OPIC and Microsoft begin financing discussions with Kenya’s Mawingu Networks

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s Development Finance Institution, today signed a mandate letter to begin financing discussions with Mawingu Networks, a provider of solar-powered wireless Internet across rural Kenya.

OPIC’s President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield is in Nairobi for the 2015 Global Entrepreneur Summit, and signed the OPIC mandate today alongside Antony Cook, Microsoft’s Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa, who served as a witness to the mandate between OPIC and Mawingu.

Mawingu Networks was able to establish their current operating model using an initial grant from Microsoft’s 4Afrika initiative, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an investment from Angel Investor Jim Forster, and early funding from Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc.

Using a network of solar-powered “nomadic” wireless internet stations, Mawingu provides last-mile connectivity access to areas that cannot economically access the Internet. Spurred on by the promise of Mawingu’s initial pilot operations, OPIC’s consideration of a potential $4 million loan would allow a commercial expansion of a proven model to utilize existing technology of TV White Spaces (TVWS) connectivity for off-grid Internet access.

“The development potential from creative private sector organizations like Mawingu captures the spirit and promise at the heart of this week’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit,” said Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC’s President and CEO. “Financial support at crucial stages of a company’s business evolution can transform a great idea into a deeply impactful reality for millions in the developing world. By leveraging technology and ingenuity, Mawingu’s massive reach to connect rural African communities to the Internet is just beginning, and I look forward to the growth and scalability of this model that OPIC financing can unlock.”

“Mawingu was the first of the 6 TV white space pilots Microsoft has deployed in Africa in collaboration with partners, making Africa a leader in TV white spaces. We hope regulators across the continent develop legal frameworks that support broader commercial deployment of the technology. It is now time to work with both local and global partners such as OPIC to go commercial and scale to impact not just thousands, but millions of lives across Africa,” Says Antony Cook, Microsoft’s Head of Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa

“This is an exciting day for the Mawingu team. The support from OPIC will really help us deliver on the potential of this opportunity to help connect millions of Kenyans to the Internet for the first time” says Mawingu Director Tim Hobbs.

“Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. is investing in African entrepreneurs and startups in order to develop scalable solutions from within Africa,” said Lauren Kickham, Vulcan Inc.’s head of Africa entrepreneurship program.  “We are pleased that our investment in Mawingu will help drive resiliency in African communities. Through our pilots and partnerships, we will de-risk and catalyze growth of new businesses.”

About OPIC

OPIC is the U.S. Government’s development finance institution. It mobilizes private capital to help address critical development challenges and in doing so, advances U.S. foreign policy and national security priorities. Because OPIC works with the U.S. private sector, it helps U.S. businesses gain footholds in emerging markets, catalyzing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, political risk insurance, and support for private equity investment funds, when commercial funding cannot be obtained elsewhere. Established as an agency of the U.S. Government in 1971, OPIC operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to American taxpayers.

 All OPIC projects adhere to high environmental and social standards and respect human rights, including worker's rights. By mandating high standards, OPIC helps raise the industry and regional standards of the countries in which its projects operate. OPIC services are available for new and expanding business enterprises in more than 160 countries worldwide.

For more information visit www.opic.gov

About Mawingu Networks Ltd.

Mawingu Networks Ltd is a Kenyan company specializing in delivering affordable internet into the rural areas of Africa.  The combination of solar power and new radio technologies — TVWS, Microwaves, and WiFi enable a solar-powered network which delivers much needed ‘Packets and Power’ to the people and businesses of these areas.

As a critical part of this, Mawingu Networks Ltd is establishing a reliable agent network that will be the friendly and helpful human face of this technology. 

We believe that delivering affordable 'Packets and Power' will allow more people to actively participate in the regional, national and global markets for products, services through information and ideas thereby empowering the lives of these communities.  Through this the company’s hopes to bridge the power and digital divide for people living off-grid in rural communities.

For more information please visit: http://www.mawingunetworks.com 

ABOUT MICROSOFT4AFRIKA

The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative was launched in Feb 2013 to help accelerate Africa’s economic development and to improve its global competitiveness. It is a long-term commitment to help empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers, and business and civic leaders to turn great ideas into a reality that can help their community, their country, the continent and beyond.  The 4Afrika Initiative is built on the dual beliefs that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world. We want to help Africa become a net producer of technology, rather than a net consumer. The initiative is built on three key enablers critical to the success of that mission: innovation, world-class skills and affordable access.

For more information please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/africa/4afrika/

About Vulcan Inc.

Vulcan Inc. creates and advances a variety of world-class endeavors and high-impact initiatives that change and improve the way people live, learn, do business and experience the world. Founded in 1986 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, Vulcan oversees various business and philanthropic projects.  For more information, visit www.vulcan.com.

Read More»

Microsoft Employability Platforms bet on creating 100,000 job opportunities by the end of the year

Microsoft is aiming to create over 100,000 job opportunities and reach over seven million people across the Middle East and Africa by the end of the year through its Employability Platforms, in partnership with organisations from public and private sectors, as well as NGOs. Launched in 2012, the YouthSpark Employability Platform for the first time provides job-seekers with end-to-end career guidance, upskilling, job-matching and mentorship – all centred on a free online hub that brings the best resources together in a bold attempt to address unemployment and underemployment.

In the MENA region the platform is called Ta3mal (“works” in Arabic) and is a partnership between Microsoft and Silatech, a non-profit organization supporting youth access to employment across the Arab world.

“Unemployment in Africa and the Middle East is not a new issue, but its scope is growing with the youth bulge and economic downturn worldwide and we need to find new solutions to address this problem,” says Ali Faramawy, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Middle East Africa (MEA).

Microsoft’s solution, in the form of its Employability Platforms, has landed in markets including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Qatar, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Algeria, Ghana, Palestine and Turkey and will expand to 21 countries across MEA including Tanzania, Pakistan, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Mauritius. To date, the YouthSpark employability platform has reached 5.8 million youth with a target of reaching 7 million by the end of FY15. In addition, 69,000 job opportunities have been posted on the job search tool against 100,000 job openings goal to be reached by the end of the year. 

Silatech Chief Programs Officer Martin Roeske commented on the partnership, saying “The Ta3mal  network of Employability Platforms across MENA shows what we can do when NGOs and the private sector join strengths and resources together to achieve real impact.”

“Part of the unemployment problem is caused by a lack of economic opportunity, as well as the fact that graduates from secondary and tertiary institutions lack the skills required by employers,” says Faramawy. “But there is no shortage of determination and even in a country like Iraq that has been faced with some dire situations, our platform has helped put 30 000 youths into jobs in the past 14 months.”

Microsoft’s solution is not only to provide access to job opportunities to interested youth, but to define pathways through which to equip them with the necessary skills, including soft skills, to land and hold onto these jobs. “Job seekers need to be equipped with skills like how to write up a CV, have a successful interview and how to dress in the workplace, which is why we have included videos, articles and courses of this nature on the platform along with the more competency based courses,” comments Faramawy.

Retention is also higher when graduates are in jobs matched to their aptitudes and career ambitions. This is why the first step on the platform is a series of tests, to help each user to determine their strengths as well as areas of improvement. Based on that, they can decide from a selection of 1000 courses on the platform they should sign up for in order to improve their skills in their areas of interest including entrepreneurialism. “We also focus on helping entrepreneurs simply because there aren’t enough jobs to go around so people need to know how to self-employ and perhaps even employ one or two others,” explains Faramawy.

Once users have been upskilled, the Employability Platform connects them with professional and entrepreneurial opportunities. To achieve this, there is a mentoring function allowing users to connect with volunteers around the world to receive informal guidance from experts, while a ‘job posts’ function presents them with suitable positions in the private sector, with a special focus on those youth with little to no professional experience.

“There are lots of employment resources out there for youth, but the great thing about the Employability Platform is that it offers one central space where users can find out what they’re good at, take courses to upskill, speak to people in their desired industry and view jobs in that industry,” comments Faramawy.

Accounting student at Damanhour University in Egypt, Mostafa Baragheet, made use of ‘Masr Ta3mal’ – Egypt’s Employability Platform – when extra-curricular courses became too expensive. After taking a personality test and taking part in a career consultation session, he signed up for accounting and business management courses through the platform. “With the guidance of Masr Ta3mal’s consultant, I was able to help myself without spending any money, and I gained the confidence to start my own company.”

Faramawy calls the Microsoft Employability Platforms “a solution in a box that can be tailored locally.” The target audience is not specifically university students, but simply young job-seekers across MEA needing the tools to take the step into the working world. Microsoft views itself as the solution provider, and relies on government, NGOs, universities, vocational schools and the private sector to bring the platform to life.

“The young minds of MEA are amazing incubators for new ways of thinking. But we also have to develop new ways of thinking when investing in their development if we are to help the next generation fulfil its potential.”

Read More»

Dell Demonstrates Industry Leadership with Distinct Products

Dell, foremost Information and Communications Technology (ICT)) company, has once more demonstrated leadership in the ICT industry by showcasing its wide array of differentiated products in the market at a breakfast event organized for Chief Information Officers of organizations at the Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.

According to the ICT giant, the offerings come with standard-based systems which do not lock users solely to its platforms, thereby providing users with an open approach ecosystem, flexible scaling and modular systems as well as end-to end-solutions.

Speaking on Dell’s differentiated offerings at the event, Mr. Shams Hassan, Enterprise Product manager, Dell, stated that Dell has lots of differentiated products in the areas of networking and storage.

According to Mr. Hassan, “Dell is not only into laptops and desktops as most people believe; Dell is also a very strong player in server and storage as well as networking.” He added that the peculiarity of Dell’s offerings in these spaces is evident in the users’ open access to other vendors, unlike competitors whose platforms are not shareable.

Showcasing Dell’s solution in storage and networking, Mr. Hassan stated that PowerEdge VRTX integrates servers, storage, networking and management into a single office-optimized chassis and delivers greater simplicity, efficiency and versatility.

He added that VRTX’s Chassis Management Controller (CMC) resolves the problems of systems management tool proliferation and complexity with converged management of server nodes, shared storage, networking and power in a unified tool, all in a single console.

Also addressing participants at the Mr. Akin Banuso, countrymManager, Dell Nigeria, spoke on Dell Precision Workstations, which he referred to as the continuous evolution of technology that helps to boost productivity by integrating latest industry-standard technologies into a highly-reliable platform.

In his words, “Dell understands that downtime is costly. That is why we strive to provide a workstation you can depend on, day-in and day-out. Should a problem arise, Dell has the expertise and services to minimize your downtime and get you back up and running quickly”.

The participants expressed satisfaction with Dell’s offerings, especially in providing efficient and effective end-to-end solutions which help organizations run well, while also charging the company to do a lot more in the creation of awareness for its effective solutions.

Read More»

Dell Dramatically Reduces Adoption Price with Newest Flash-Drive Technology

Dell today became the first storage array provider to announce adoption of the industry’s newest, highest-density and lowest-cost-for-performance enterprise flash drives, helping organisations of all sizes to significantly reduce costs associated with storing and managing their valuable data and IT applications.

 

This means Dell now can offer Dell Storage SC4020 enterprise-class all-flash solutions for as low as €1.50 (EU) per gigabyte street price, and as low as 53 cents (EU) per gigabyte for typical hybrid flash configurations, allowing organisations to receive faster access to critical data for lower than ever storage costs.

According to Research Director, Storage Systems, IDC, Eric Burgener, “Dell’s unique intelligent data placement strategy allows different types of flash storage—SLC, MLC and TLC—to be efficiently deployed in multiple tier architectures that can be more cost-effective than single tier flash-based arrays.

 “Dell’s announcement of flash drives built on TLC 3D NAND technology puts them in the storage density lead at 45TB per rack unit for flash-based arrays and drops the dollar per gigabyte cost of enterprise flash storage to roughly the same cost as 15K RPM HDDs—with significantly higher performance. ‘’

Burgener added that Dell had achieved significant growth in flash adoption, growing Dell Storage SC Series all-flash and hybrid flash revenue 89 per cent;  year over year in the first quarter of 2015.

Speaking in the same vein, the Vice President and General Manager, Dell Storage said that, “As the first array vendor to announce support for this latest flash technology, Dell continues to redefine the economics of enterprise storage and tear down cost barriers to flash adoption.”

Atkinson added, “With these advancements, we can substantially reduce the cost of high-performing, flash-optimised arrays while also cranking-up the performance of affordable, general purpose arrays. Customers can purchase or update existing arrays to benefit from the performance and density of enterprise flash at unparalleled costs.”

Dell’s modern, virtualized storage array architecture enables an inventive approach to intelligently leverage multiple flash types in the same array based on workload goals and usage patterns. With Dell’s patented Data Progression intelligent data placement technology and the release of Dell Storage Center 6.6 array software, Dell Storage SC Series arrays can adopt and optimise new Mainstream RI flash drives based on TLC 3D NAND.

These Mainstream RI drives are the industry’s lowest-cost per gigabyte, highest-density enterprise flash drives, enabling Dell to offer SSDs at approximately the same price per gigabyte as high-end 15K HDDs and up to 24 times performance improvement, up to six times the density, lower latency and lower power consumption.

Dell’s flash-optimised Data Progression software allows Dell and its customers to uniquely leverage leading edge flash technologies to create more affordable, high-performance solutions.

In flash-optimised solutions, Dell now offers arrays that combine the new Mainstream RI flash drives with highest-performing Write-Intensive (WI) flash drives. With this approach, intelligent array software steers all writes to the higher endurance flash and manages writes to the lower cost Mainstream RI drives. This lowers the overall cost of Dell’s enterprise flash array solutions while maintaining high performance.

Dell’s new drive, include the Dell Storage SC8000, SC4020 and SCv2000 Series with hybrid flash or all-flash array configurations. The Dell Storage SC4020 can provide a complete 90 terabyte array in only 2U of rack space, and Storage SC8000 arrays can support 62 percent more flash for a total of up to 3 petabytes of raw flash capacity in a single array.

Dell new flash drives which are available in in capacities up to 3.8 terabytes, will be available from August 2015.

About Dell

Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit http://www.dell.co.uk.

Dell World

Join us Oct. 20-22 at Dell World 2015, Dell’s flagship event bringing together technology and business professionals to network, share ideas and help co-create a better future. Learn more at www.dellworld.com and follow #DellWorld on Twitter

Read More»

Survival of the fittest: where innovation defines success

These days, it's fair to say that the technology of today will be almost unrecognisable in the future. New technologies to make the day-to-day activities of businesses and the lives of consumers easier are constantly surfacing and changing the way we connect and interact with one another. As a result, mobility strategies among businesses have had to evolve at a rapid pace.

Looking back, enterprise computing has historically tried to keep up with the latest technology trends. For example, the floppy disk became the CD-ROM, which later evolved into the modern day USB. As the number of businesses using tablets within the workplace continues to increase, the importance of staying on top of the latest technology is imperative, in large part because the access to key business data is vital to the success of organisations in the age of the internet. Dell’s recent tablet survey found that almost 95 percent of tablets had met or exceeded business expectations. This was driven by the need for employees to have access to information at all times, a factor which will continue to drive adoption across businesses over the next few years.  

The theory of evolution

Originally the black sheep of the computing family, tablets have evolved into a cool and stylish technology enabler with the ability to provide mobility and productivity to business, and convenience to consumers. Taking shape in the 1960’s after featuring in popular sci-fi series Star-Trek, bought to the fore in the 1990’s with the PDA, and eventually to the explosion of what we now know as the modern day tablet in 2010, the idea of a portable and mobile computing device has been around much longer than people might think.

Success in the tablet market can be attributed to the evolved needs of today’s worker. Since appearing a few years ago, tablets have gradually been associated with increasing employee productivity. No longer a distraction or just another toy for consumers, tablets are now viewed as desirable business tools that add value to the day-to-day running of a successful business. For example, salesforces can retrieve data in real-time ahead of important meetings and healthcare workers can access sensitive patient information more efficiently to better treat patients.

The same Dell tablet survey discovered that 78 percent of IT decision makers agree that tablets have increased employee productivity levels and that the number of people using tablets will continue to grow. Subsequently a recent eMarketer study stated that more than one billion people worldwide will use a tablet this year in everyday life. With tablet usage set to increase, the market is in danger of becoming saturated and only the fittest devices will survive. New technologies will play a vital part in deciding which devices triumph and how they will evolve, as long as these primary differentiators make a practical difference in the way people use technology to enhance their personal and professional engagement.

Artificial intelligence

In order to stay ahead of the curve, businesses need to be constantly innovating to remain competitive and on top of their game. Artificial intelligence (AI), is a term famously linked with technology, but what percentage of society are able to specifically define it? We are not able to fully delineate AI because as technology advances, our very definition of intelligence also continues to evolve and change.

Recently Stephen Hawking commented on how AI has the potential to supersede humanity. In the near future, as man and machine continue to become closer, it will become more difficult to pinpoint where the man ends and the machine begins – wearable technology is already showing aspects of this. Whether people choose to recognise it or not, the Internet of Things is already happening. Anything that can be connected, will be connected, as long as it enhances our experiences - from fridges that order food from the supermarket once you’ve run out, to connected smart watches – the way we live our daily lives is set to change dramatically, and quickly.

While it is almost impossible to predict the future without a time-machine, as we get closer to building machines that have the ability to think like humans, there are both merits and dangers to this technology, which remain to be seen. 

In the near future cognitive computers will have the ability to supplement decision making. We’re seeing the early stages of this already with the introduction of virtual helpers in tablets and other portable devices, but this is only the beginning. In the future, employees will have the potential to get these virtual assistants to help coordinate products, manage workloads and schedule conferences. This has major implications for industries such as healthcare, which require huge amounts of knowledge and information. Cognitive systems will have the ability to digest large chunks of knowledge and exercise this to make decisions instantaneously - much quicker than a human could ever.

Wild gestures

Remember how excited we were when the first computing touchscreen displays launched? Little did we know this was just the beginning, computing touchscreen displays are now an integral part of everyday technology and gesture control is now the future. Dell’s recent evolving workforce study highlighted that 87 percent of IT decision makers believe that all computers will use hand gestures in the near future. Back in 2002, we can all remember how cool Tom Cruise looked when he was browsing through various databases with just a flick of his wrist in ‘Minority Report.’ In the 13 years that have passed technology has so significantly advanced that soon screen interfaces with 3D cameras will allow us to simply gesture at our tablet and then carry out the actions onscreen.

Size matters

Keeping with the theme of the future, just when we thought tablets couldn’t get any thinner, the size of the next generation of transistors being constructed means that flexible paper-thin computer screens will be the way forward. New research estimates that flexible computing devices will appear on the market in just 10 years’ time, not only will these be malleable but they will be purpose built to provide better response times, use less energy and their transparency means there is no need for a backlight.

Powered up

How many times have you been using a portable device, be it a laptop or tablet and it suddenly dies? It can definitely be argued that this is perhaps the biggest stumbling block in the life of a mobile worker. How can you be truly mobile without a power source? Surprisingly, battery-life is one of the slowest advancing technologies, since the 1970’s we’ve relied on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to power our gadgets. However, there are new technologies on the horizon which have the potential to change this, one of which is, wireless power. According to recent IM research, this market could be worth a huge $5 billion by 2016.

The concept of wireless power is very similar to that of wireless internet. The charger is the router and the receiver button is the battery that automatically charges the device when it is within a

certain range. This has a substantial impact for society and the workforce, imagine a world where you need fewer power sockets because remote charges are installed anywhere and everywhere.

Conclusion

The continuous advancements in mobile technology mean tablets will always adapt and evolve, and in line with this, attitudes to the use of tablets in the workplace will also continue to change. New advancements in technology are constantly evolving and challenging our understanding of technology itself. In order to survive, businesses need to be forever acclimatising to new environments – look at the chameleon, it’s survived more than 80 million years in the wild, where so many other creatures have failed.

The workplace of the future will undoubtedly be based around convenience and flexibility, the pace at which this is accelerating means the way businesses currently operate in a work place environment could soon become a thing of the past, No longer is Darwin’s theory of evolution exclusively aimed at humans, it can also be attributed to technology. Survival of the fittest is key.

 

Read More»

Dell Introduces Innovative Networking Solutions for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

·        Dell today announced an enhanced networking portfolio designed specifically to meet the needs of small to medium-sized businesses, including the new X-series family of smart managed switches and an expanded N-series family with the addition of the Dell N1500 for smaller fully managed environments.

Distributed, global workforces have given rise to increased mobile and cloud computing. This, combined with the rise in data analytics, has caused businesses to experience a data deluge. IT departments of all sizes are looking to create a network infrastructure that is able to manage this new generation of computing and workload processing but are often constrained by limited resources. To provide small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with a competitive edge and the ability to grow their networks at a flexible and affordable rate, Dell has introduced these innovative networking solutions that combine cost effective, enterprise-level network control with consumer like ease.

“Dell brings decades of experience delivering enterprise-class features in technology solutions specifically designed for small and medium-sized customers,” said Arpit Joshipura, vice president, Strategy and Product Management, Dell Networking. “Today’s announcement is another example of our commitment to enable customers to break free of outdated networking paradigms.”

“Being one of the largest Dell distributors in Germany, we are excited about the Dell X-Series launch. Dell now provides networking products for every need and budget and SMB partners and midrange customers will benefit from this enlargement of the portfolio. The X-Series furthermore combines sustainable features and attractive pricing for our partners – what a great opportunity.” Uwe Kannegießer, Director Advanced Solutions, Ingram Micro Germany

The Dell Networking X-Series is a family of smart web-managed 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10GbE switches specifically designed for SMBs that offer intuitive, enterprise-class features, as well as multiple flexible configurations. SMB customers can enjoy advanced network management without requiring professional IT support thanks to step-by-step wizards and customisable dashboards that make configuration, calibration and troubleshooting quick and accurate.

The Dell Networking N1500 family offers fully managed 1GbE switches optimised for smaller networks. The switches utilize a comprehensive enterprise-class Layer 2/3 feature set, common command-line interface (CLI) for consistent management and standard 10GbE SFP+ transceivers and cables for stacking, providing up to 200 1GbE ports in a 4-unit stack. SMBs can deploy a secure network that is optimised for VoIP and social environments, and prioritise network traffic for maximum efficiency.

To reassure wireless customers and partners, Dell announced extended support for the W-series family of wireless access points and controllers.  Dell is committed to supporting the W-series without interruption throughout the product lifecycle. 

·         The Dell Networking X-Series will be available through Dell Channel and Distribution Partners and will begin shipping May 15^th.

·         The Dell Networking N1500 will be available this summer.

·         Dell Networking solutions are available through channel partners worldwide.

 About Dell

Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.co.uk.

Read More»

Dell UC Command Suite Expands Analytics Reporting to Office 365 and Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Dell Software today announced the newest release of its Unified Communications Command Suite, which adds analytics reporting for Office 365 for Exchange Online and Cisco Unified Communications Manager to Dell’s cross-platform analytics and diagnostics solution. Unified Communications Command Suite 8.1, the market’s only solution to offer analytics and diagnostics across both Microsoft Exchange and Lync, now expands an organisation’s capability to harness the valuable intelligence in its unified communications systems to increase user productivity, encourage adoption, protect sensitive information, increase ROI, and plan for future growth and migrations.

Today’s organisations invest heavily in unified communications and typically have a variety of systems in place across the organisation, yet lack accurate insight into who is using which platform, or how it’s being used. The result is lost productivity, increased support man-hours and millions of dollars in software platform costs and renewals.

With the looming end of support for Windows Server 2003, increased adoption of Office 365, and Exchange 2016 on the horizon, organisations are considering multi-UC platform migration paths that will support evolving business needs and better prepare for future growth. UC Command Suite delivers accurate insights into the already deployed various UC communication platforms - including which offices, departments, and cities are using specific platform features - to help businesses determine where to increase investment and where to eliminate platforms not being used. These insights help organisations better prioritise, anticipate capacity planning for the future environment, and enforce better communications and data loss prevention policies as they plan for their next migration path. Additionally, these UC insights help drive the cross-platform adoption and usage to realise the maximum return on investment.

                                                              

Dell’s UC Command Suite 8.1 is a future-ready solution that delivers a truly cross-platform unified communications analytics solution that provides significant insights and comparisons of usage trends and chargebacks across Office 365 Exchange Online, Exchange on-premises, Lync/Skype for Business, and even Cisco Unified Communications Manager. This single solution helps organisations make informed decisions about their evolving unified communications strategy, and better plan for business growth.

Commenting on the Suite, Senior Product Architect and Microsoft Lync MVP, Dell Software, Curtis Johnstone, said “Organisations are looking to Office 365 and Cisco UC, along with Microsoft Exchange and Lync/Skype for Business, to make life easier and enable better communication and collaboration among employees. To understand the true value and impact of all of these unified communications systems within the organisation, it is critical to have a single source of truth that aggregates usage, trends and adoption data to enable better business decisions, enforce communication policies and rationalise and standardise the organisation’s UC investment. With the addition of support for Office 365 and Cisco UC Manager, Dell’s Unified Communications Command Suite 8.1 provides that single cross-platform analytics and diagnostics solution, and continues Dell’s expansion of this unique cross-platform offering.”

As more organisations look to migrate to Office 365 and Exchange 2016, UC Command Suite enables them to plan for a successful migration with reduced risk by assessing their Exchange environment today, and providing ongoing analytics on communication consumption, security policy adherence and workforce activity in the new environment tomorrow. UC Command Suite’s newest features include Office 365 native support which Enhances understanding and insights into Office 365 Exchange online environment.

About Dell

Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more.

Join us Oct. 20-22 at Dell World 2015, Dell’s flagship event bringing together technology and business professionals to network, share ideas and help co-create a better future. Learn more at www.dellworld.com and follow #DellWorld

Read More»