Smart cities, autonomous driving, nanobots all part of the digital transformation associated with IoT
AUSTIN–Dell EMC CEO Michael Dell opened the first Dell EMC World event today with a strong emphasis on the digital transformation needed to realize the internet of things (IoT).
Dell said there are some 8 billion connected devices in the world today, and projected that number would grow to 200 billion or more in the next 15 years.
“All of those devices, those sensors, those nodes, will provide access to a host of new digital applications,” he said, citing smart cities, driverless vehicles and even nanobots working inside the human body to cure cancer and repair cellular damage.
But, he cautioned that if the proper IT strategies are not implemented, this could equate to a “digital disaster” for unprepared enterprises.
“We’re gonna be the trusted provider of essential infrastructure for the next Industrial Revolution. If you’re going to transform to embrace the digital future, we’re the place to come.”
He backed that up noting Dell holds more than 20,000 patents and applications, supported by an annual R&D spend of $4.5 billion, as well as Dell EMC’s service of some 90% of the Fortune 500.
Appearing in a video, GE CEO Jeff Immelt said: “The world that’s grown up as physical science is now being merged with digital science…the two are inextricably linked. If you went to bed last night as an industrial company, you woke up as a software and analytics company.”
That “really says it all,” Dell added.
He also discussed the central role hybrid cloud will play in supporting the IoT.
“We believe that everybody is on a journey to hybrid cloud,” Dell said, and that’s a three-step process. The first step is data center modernization, followed by automation of “every process in IT,” and, finally, transformation of IT “to operate much more like a service provider.”
