Dell Enters Backup, Disaster Recovery Services Market

Dell has launched a new storage consulting practice to help businesses improve their storage management and data protection, according to the company.

Dell Infrastructure Consulting services are marketed toward end users, but they're also available to solution providers through the Round Rock, Texas-vendor's PartnerDirect program.

The services include:

-- Implementation of tiered-storage infrastructure where less critical data can be moved to the appropriate tier, helping to drive down costs for the business;

-- Identification of improvements within backup and recovery infrastructure and helping customers to stabilize and optimize operation;

-- Planning, design and implementation of data disaster recovery to help protect and recover data in event of crisis;

-- Managed backup, remote backup monitoring and remote backup reporting.

Also, Dell has partnered with GlassHouse Technologies to assess, design and implement IT disaster recovery solutions.

Jeff Connally, president and CEO of CMIT Solutions, an Austin, Texas-based solution provider and Dell partner, said Dell's foray into services validates the market, but he doesn't think the vendor's offerings will infringe on his business.

"It's good in that they draw attention to it. But I'm not sure how they can compete on a price basis going in with a narrow offering. If you have a broad offering, and the customer looks to you for all things, it shouldn't matter. Unless you're doing all that, to offer a point solution for disaster recovery doesn't make sense for the [small business] space that we're in," Connally said.