization and management suite, VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3). VI3 provides capability for automatic load balancing, business continuity and power management and the ability to move a virtual machine across physical machines with no service interruptions." 

Accelerating the Value of Virtualization

By making virtualization a mainstream, pervasive datacenter architecture, customers can immediately reduce capital and operating costs by as much as 30 - 50 percent, improve security, help ensure business continuity and deploy green IT environments.

Dell PowerEdge servers provide an ideal platform for customers to deploy these environments. The Dell PowerEdge 2950-III and Dell's new PowerEdge M-Series blade solution own the no. 1 benchmark for server virtualization performance(1). The M-Series also provides lead-free configurations that further help customers further minimize their environmental impact.

When combined with the recently announced Dell EqualLogic PS5000 Series storage arrays and Dell Virtualization Readiness Assessment Services, these solutions give customers a complete, simplified and greener end-to-end virtualization-ready data center.

The VMware ESX 3i hypervisor is based on core VMware virtualization technology in use by more than 100,000 customers. It is the industry's smallest hypervisor (32MB), enabling high levels of security and reliability, and it is the only OS-independent virtualization platform. VMware ESX 3i delivers single-server consolidation with fast and easy deployment -- the first virtual machine can operate within minutes of booting a server with pre-configured and optimized hardware configurations.

Customers can upgrade from VMware ESX 3i hypervisor to VMware's datacenter virtualization and management suite, VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3). VI3 provides the capability for automatic load balancing, business continuity and power management and the ability to move a virtual machine across physical machines to minimize service interruption. VI3 is also compatible with VMware's desktop virtualization and management solutions.