"Let the Transformation Begin" was the mantra of the first Dell EMC World and that theme rung true in a variety of ways. While Dell Technologies seeks to transform the IT industry, it must also embrace its own internal transformation. First, let’s discuss the show itself. While it was still in Austin (for the last time it appears), influences from the former EMC World were everywhere. Michael Dell, obviously, led the company's message, but the general sessions embraced the impressive production value that we have come to expect with Jeremy Burton, Dell Technologies’ newly appointed CMO. Attendance seemed to have shot up as well. While I don’t have the official numbers, after the first general session it was obvious Dell EMC World had simply outgrown the capacity of the Austin Convention Center, something that could not have been said of Dell Worlds in the past.
Second, there was a sincere sense of enthusiasm and excitement coming from the Dell EMC employees present. I know what you are thinking; all of these types of events produce a level of excitement. Often, the entire event is geared toward hyping up the technology and the company to the potential and existing customers in attendance. Dell EMC World obviously had some of that, but I am talking about something different. The executive team that was formerly with EMC, now of Dell EMC, talk about the Dell server development, production, logistics, and services capabilities like an NFL football coach would talk about finding the next Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. In video blog pulled together with rest of my ESG cohorts, I referred to the Dell EMC leadership team being like kids in a candy store. Chad Sakac, who leads the converged systems group, discusses this a bit in his blog, but by seeing it in person you could tell that he was enamored with the impact that Dell’s server business will have on Dell EMC’s HCI solutions such as VXRail.
And third, it wasn’t just the former EMC leadership team that was all smiles. Michael Dell looked, continuing my football theme, like he just won the Super Bowl as he counted off the substantial list of product spaces the newly formed Dell Technologies could claim the number one spot in for market share. To be fair, some of those number ones were in units, some were in revenue, and some were both, but it was a huge list. While some have voiced concerns that the newly formed company will one day need to rationalize this product list, we learned that day will likely be far off into the future. Dell EMC announced plans for future innovation with the former Dell storage technologies of SC (Compellent) and FluidFS on their roadmap.
Like all marriages, however, there is always a risk of placing too much emphasis on the wedding and not enough on creating a successful relationship that will stand the test of time. Dell EMC is number one in a long list of technology segments, which means that it automatically has multiple targets on its back. Additionally, there will still be cultural and operations hurdles to overcome over the next few years. The theme, “Let the Transformation Begin” is appropriate. Just as Dell EMC seeks to transform the industry, it must understand that, internally, its own transformation has just begun.