From AI Exploration To Execution: How SHI And Dell Help Customers Move Faster

Organizations are under pressure to modernize IT while preparing for what comes next, including AI-driven workloads. At Dell Technologies World, CRNtv host Kena Johnson spoke with Dell partner Mike Voss, Field Chief Technology Officer, SHI, about how customers are rethinking infrastructure, validating AI use cases, and moving from experimentation into production with confidence.

Kena Johnson: Dell Technologies and SHI have worked together for a long time. How are you helping customers move from AI exploration to real results?

Mike Voss: Many customers struggle to get out of the proof-of-concept phase and turn experimentation into production results. That is where SHI and Dell come in. We use a structured approach that starts with a rapid use case workshop. From there, we move into our lab where we have full stack infrastructure with Dell compute, storage, networking and GPUs. We validate the solution and then roll it into a production-ready system. That process gives customers confidence to move AI into production.

Kena Johnson: How does the SHI AI Lab help customers test, refine, and validate AI solutions before they go into production?

Mike Voss: Once we complete the use case workshop, we can really move from experimentation to production. We bring in real workloads and simulate a production environment with multi-cloud, cybersecurity tools, and the software customers run. That way, it works in the real world, not just in a demo. We move from proof of concept to proof of value quickly, usually within two to six weeks. Customers want to find where the value is and how AI can solve real business challenges. We also analyze where workloads should run, whether that is in the cloud or on-prem, and compare cost, feasibility and performance.

Kena Johnson: What are you hearing from customers in the field, and what does that tell you about demand?

Mike Voss: The demand is there. Early on, it was about experimentation and understanding what was possible. Now customers are asking how to operationalize AI, how to make it work in their environment, how to scale it and how to govern it. We help across the full stack. In financial services, we are seeing use cases like fraud detection and fine-tuned models. In retail and manufacturing, video analytics is a big focus, whether it is quality control on the factory floor or improving customer experiences. The shift now is about running AI in production and using it to solve real business problems.

To learn more about Dell Technologies World and partner stories, visit dt.crndigitalnewsroom.com.