Dell World 2015 Preview

Dell World is next week. I’ll be there to personally report on the company’s latest vision and direction. I’ve attended Dell World for the past few years and it’s actually one of my favorite events. Obviously, hosting the event in Austin, TX (one of my favorite US cities) is a plus, but I’m always amazed at how well the event is run and managed.

Back in 2013, just prior to Dell World that year, the company delisted its shares from NASDAQ and went private. The event in 2013 was a monumental one. Michael Dell needed to show that the decision to make the company a private entity was a good one, and he needed to deliver a vision for a long term strategy for innovation, competitive gumption, financial strength. During the keynote and then in the subsequent press briefings that week, Dell delivered a laundry list of areas it knew it needed to address in order to both survive and compete in a quickly moving market. One of the key visionary stances in 2013 was to enable Dell to be a major player in the Cloud.

2 years on and Dell has still yet to make significant inroads. However, the recent intent of acquisition of EMC could mean that Dell is attempting to jump start that strategy.

A couple weeks ago, I was considering not making the trip to Austin this year, and the primary reason was conference fatigue. I’ve attended almost 15 conferences this year, and after a time they start to run together. But, from the rumors I’ve been hearing whispered and the EMC acquisition, Dell World is now a must-attend event and my excitement has been renewed. I’m now looking forward to next week.

As a sort of preview, here’s the topics I expect to hear next week (based on personal opinion, rumor, and what Dell actually needs successfully to communicate):

Austin is a great town. You can be sure I’ll be running along the river every day and hitting some fantastic BBQ houses. But, you can also bet that I’ll be embroiled in a lot of discussion trying to determine if Dell can finally pull off being the next viable competitor in the top industry segments. It hasn’t happened yet, but things can change quickly in the current environment. HP, of course, is splitting the company, leaving a big gap and huge opportunity for a company (like Dell) with the right focus and strong partnerships to mount a successful charge. It’ll be a confusing time for both Dell and HP in the coming months, but I expect one of them to lead when the smoke clears.

Stay tuned for next week as we bring you all the great news coverage from Dell World 2015. And, if you happen to be attending and would like to schedule a run, let me know.