Dell reinvented the supply chain and pioneered selling direct to its customers. Times have changed; now Dell CEO Michael Dell is preaching the channel, saying indirect commercial sales are more profitable than direct. Dell's future, he told CRN, is dependent on solution providers.

CRN sat down with Michael Dell and Frank Vitagliano, vice president of Dell's channel sales, Tuesday at the Best of Breed conference, hosted this week in Tampa, Fla., by CRN publisher The Channel Company. In a one-on-one session behind closed doors, we asked them what the future holds for a private Dell just weeks before it officially exits from Wall Street's spotlight.