DSA got the opportunity to attend a small group Q & A session with Dell EMC President and Chief Commercial Officer during a breakout meeting at the recent Dell technologies world event in Las Vegas

Marius is responsible for the Dell EMC global go-to-market organisation, delivering innovative and practical solutions to commercial customers, and has responsibility for Dell channel partners, as well as public and federal institutions worldwide.
 
Marius spent 40 minutes fielding any questions that the press had about pretty much anything they wanted to raise.

In relation to AI and the importance of smaller ISV’s to Dell’s plans, Marius confirmed that the ecosystem is very important. He pointed to the case studies and showcases at the event itself, and explained how the aim had been to show how AI in particular, will transform areas like training, giving an example of how AI and augmented reality based training will transform the process of learning about (for instance) a jet engine. replacing the need to be reading through bundles of manuals, instead immersive AI assisted training will enable engineers to look at the engine in a virtual environment and learn by having virtual hands-on experiences. Dell technologies are providing the infrastructure and working with ISVs to make that a reality today.

When questioned on the challenges of delivering the Dell vision in a region as diverse as APJ (e.g. VMware has low market share in China) Marius was realistic. He confirmed for Dell EMC there is no one size fits all. He also explained that the bigger challenge was the integration and coverage of the sales teams post-merger. He was realistic that during the merger period, there was churn and to some extent missed opportunities, but according to Marius that time was spent investing heavily in building the correct sales force with the correct skills and experience to execute the Dell Technologies vision with relevant local nuance.
 
When questioned if it is hard to find talent in Asia, Marius felt that is universal problem, but stated that attrition in his business has been low, he believes that by giving his team globally (over 15,000) a great corporate vision, room for career growth and a brand they can be proud of, then people want to stay. Marius has watched attrition rate very carefully since the merger and can confirm that rates including in Asia has dropped.
 
In terms of channel partners, Marius doesn’t see any major change in the partners that Dell are looking to work with. He really does see the value that the smaller ISVs create. They build special relationships with customers that differentiate their integrated solutions. Some traditional large integrators are building entire transformation strategies on Dell technologies. As long as partners focus on how they can solve business challenges through technology, they will be valuable not only to Dell EMC, but to their customers and most importantly in building their own businesses.
 
It’s a great viewpoint and we liked this humble attitude, showing huge respect for even the smallest partners from a man that is running one of the largest enterprise technology salesforces in the world.