Dell is reshaping the concept of private cloud with a new offering that emphasizes flexibility and avoids the common pitfalls of vendor lock-in. Instead of locking customers into a single software stack or platform, Dell’s new service lets businesses build their private cloud using tools from VMware, Nutanix, and Red Hat, all running on Dell hardware.
The service, dubbed Dell Private Cloud, is less of a finished product and more of a flexible setup tool. It allows companies to choose their preferred software stack and deploy it on Dell’s disaggregated infrastructure—where servers, storage, and networking components are separate rather than being bundled together into a single, rigid system. This approach gives organizations greater control over how they design and manage their private clouds while enabling them to reuse existing hardware, which can lower costs and reduce waste.
To help guide users through the setup process, Dell provides a catalog of “validated blueprints,” which are pre-tested system designs that streamline the configuration process. The platform’s automation tools promise to cut setup time by as much as 90%. Dell claims that new clusters can be deployed in under three hours with no manual intervention, all managed via the Dell Automation Platform that handles everything from onboarding to ongoing system updates.
Keith Bradley, Vice President of IT and Security at Nature Fresh Farms, shared his thoughts on the service: “The flexibility to transition between cloud ecosystems and the ability to repurpose hardware is a game-changer for us by providing investment protection and enabling us to respond to evolving business needs quickly.”
A subscription-based model gives users access to Dell’s validated blueprints, which can be deployed across any available Dell server or storage hardware. While the software stacks cannot be mixed on the same server, they can operate seamlessly across the broader infrastructure. Centralized management tools simplify the coordination of resources across different environments.
For now, the VMware stack option is limited to vSphere—though Dell plans to expand this offering later in the year, with more stack options to come. In the future, customers will also have the option to bring their own software licenses or purchase them through Dell, offering additional flexibility in how they structure their cloud environment.
Keith Townsend, an analyst who previewed Dell’s Automation Platform, praised the company for its vision of modular infrastructure, calling it “a young vision for modular infrastructure between private cloud stacks.” He noted that it reflects Dell’s desire to distance itself from the tight integration typically found in hyper-converged systems.
Dell’s concept of “disaggregated infrastructure” is a step away from hyper-converged systems, which are often tied to a single hypervisor and difficult to disassemble. This flexibility allows businesses to tailor their infrastructure to meet their unique needs without being confined to a single vendor or technology.
Beyond private cloud, Dell is also applying automation to edge deployments. The Dell Native Edge tool supports VM snapshots, backups, migrations, and policy-driven load balancing. These tools are designed to work with both Dell hardware and systems from other vendors, making it easier to manage mixed environments at the edge.
During Dell Technologies World, the company also spotlighted its AI hardware advancements. Dell’s servers are now optimized to meet Nvidia’s “AI Factory” standards, supporting the latest accelerators from Nvidia and AMD. To address the increased heat generated by these powerful systems, Dell is introducing the PowerCool Enclosed Rear Door Heat Exchanger, which is designed to reduce cooling costs by up to 60%. The system includes a rack controller that tracks temperature, manages rack-level devices, and even includes leak detection for the liquid cooling systems becoming more common in high-performance environments.
Dell also unveiled a new laptop, the Pro Max Plus, featuring a Qualcomm AI chip with 32 AI cores. This laptop is designed to run large AI models locally, which is typically the domain of cloud-based systems. With moves like this, Dell is positioning itself as a key player in both edge computing and AI hardware.
Dell’s latest private cloud initiative highlights a shift toward flexibility, cost efficiency, and more control for businesses, all while meeting the rising demands of modern workloads, AI, and edge computing. This new approach is one to watch as it continues to evolve and reshape the cloud landscape.
