Dell founder says IoT, cloud, workforce and security are all part of digital transformation
LAS VEGAS–Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of the Austin-based tech powerhouse, shared key takeaways of his regular conversations with the CEOs and CIOs of customers during his opening session at the Dell EMC World event. “The CEOs,” Dell said, “have moved beyond needing to be convinced there’s a digital transformation.”
He continued: “The hunger for transformation is tremendous and they’re looking for a strategy, a partner, a model, to help them along this journey. CEOs want their companies to become technology companies and every business unit wants to become a platform. There is a lot to do. You need an internet of things strategy, you need a cloud strategy, you need a workforce strategy and, security, that’s the greatest concern of all.”
Dell discussed the company’s 20-year relationship with aircraft manufacturer Boeing. “They’re taking aviation to the internet of things, using the power of all this data to design better products and improve their operations and customer experience. And they make things that fly, which is really awesome–kind of amazing. They’re developing a software DNA inside Boeing, which is at the heart of a cycle of continuous innovation.”
Ted Colbert, Boeing CIO and SVP of Information and Analytics, said the company is focused on leveraging mobile, IoT, AI, machine learning and other technologies to drive innovation at the company. “The digital opportunity we have today requires us to take the real strong engineering foundation we have and combine it with the new digital opportunities to leverage the emerging capabilities. We have to both improve the skill set within the IT organization and raise the digital IQ of our business leaders, so they pull on recognizing the tech-enablement opportunities to transform their business.
Moving from the Boeing example, Dell said this same methodology is being leveraged to drive innovation in everything from thermostats and cars to jet engines and turbines. “Those products and services generate massive amounts of data, which, when analyzed, can be used to make products and services even more capable and market-oriented.”
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