Antarctica: An EarthX Film Festival Recap

I recently had the privilege of attending the EarthX Film Festival in Dallas, Texas, an experience that left me both inspired and invigorated. EarthX is the largest environment-focused film festival in Texas—a testament to its commitment to bringing together like-minded people to share stories from around the world and explore the critical issues facing our planet and society.

A Celebration of Passion and Purpose

The theme of the evening, “Where Passion Meets Purpose,” provided the backdrop for an engaging selection of short films, each conveying a meaningful message about our connection to and responsibility for the environment. Among these inspiring films was Dell Technologies’ own creation, “Antarctica: At the Intersection of Technology and Climate Action,” which highlights the confluence of passion, purpose and technology in our collective effort to combat climate change.

The film chronicles the partnership between Dell, National Geographic explorer Mike Libecki, marine and microplastics researcher Abby Barrows and tech specialist and IoT architect technologist Josh Jackson on their expedition to Antarctica. The team conducted groundbreaking microplastics sampling of the air, snow and water to assess the reach and impact of plastic pollution on this pristine continent.

After thorough analysis via third-party labs, the results demonstrated that microplastics and plastic polymers are showing up in the air, snow and water samples on the Antarctic peninsula and surrounding islands.

“What was most surprising to me was the sheer number of airborne microplastics, especially along the Antarctic peninsula,” said Barrows about the initial lab test results. “My ambitious hope is that this research, and research like this, will help to usher in lasting change across the marine and tourism sectors regarding their use of plastics—from paints selected for boats to what clothes are made from. Specifically, I hope this data will be used to help inform the use of synthetics and plastics by visitors to fragile and remote ecosystems. Additional studies would increase our depth of understanding of airborne microplastics in remote areas.”

Accelerating Progress with Data

Josh, who supported the technologies used to conduct the Antarctica plastics research, joined me at the festival. He is a visionary technologist with a clear passion for the potential of technology to address climate action and explained the vital role of data analytics in understanding the impact humans have on the environment. “The education aspect is the biggest component of all of this,” said Josh. “Being able to do something with that data and presenting it in a visual way that people can easily consume will be what encourages change and action. Just talking about it isn’t enough anymore, you have to be able to visualize it and make it consumable to the end user.”

The film shows how technology captures and analyzes data, a crucial element in expediting climate research and, ultimately, action. While Antarctica focuses on microplastic data and analysis, the need for data to truly understand and address our collective impact is applicable to nearly every country, organization and individual around the world.

As the old saying goes, “We cannot change what we cannot measure”—and that is especially true when it comes to environmental sustainability. At Dell Technologies, we believe our broad portfolio of offerings can meet customers wherever they are on their sustainability journey. Whether it’s used to help organizations reduce their IT carbon footprint or to find efficiencies and eliminate waste in areas within the organization, technology is a key player in addressing the climate crisis.

Awareness of the issues and steps we can take in our everyday lives are key to our collective progress. We’re deeply grateful for being included as part of EarthX, and we hope that by highlighting the prevalence of microplastics in the most remote reaches of our planet and sharing our story through the documentary, we can inspire more urgent climate action. Together, we can act to combat the urgent climate crisis.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Increasing Ambition on our Path to Net Zero

The effects of climate change are present and visible in our daily lives. From extreme temperature swings and melting glaciers, to severe global weather events, the call for climate action is among the most pressing issues of our time. As the principal environmental strategist for Dell Technologies, I spend my days working with our teams of engineers, energy experts and sustainability leaders to develop technology solutions and environmental strategies that support reducing carbon emissions from our business, our customers and society as a whole.

Read More: DEA-2TT4: Cloud Infrastructure and Services Version 4 Exam (DCA-CIS)

Global headlines are dominated by the reality that both public and private sector efforts are not impactful or fast enough to reduce the impact of climate change. And while we understand we need to work together to make more progress and increase our actions to address climate change, we also recognize that goal-setting is a critical first step. We applaud all organizations that are taking serious and transparent science-based steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Goals must be credible, and we must be accountable for results. Robust goals require clear and achievable pathways between baseline and net zero ambitions. Reaching net zero emissions means an organization has achieved an overall balance between the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced and GHGs removed from the atmosphere. Net zero targets require a concrete plan for achievement, and they demonstrate how we all can do our part to minimize the impact of climate change. These goals, however, must be appropriate for an organization’s business while meeting the climate community’s requirements for transparency and progress. The result: Every organization will have its own unique path to net zero.

At Dell, net zero is our most important climate goal, and we continually strive to increase our ambition by updating our emissions targets and driving greater actions to ensure we are on track to achieve this goal. We know we can only reach our net zero goal by extending our efforts beyond our own operations upstream into our supply chain and downstream to our customers and their facilities. That’s why it’s important to reinforce that our climate goals cover not only Dell operations and facilities, but also those of our suppliers and customers.

As a result, our climate-related 2030 targets, which are not only stand-alone goals, but also critical to achieving net zero by 2050, include:

◉ Reduce absolute GHG emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 50% (existing target)

◉ Reduce absolute GHG emissions from purchased goods and services (scope 3, category 1) by 45% (updated target)

◉ Reduce absolute GHG emissions associated with the use of sold products (scope 3, category 11) by 30% (updated target)

Our existing renewable energy targets directly support our commitment to reduce the scope 2 emissions associated with our energy purchases:

◉ Source 75% of electricity from renewable sources – such as wind or solar – across all global Dell facilities by 2030 and 100% by 2040

Scope 1 and 2 emissions are largely controlled by the company, as they are emissions associated with our direct business operations (scope 1) and indirect emissions associated with our energy purchases (scope 2). On the other hand, scope 3 emissions are indirect, meaning they are not produced by our direct operations, but they are a consequence of our business, and they often make up a majority of an organization’s carbon footprint. For Dell, the emissions related to our purchased goods and services and the use of our products make up the majority of our indirect emissions and present the greatest opportunity for us to make a positive impact. We are developing targeted action plans and strategies to address each area and are working directly with our suppliers and customers to achieve mutually beneficial results.

In 2015, we were one of the first companies to have climate-related goals validated as being science-based by the newly formed Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi was created to inform and support the development of climate goals that are sufficiently ambitious to meet the urgent need to limit global warming. Today, that is defined as reducing global GHG emissions to limit the global temperature increase in this century to no more than 1.5°C. Currently, more than 4,000 businesses and financial institutions, including many of our customers, are working with SBTi to reduce their emissions in line with climate science.

When we set out to increase our climate ambition, we again engaged with the SBTi to ensure our emissions reduction targets are grounded in science. Not only did the SBTi validate our updated scope 3 2030 targets, but they also validated our second-generation climate-related scope 1 and 2 2030 targets to be in line with the SBTi’s current 1.5°C guidance, which is considered best practice in the climate community.

Dell Technologies is serious about tackling carbon emissions and will work with our entire value chain to address climate issues. This isn’t going to be easy. While we partner closely with our suppliers and customers, we don’t have direct control over their roadmaps for emissions reduction or choice of energy sources. We are committed to holding ourselves accountable and working to drive even stronger partnership up and down our value chain to achieve our ambitious goals. We’ll share more on that progress in the future, but in the meantime, visit Climate Action to learn about Dell’s strategies and progress on our path to net zero.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Improving Sustainability with AI and Making AI More Sustainable

Organizations across a wide range of industries are stepping up efforts to become more sustainable and energy efficient. Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a trusted tool to help them accomplish those goals. 

There are many reasons why organizations are adopting sustainable practices. Nations around the world are passing new legislation to encourage — and in some cases mandate — carbon-neutral practices. Investors are looking to fund companies with a reputation for environmental responsibility. Consumers are expressing their views with their wallets, purchasing products that are eco-friendly.  

With pressure from all sides, it’s no wonder business leaders want to become more sustainable. To help them achieve these goals, many companies have turned to AI to help them optimize efficiency, identify areas of the business that aren’t operating optimally and mitigate risk. 

Sustainability Use Cases for AI 

Some of the most obvious applications of AI to improve sustainability are in the energy industry. AI can help utilities optimize production and delivery to improve efficiency and reduce harmful emissions. AI-powered analytics are improving weather and demand forecasting to help utilities prepare for severe weather. And oil and gas companies are using AI to analyze ground scans to find the best places to drill, reducing waste and minimizing damage to the environment. 

In the transportation industry, AI is helping logistics companies streamline routes and speed supply chains to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions (GHG). As the automotive industry converts from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles, manufacturers are using AI to create the algorithms and software that power the new vehicles. And in much the same way oil and gas companies use AI to help them find the best places to drill, mining companies are using AI to help them find the best places to access the metals necessary for electric vehicle batteries, helping to decrease pollution and disruption to nature. 

In the agriculture sector, Nature Fresh Farms is one of the largest independent greenhouse produce growers in Canada. They analyze data and high-resolution video as close to the edge as possible to enable growers to create optimal conditions to enhance produce quality and yield. To reduce overall water usage, spoon-like devices under each plant measures how much water doesn’t get used so they can adjust irrigation as needed.  

Companies in many different industries are using AI to control new smart buildings that make better use of energy. For example, Siemens is helping customers reduce their buildings’ carbon footprints by leveraging edge and AI technologies to address building performance issues in real time. And AI is helping data centers reduce both power consumption and the need for cooling. That’s important because while AI offers a lot of potential benefits for the environment, it also consumes a lot of energy. 

Reducing the Energy Required to do AI  

AI applications are compute- and memory-intensive. They require significant electricity to run the servers that power them and to cool down the data centers where they operate.  

Fortunately, there are steps organizations can take to minimize the negative environmental impacts of their AI efforts. One of the most impactful steps is to purchase infrastructure designed to be as energy efficient as possible. At Dell Technologies, we’re helping our customers drive positive solutions to achieve their sustainability goals through the power of innovative products and services designed to reduce waste, energy use and emissions. Since 2013, we have reduced the energy intensity of our PowerEdge servers by 83% (based on internal analysis from June 2022). Through continued innovation, what required six servers in 2013 can now be accomplished with one server today.

When it comes to Dell storage solutions, here again we are reducing the energy intensity of our technology and making it more efficient with each new generation. Dell PowerMax delivers 80% power savings per TB2 compared with the previous generation, and Dell PowerStore 3.0 delivers up to 60% more IOPS per watt. Finally, our HCI systems align with sustainability IT goals, with multiple PowerEdge server models achieving EPEAT registered product status.

Investing in innovative technology allows organizations to use AI to improve their sustainability efforts while also minimizing the negative impact of AI on the environment.  

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Sustainability Doesn’t Need to Be Hard

Customers, regulators, employees and the world expect companies today to prioritize sustainability throughout their business. For organizations that rely heavily on technological devices, addressing that can be tricky, putting more responsibility on their ITDMs to simultaneously manage device lifecycles efficiently and effectively, while also looking for ways to achieve long-term corporate sustainability objectives.

Given the complexities inherent in establishing, maintaining and verifying sustainability practices, it is no wonder 71% of companies say they need a partner to accelerate their programs to achieve their sustainability goals.

With the right IT partner and strategy, organizations can reduce their environmental impact and place themselves in a better position to meet company-wide sustainability goals. At Dell Technologies, we believe complete device lifecycle management begins the day a device enters inventory and ends with responsible asset disposition.

It’s Time to Clean Out the Storage Closets

Electronic waste is a growing problem, and companies must ensure they direct unused devices to responsible recycling programs that will properly handle and dispose of the waste. This can be a complex and time-consuming process for IT managers, requiring them to research and select reputable recyclers and to transport and deliver the e-waste for proper disposal. Companies must also ensure their e-waste is fully documented and tracked to comply with local, state and national regulations. A third-party service provider can help overcome these challenges, assuming the vendor has the scale, visibility and experience with the post-use supply chain.

Don’t Let Shipping Materials Overwhelm You

The sustainability challenge posed by the packaging used to ship and receive devices to and from employees is significant, and even more so in this hybrid work environment. Factor in global supply chains, varied product sizes and weights, local regulations, and the need to reduce waste and ensure recyclability and you have a tremendously complex opportunity.

Materials play an important role in the sustainability of these packages. In addition to the environmental costs of producing new packaging materials and disposing of used ones, there are financial costs associated with these practices. Companies must remain aware of changing recycling regulations that can drive up their recycling costs, while also investing in sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint. Moreover, not all materials are recyclable, so companies have to seek ways to reuse or repurpose materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Get the Most Use Out of Company Assets

One significant challenge businesses face when trying to maximize utilization of desktops, laptops and other electronics is that these devices often aren’t returned when employees leave the company.

Here’s a real-world example of this scenario. A large health plan provider reported several thousand computers were unaccounted for due to high annual employee turnover. This combination of factors could significantly hamper the company’s ability to responsibly repair, reuse or retire its equipment and promote sustainable recycling. By partnering with a device lifecycle services provider, the company quickly turned things around, making significant strides in meeting its business goals.

A Better Way to Dispose of Devices

Managing the retirement of devices on a large scale can be a complex task. Most organizations today only focus on the return of systems — the desktop or laptop — but what about all the peripheral items like monitors, keyboards, mice and headsets? Typically, these items end up in landfills. Companies must consider multiple factors to address this challenge, such as vendor management, secure data disposal and environmental regulations, while adhering to related standards and best practices. Working with the right partner who understands the importance of responsible disposal can reduce risks and ensure those retired devices have lasting value and minimal environmental impact.

Sustainability Benefits Driven with Dell Services

Through services like our Lifecycle Hub, Dell offers impact-generating solutions to help our clients meet their sustainability targets while achieving business outcomes. With capabilities that include return, repair and redeploy services, we help maximize device utilization by getting devices back for reuse or disposition, utilizing packaging materials from recycled or renewable sources as part of the process. We’ve worked hard to make Lifecycle Hub a comprehensive IT device lifecycle management solution that addresses the complexity of managing and maintaining your fleet of electronic devices, while also helping meet corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship standards.

Lifecycle Hub works alongside our Dell Asset Recovery Services to sanitize devices and prioritize reuse to minimize waste and maximize value. Moreover, if a particular asset is deemed unusable, we responsibly recycle it through reliable and certified third-party partners Dell thoroughly vets. The service is designed for transparency to ensure a beneficial feedback loop for the circular economy.

At Dell Technologies, sustainability and ethical business practices drive the entire company, informing everything from how we make our products to how we design our services to ensure we positively impact clients and make a real difference in our world. We understand the importance of joining together to create a better and more sustainable tomorrow.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Three Ways to Drive Down Data Center Energy Cost

As increased wholesale prices and global current events drive energy prices to record highs, energy efficiency has become a popular conversation among data center managers. I am often asked what can be done to drive down power requirements and lower energy cost. My answer is that energy efficiency is a multi-pronged approach and consideration should be given to everything from efficient hardware to overall infrastructure such as cooling, consolidation, among others. In addition to a holistic strategy around data center energy reduction, here are three actions which can influence an efficient outcome and lower energy bill:    

Enable Power Management

At Dell Technologies, we integrate industry standard and vendor specific power management features into how we design our PowerEdge portfolio to help reduce energy consumption. With the Dell BIOS and integrated Dell remote access controller (iDRAC), you have control over the server’s power consumption. These built-in features help:

◉ Reduce power consumption at run-time via demand-based power management where performance is balanced to workload. An example of this is CPU Performance States (P-States).

◉ Minimize power consumption during IDLE period when there is no active workload, such as CPU C-states and DDR5 self-refresh.

◉ Save energy costs as power consumption is reduced over time when there are opportunities.

Minimize Stranded Power  

Power and cooling equipment are significant investments in a data center and not fully utilizing their capacity is a poor return on investment. To make matters worse, cooling systems are less efficient when not highly utilized. Dell offers online tools and features integrated into platforms to help you rescue power stranded in your data center.

◉ PSU portfolio, with wide range of capacities, enables PSU Right Sizing to avoid stranding power in your server, as many data centers allocate power based on PSU label rating.

◉ Fault Tolerant Redundancy enables more aggressive PSU Right Sizing by utilizing the capacity of the redundant PSU during normal operation.

◉ Dell iDRAC provides input power and current limiting features to enable PSU Right Sizing based on typical instead of worst-case workload while being protected if any unexpected excursions occur.

◉ Open Manage Enterprise (OME) Power Manager Plug-in (PMP) supports group level input power and current (future release) limiting to maximize compute density within the data center’s rack power limit thus minimizing stranded power at the rack level.

Eliminate Zombies and Ghosts

The ghost servers can create unintentional electricity consumption as they sit on the rack unused but still connected. Further, there is the matter of the space that they take up. The problem is that administrators are not compelled to check for energy use at the individual server level, so they are not always aware that zombie servers exist. Dell OME PMP can help identify both unused and underused servers and create immediate relief to the energy bill.

◉ OME PMP monitors power and compute utilization and identifies lost ghost servers that are consuming power but providing little to no value to your business.

◉ Dell sales utilize Live Optics technology to find the zombies consuming power in the data center. A Dell sales proposal will include high efficiency next generation servers to replace the zombie servers found.

Most data center managers are eager to reduce high energy bills and take a hard look at how to lower their overall carbon footprint. These tips can be a quick win in the race towards greater energy efficiency, but the ultimate strategy includes proper management including visibility, monitoring and action is the key to managing energy efficiently. With the right Dell software and solutions activated, you can have visibility and control over your energy use and put those overwhelming energy bills behind you.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Unlocking the Value in E-waste

Today is International E-Waste Day. This year’s theme – “recycle it all, no matter how small” – reminds us that discarded, unused electronics, or e-waste, present one of the fastest-growing global environmental challenges of our time.

It is estimated that more than 57 million tons of electronics will be discarded this year. This is equivalent in weight to 82,000 school buses or 4,700 Eiffel Towers – enough to cover the size of Manhattan – and that’s just e-waste production in a single year. Only 17.4 percent of that volume is recycled as e-waste each year.

When returned for reuse or recycling, end-of-life electronics contain valuable, reusable components, parts and minerals that can be responsibly harvested for other uses. The carbon footprint of electronics shrinks when components and materials are reused because we extend their life. And for every pound of steel, aluminum, plastic or copper we recover for reuse, we save a pound of material from being newly manufactured or extracted from the ground.

End-of-life electronics returned through our Dell Technologies recovery and recycling services are given a second chance. We extend their usable life and accelerate the circular economy. In fact, we have recovered more than 2.6 billion pounds of used electronics since 2007.

To avoid turning end-of-life electronics into e-waste, we work to unlock their value:

1. Design for circularity – we imbed circular principles into every aspect of product design.

2. Repairability – We make it easy for consumers to repair a device by providing product manuals online, offering services like our Dell AR Assistant, and designing for better repairability. The longer we keep our electronics in use, the greater the impact.

3. Take back services – We provide convenient services to recover and recycle end-of-life devices when the technology no longer meets a user’s needs.

4. Maximize reuse – Once a device is returned, we maximize its reuse potential by taking the following steps:

◉ Sanitize and secure data*

◉ Refurbish systems that can be resold or donated for continued use

◉ Harvest all usable parts to extend the lifecycle

◉ Extract key materials – like plastics, magnets and aluminum – to reuse in new Dell products

◉ Responsibly recycle all other materials

We understand the value of legacy electronics – both for our commitment to circularity and for the health of the planet. In fact, we have set an ambitious goal to tackle this challenge, which is by 2030, for every product a customer buys, we will reuse or recycle an equivalent product.

In addition to our existing recycling services, we continue to find innovative new ways to make it easier for people and businesses to return their used electronics. In the last year, we launched pilot programs to raise awareness about the importance of electronics recycling and to drive people to act:

◉ We reached consumers who purchased certain laptop models with an on-package recycling message encouraging them to reuse the box to return their old equipment.

◉ We tested an innovative service that uses delivery lockers in apartment buildings. This campaign encouraged apartment dwellers to deposit unwanted electronics in shipping lockers for recycling.

◉ We joined forces with technology peers to pilot a curbside recycling program for consumers in Denver, Colorado.

◉ And, for business customers of all sizes, we modernized Dell’s Asset Recovery Services globally – now supporting 36 countries and available through our channel partners.

We established our global recycling services more than 25 years ago and we continue to evolve to keep pace with changing consumer and business demands. We are driving innovation to increase the volume of products from all brands, not just Dell, for refurbishment, reuse and recycling.

Help us put a dent in e-waste by trading in or recycling your end-of-life device today. Visit Dell’s Recycling Solutions page for more information and to learn how. We’ll take it all – no matter how small – as we continue to unlock the value in e-waste.

* Dell Technologies does not accept liability for lost or confidential data or software when recycling through the Dell Reconnect program. You are responsible for backing up any valuable information and erasing sensitive data from the hard drive before returning to Dell. To completely erase the hard drive, there are a number of free services available online.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Three Ways Dell Storage Advances Your Sustainability Ambitions

Enterprise Strategy Group research confirms that IT departments are very active in driving environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. According to the leading research firm, 93 percent of those surveyed said the IT supplier’s ESG program will have a significant or modest impact on their IT purchase decisions.

Combine that with the most significant energy price increases the world has seen in five decades, and the fact that data centers consume approximately 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, which is nearly 1% of all global electricity demand, it comes as no surprise that implementing a green data center and hitting the “Environmental” aspect of ESG is top of mind for IT decision makers.

Going green and having a sound sustainability focus is and should be a key element of every company’s ESG efforts, but what matters most is doing business with a company that you trust. Dell is proud of our ESG efforts – we believe it is and  must be more than an initiative – it’s a way of doing business. We demonstrate this commitment by publishing our ambitious goals in our annual ESG Report. This report gives our customers a complete 360 degree view of our ESG efforts, from cultivating inclusion, transforming lives and upholding ethics and privacy to how we’re advancing sustainability with goals including:

◉ By 2030, for every product a customer buys, we will reuse or recycle an equivalent product.

◉ By 2030, 100% of our packaging will be made from recycled or renewable material, and more than half of our product content will be made from recycled or renewable material.

◉ By 2030, we will source 75% of electricity from renewable sources across all Dell Technologies facilities — and 100% by 2040

◉ We will reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2050

These goals give our customers the confidence we are invested for the long term in meeting their sustainability needs. We are also helping them focus on sustainability for today to meet rising energy costs or with countries like Singapore, where they are establishing very strict efficiency guidelines for new data centers – from power and cooling to IT system efficiency.

At the heart of data center efficiency and sustainability is data. Businesses are bracing themselves for zettabytes of data to manage. Findings from Dell’s Data Paradox Study reveal that for many organizations, data will become a burden rather than an opportunity.

That’s where modern storage comes in. And there are three ways Dell’s modern storage portfolio advances sustainability: Energy efficiency, Thermals and cooling and Infrastructure consolidation.

Energy Efficiency

First, we’re reducing the energy intensity of our technology and making it more efficient with each new generation. That means delivering more power efficiency while certifying that our systems use industry standard benchmarks including ENERGY STAR and EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool).

Our latest Dell storage innovations exemplify this. PowerMax delivers 80% power savings per TB and up to 7X more capacity per array in half the rack space – compared with previous generation. All this while maintaining 99.9999% availability. And Dell PowerStore 3.0 delivers up to 60% more IOPS per watt.

Many Dell storage offerings, as well as Dell HCI, are ENERGY STAR Certified – so that the energy efficiency part of the purchasing decision is done for you. And to align purchasing of our HCI systems with your sustainability IT goals, Dell PowerEdge offers 43 EPEAT registered products.

Thermals and Cooling

Next, we’re revolutionizing thermals and cooling to improve efficiency and reduce heat as we increase system processing – all while enhancing performance.

Dell storage is architected for adaptive cooling to reduce energy consumption. Our fans speed up as environmental temperatures rise, or CPU usage increases, to maintain optimal temperatures without using any more energy than needed.

Most Dell storage and server products will have at least one Titanium PSU offering by 2023. Titanium power supply units (PSUs), ranked by the 80 PLUS program, use less electricity to power the server and emit less heat, which results in significant energy savings on cooling.

Infrastructure Consolidation

Finally, our storage helps you consolidate your infrastructure so you can reduce the physical and carbon footprint in your data center.

According to a recent Forrester study, customers overprovision their storage environment by an average of 37%. With Dell innovations like data reduction and high-density flash drives – you can avoid overprovisioning by doing more with less – less raw storage capacity required, less energy and cooling and less hardware.

To increase data density, Dell guarantees data reduction across our broad storage portfolio, while helping you get the most value from flash media. Specifically, Dell guarantees a 4:1 reduction ratio across its PowerStore and latest PowerMax Open Systems platforms, with no pre-assessment required.

In fact, the entire PowerStore portfolio offers superior data density when compared with a family of equivalent all-flash arrays from a competitive vendor. Better data density helps you reduce your carbon footprint by maximizing the effective terabyte per rack unit.

Take the example of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). AHF does incredible work providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than a million people in 45 countries. By introducing Dell PowerMax into their aging storage infrastructure, the organization reduced its physical footprint in the data center by 88%, from two racks to a quarter of a rack, which then helped drive down power and cooling costs by more than 50%.

Advancing Sustainability, Together

At Dell Technologies, our vision is to become the most essential technology company for the data era.  We’re doing this by redefining IT with an open and modern software-defined architecture designed for the digital future, providing our customers with the simplicity, agility, and control of their technology, which leads to improved business outcomes in the aaS, distributed and multicloud world.

We also believe strongly that it’s every technology provider’s responsibility to prioritize environmental sustainability and to deliver technology that will drive human progress. And it’s important for you to understand how our ESG efforts – at the industry, company, portfolio and product level – support your own sustainability ambitions.

Beyond our storage sustainability features, the Dell Future Proof program (including Tech Refresh and Recycle) and Dell APEX aaS offerings give you even more innovative ways for sustainably managing your IT infrastructure.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Empowering Partners to Sustainably, More Securely Retire Technology

As the global population continues to grow, with more people comes greater consumption of products, including electronics. This is contributing to concerns associated with e-waste, which has become one of the fastest-growing waste streams across the globe.

Adopting a circular economy is a critical business model for our collective future. Businesses can impact change by embracing an asset disposition strategy designed to help reduce and reuse e-waste with the goal of preventing it from going to a landfill, and by extending the useful life of products and materials.

Alarmed by the urgent e-waste crises, many companies already take sustainability seriously and are adopting circular strategies for IT. In fact, a recent Forrester study revealed 84 percent of respondents claimed reducing e-waste is a top priority for IT procurement decisions.

Offering convenient and simple solutions to retire legacy IT equipment is critical to this initiative. Dell Technologies Asset Recovery Services is just that – convenient and simple.

Currently available for resell through the channel across 36 locations, Dell-authorized solution providers are empowered to leverage Asset Recovery Services as their seamless end-to-end asset recovery solution. The services apply to any brand of laptop, desktop, server, peripheral or accessory and provide partners with a more secure, responsible way for their customers to retire legacy IT equipment.

Dell Asset Recovery Services benefit businesses of all sizes, require no unit minimums and can be used whether a business’ workforce is centralized or remote. Dell handles every logistical detail – from pickup to final reporting – and the entire process is managed digitally via the self-service TechDirect portal for real-time visibility and control.

Asset Recovery Services provide partners with:

◉ Flexible options for managing customers with multiple permission levels, on-demand reports and secure value transfer

◉ Access to real-time appraisals to estimate value in just a few clicks before ordering, with the ability to choose how and when to distribute value

◉ Increased earning potential through rebates and tier revenue credit

◉ The ability to address their own sustainability goals, and those of their customers, all while contributing to the greater circular economy

Through our collective takeback programs, Dell has recovered more than 2.6 billion pounds of used electronics globally since 2007. And, in the last year, we increased the percentage of products taken back for reuse or recycling by 26% (Dell Technologies’ FY22 ESG Report).

Dell is committed to creating technologies that drive positive outcomes for people and our planet. We still have a lot of work to do and set an ambitious goal to hold ourselves accountable as we work to further this mission: By 2030, for every product a customer buys, Dell will reuse or recycle an equivalent product. In addition, by 2030, 100% of our packaging and more than half of product content will be made from recycled or renewable material.

Our vast partner ecosystem is critical to achieving these goals. By joining forces with partners to help their customers easily return devices after use, we’re working together to help promote a more sustainable, responsible future.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Managing E-waste Responsibly: Critical Steps Towards a Circular Economy

E-waste not only poses health and environmental hazards, it’s also an untapped value that businesses of all sizes, across all sectors, could return to the circular economy.

According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, only 17.4 percent of e-waste is formally documented as being collected and recycled. The report estimates that globally, e-waste will reach 74 metric tons by 2030, nearly double the amount since 2014. According to UNESCAP, Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019 — some 24.9 metric tons, followed by the Americas (13.1 mt) and Europe (12 mt), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 mt and 0.7 mt respectively.

The rapidly increasing rate is another concern for planning future e-waste management. The annual growth rate of e-waste was estimated to be 3-5%, which is about three times larger than other types of waste.

Good for Bottom Line, Better for Environment

The business case to protect our planet couldn’t be more evident. The global IT asset disposition market size was valued at 18.57 million USD in 2021. It is expected to increase to 51.38 million USD by 2030 at a CAGR of 12% during the forecast period of 2022–2030. The Asia Pacific market is projected to account for 25.44 USD million by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 14%.

The same Global E-waste Monitor 2020 report also addresses financial implications. The report shows that the amount of iron, copper, gold and other minerals discarded in e-waste is valued at over 57 billion USD. Recovering those materials through proper recycling benefits the planet and businesses.

Start to Adopt Circular IT Strategies to Extend Product Life Cycles

Accelerating the circular economy is at the core of Dell Technologies Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. By moving away from the linear economy and embracing a circular one, we can design to reduce and reuse waste, and extend the useful life of products and materials to reduce environmental impact. At Dell, we believe technology will play a key role in this shift, and we see the circular economy as a critical business model for our collective future. As a global technology leader, we have a strong opportunity to minimize waste and as a result, emissions by driving circularity through everything we do.

When a product reaches its end of life, the materials can be reused and recycled, creating sustainable value within the circular economy. Supporting this model reduces environmental impact while giving businesses opportunities to increase competitiveness, stimulate innovation and revenue, reduce operating costs and create jobs.

We are also walking the talk. Since 1996, Dell has been offering secure recovery solutions for customers around the world. Since 2007, we have recovered more than 2.6 billion pounds (1.2 billion kilograms) of used electronics. Asset Recovery Services, for example, helps businesses securely and responsibly retire their IT equipment. Earlier this year, Dell expanded its support for Asset Recovery Services, which is now available in 36 countries.

Retire your IT Equipment Securely and Sustainably with Asset Recovery Services

When selecting a partner to help reduce your organization’s environmental impact and improve your sustainability practices, consider Dell’s Asset Recovery Services. By leveraging Dell’s long-standing security expertise and commitment to sustainability, you can responsibly resell, recycle or return to lease your legacy IT equipment and shift your focus to what’s next.

Here’s how it works:

◉ Return any brand. We’ll take back all of your owned or leased hardware, no matter where it came from.

◉ Leave the logistics to us. We’ll handle every detail from pick up to final reporting, so you can stay focused on your core business.

◉ Keep your data safe. We’ll sanitize devices in strict alignment with the NIST SP 800-88r1 standard to ensure data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

◉ Unlock value. Your aging asset may have more value than you think. Our goal is always to reuse, extending the life of the product as our first priority. We’ll resell your equipment and send the money back to you.

◉ Protect the planet. If your asset has no value, we’ll dispose of it in compliance with local regulatory guidelines.

◉ Peace of mind, on-demand. Customize and download status reports to keep track of your services from anywhere. Data sanitization, confirmation of disposal, and resell/recycle reports are at your fingertips.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Secure and Responsible Retirement of IT Equipment Made Easy

As your company refreshes information technology to stay competitive and keep employees productive, you’re likely asking yourself lots of critical questions about your aging IT equipment, like:

At Dell Technologies, we understand your concerns. Disposing of IT equipment that’s reached its useful end of life can be challenging. In addition to wrestling with complex logistics and IT lifecycle issues, navigating the risks associated with data security and environmental liability can be headache. At times, it may feel easier to let aging equipment continue to depreciate on employee desks or to stash unused tech gear in storage, “out of sight, out of mind,” taking up valuable space.

Fortunately, there’s a simple, hassle-free and responsible approach to IT asset disposition.

Retire now versus later to maximize value for your business and the planet

Dell’s Asset Recovery Services can help your company responsibly retire IT equipment, while keeping your company’s sensitive data safe. We leverage our longstanding IT security expertise, environmental compliance and commitment to sustainability to help you seamlessly transition from old to new technology while protecting your business and the planet.

By diverting electronic waste (e-waste) from landfills, Asset Recovery Services can help you transform unused, end-of-life tech equipment from something that gets discarded into a reusable or recyclable asset, extending the useful life of technology. Your aging assets may be more valuable than you realize. By retiring IT assets while they still retain maximum residual value, you can unlock value and reinvest in new innovation.

Think of it as a secure, sustainable approach to “out with the old, in with the new.”

Keeping your data safe is our number one priority

Data security concerns weigh heavily on the minds of IT managers who must deal with excess equipment while also protecting their company’s sensitive information and valuable intellectual property – making it the number one reason companies either delay asset disposition or require help with the process.

At Dell, our top priority is safeguarding your data while protecting the environment. Our standardized procedures, multiple checkpoints and meticulous documentation provide end-to-end protection of your sensitive information. We sanitize all devices in strict alignment with the NIST SP 800-88r1 standard for media sanitization. If devices cannot be fully sanitized, we destroy all types of drives to prevent unauthorized data recovery.

As an extra level of security, we offer onsite data sanitization services, ensuring that all IT equipment is completely sanitized before leaving your facility. This includes onsite hard-drive shredding in which data-bearing hard drives are physically destroyed in an environmentally responsible manner. All data sanitization details are reported through our online portal, giving you full transparency and peace of mind along the way.

Help create sustainable value

E-waste is the fastest growing domestic waste stream. According to the UN Global E-waste Monitor 2020, the world generated 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste in 2019. That’s equivalent in weight to all the commercial aircraft ever built and enough material to cover an area the size of Manhattan – each year. Worse yet, only 17.4 percent of that e-waste was recycled. E-waste not only poses health and environmental hazards, it’s also untapped value that businesses of all sizes, across all sectors, could return to the circular economy.

Many companies recognize the urgency of the e-waste crisis and take sustainability seriously by adopting circular IT strategies that extend product life cycles through efficient design, repair, reuse and recycling. When a product reaches its end of life, the materials can be recycled and reused, creating sustainable value within the circular economy. Embracing this vision reduces environmental impact while giving businesses opportunities to increase competitiveness, stimulate innovation and revenue, reduce OPEX and create jobs.

While some of your IT equipment may have reached end of life, chances are, it has a little more to give. Through Asset Recovery Services, we recycle assets with no value in compliance with global regulatory guidelines, helping you avoid potential negative publicity from improper disposal while ensuring recycled materials get a new life. We adhere to strict environmental disposition standards for maximum reuse. We prioritize reuse and thoroughly test returned equipment for functionality to promote reuse and minimize e-waste whenever possible. Together, we can take meaningful steps toward prioritizing reuse and diverting e-waste from landfills.

How Asset Recovery Services works

We will help you resell, recycle or return to lease any brand of owned or leased client hardware, no matter where it came from. Whether you are managing a central or remote workforce, there are no unit minimums. This applies to desktop PCs, laptops, servers, peripheral devices and accessories.

Leave the end-to-end logistics and transportation of returned equipment to us. We’ll handle every detail from pickup to final reporting, so you can stay focused on your core business. Again, we safeguard your data through secure data sanitization processes and offer on-site data sanitization options for added security.

The process starts by scheduling a quick appraisal to help you determine what your equipment is worth so you can cash in to help your business grow. Then we resell the sanitized equipment and return the value to you, or we responsibly recycle assets that cannot be reused or have no residual value.

You can efficiently manage the entire asset recovery process through our centralized online portal, available through TechDirect. For peace of mind, the portal gives you real-time access to detailed status reports. Device appraisals, order tracking, data sanitization, disposal confirmation, recycling details and other on-demand reports are at your fingertips. When it’s all done, use the portal to track payments and transfer funds electronically. It’s that simple.

Dell: Your asset recovery partner

Dell has provided secure asset recovery services for businesses worldwide for more than 25 years. Since 2008, we have recovered more than 2.5 billion pounds of used electronics, and we’re not stopping there. We have the scope, scale and compliance expertise to manage the entire asset disposition process from end to end, shielding you from multi-vendor headaches. We take protecting your data, your brand reputation and the environment very seriously and require the same from our partner organizations.

Sustainability and product stewardship are at the heart of everything Dell does. By 2030, we aim to achieve these goals:

◉ For every product a customer buys, we plan to reuse or recycle an equivalent product.

◉ 100 percent of our packaging will be made from recycled or renewable materials.

◉ More than half of our product content will be made from recycled or renewable materials.

By leveraging Dell’s security expertise and commitment to sustainability, you can responsibly resell, recycle or return to lease your legacy IT equipment and shift your focus to what’s next and best for your business.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Rethinking Recycling

Did you know the estimated amount of worldwide e-waste in 2021 outweighed the Great Wall of China? Alarming statistic, right? These are the types of data points that inspire me to continue to create programs that move people from passive concern to taking action to improve our planet.

What motivates people to make recycling an important part of owning technology? To find out, we regularly conduct research, host focus groups and proactively seek out input from our business customers. What they consistently tell us is that recycling needs to be easier and fit into their regular routines, and for businesses, data security is one of their top concerns. We use these insights to improve our services to take back technology with the goal of extending the life of those products and materials through repair, reuse and recycling.

Since 2007, Dell has recovered more than 2.5 billion pounds (1.1 billion kilograms) of used electronics, but we know we must be even more aggressive to deliver the positive environmental impact that will result from reusing and recycling one product for every one sold by 2030. To achieve this ambitious goal, we are building on our more than 25 years of experience in global recycling services to rethink and redesign our approach.

Here are a few recent examples of how we are using insights and testing out new ideas to ultimately increase recycling:

◉ Commercial customers represent the most significant opportunity to scale taking back out-of-use and legacy equipment. This month we’re expanding our Asset Recovery Service to 36 countries globally. With this service, Dell manages the pickup logistics of any brand of leased or owned hardware, sanitizes used devices to ensure data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, resells devices to give value back to the customer or recycles the equipment responsibly and provides a comprehensive report of the process, including the ability to manage and follow the entire process through our online TechDirect portal.

◉ To get consumers to send in out-of-use technology, we are giving them something back. With Dell Trade In, U.S. consumers can register eligible personal electronics – of any brand, in any condition – for instant credit. A completely free service, consumers simply enter the details of their eligible device online, receive a quote for the credit they will receive and drop it off at a FedEx location or drop box. As soon as the box is scanned, the value is instantly emailed to the customer in a virtual pre-paid debit card that can be used to purchase Dell products and services.

◉ Last month, Dell Technologies was excited to join Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft to launch a year-long, city-wide collect-from-your-door electronics recycling pilot for consumers in Denver, Colorado. A technology industry-first collaboration developed in partnership with recycling start-up Retrievr, this pilot will collect insights to better understand the most critical factors affecting consumer behavior and apply them to improve processes for recycling electronic waste. Denver residents can find out more about how to use this service here.

If we want to make a dent in that Great Wall of China sized mountain of e-waste, we have to dramatically scale recycling. This is why, for the month of April leading up to Earth Day, Dell Technologies will launch an awareness campaign to get people to participate in a “Global Recycling Drive for the Planet.” Designed to share the impact of e-waste and inspire action, we aim to mobilize our global community of team members, consumers, customers and partners to move the needle on extending the life of out-of-use technology – not only in the lead up to Earth Day – but year-round. Together we can dramatically decrease e-waste and protect the planet for the future. To learn and participate today, please visit DellTechnologies.com/Recycle.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Dell Technologies Future-Proof Program: Maximize Investments

Dell Technologies Future-Proof Program is designed to simplify the IT decision-making and purchasing process for data center managers. IT managers and administrators must evaluate numerous factors when making IT decisions and partnering with Dell Technologies simplifies the process.

The Future-Proof Program is divided into three different high-level pillars which are: Guarantee Outcomes, Maximize Investments, and Navigate IT Futures.

This second part of a three-part blog series will discuss the Maximize Investments pillar. The Maximize Investments category of the Future-Proof Program includes Technology Refresh & Recycle, Clear Price, and All-Inclusive Software benefits for customers.

Tech Refresh & Recycle

Dell Technologies is committed to helping protect our customers and our planet and the Technology Refresh & Recycle program exemplifies this commitment. If an IT department purchases a Dell Technologies storage solution the company is eligible for the program. Once new Dell Technologies hardware is installed and running, IT departments are faced with the decision of what to do with legacy IT equipment. Some companies repurpose existing equipment and some companies want to retire hardware they no longer need. IT departments that remove legacy IT hardware benefit from a variety of advantages including eliminating and reducing expenses for power, cooling and hardware maintenance.  Sometimes companies pay third-party vendors to remove and recycle legacy IT equipment. However, if a customer purchases Dell storage equipment Dell Technologies will provide refresh and recycle services at no additional charge for working legacy IT equipment, regardless of the vendor.

Clear Price

The second element of the Maximize Investments pillar is the Clear Price program. Clear Price provides fair and transparent price guidance for ProSupport contract renewals. When an IT department purchases a new solution the cost of the initial support contract is specified. However, IT departments are faced with the uncertainty of the cost of future support contract renewals. The Clear Price program alleviates the uncertainty for IT managers by providing price guidance for future ProSupport renewals. Therefore, the Clear Price program provides clear and predictable prices for future support requirements and the Future-Proof Program enables IT departments to budget and plan for the future operation of their equipment without concern.

All-Inclusive Software

The third element of the Maximize Investments pillar is the All-Inclusive Software program. The All-Inclusive Software offer states that the software needed to store and manage Dell Technologies storage, HCI and networking equipment is included with the system purchase. For example, Dell Technologies PowerStore solutions include the following software: snapshots and thin clones, vVol managed snapshots, intelligent deduplication and compression, Dynamic Resiliency Engine (DRE), data-at-rest encryption (D@RE) and much more. Your sales representative can provide a comprehensive presentation of the software included with Dell Technologies’ solutions.

The Future-Proof Program is an important program dedicated to supporting IT departments. The Maximize Investments pillar is a valuable component of the Future-Proof Program designed to help data center managers achieve the greatest benefits from their IT purchases. The Tech Refresh & Recycle, Clear Price, and All-Inclusive Software programs enable users to maximize their investments when partnering with Dell Technologies. Additional information is located on the Future-Proof Program webpage. Please visit the two additional Future-Proof blogs that describe Guarantee Outcomes and Navigate IT Futures. Talk to your sales representative to learn more about how the Future-Proof Program can benefit your information technology department.

Source: dell.com

Continue reading

Build a Sustainable Future by Supporting the Circular Economy

Sustainability discussions have been front and center for government and industry leaders worldwide. There has been much talk about reducing e-waste and the impact it has on the environment. Globally, the world generated 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste in 2019 and that number is expected to grow to 74.7 million metric tons by 2030. This is fueled by the growing market for all kinds of electronics with limited participation in formal recycling and reuse programs. In simple terms, the world is still too focused on consuming and throwing away.

Read More: DES-5221: Dell EMC Data Center Networking Specialist Exam for Implementation Engineer

The embracing of sustainable practices in IT among businesses has been slow. Most do not have an environmentally sustainable process in place for disposing of IT equipment. Greater importance must be placed on making a difference and changing the trajectory. Opportunities continue to exist to become more efficient at managing IT infrastructure lifecycle and e-waste management.

In many locations around the world, policies and regulatory requirements govern how end users are supposed to dispose of their equipment in order to help keep this equipment out of landfills when the electronics reach end of life. The question is, how can a customer address this e-waste issue while fulfilling business and operational goals? The circular economy is one of the key initiatives of sustainability to drive change.

As part of sustainability initiatives, IT leadership will need to consider the impact of e-waste arising from their infrastructure environment going forward. It’s not just a trend but a necessity.

Circular Economy

A circular economy gives us the tool to tackle resource use, climate change and biodiversity loss while addressing important social needs by repairing, refurbishing, reintroducing, remanufacturing or recycling products, keeping them in the economy. The goal is to have very little to no waste. Traditional economic approach is linear, beginning from natural resource to final product and ultimately disposal. Extending the life of electronic products and re-using components benefits the economy by generating less CO2 emission compared to mining for raw materials or manufacturing. Functioning equipment is valued more than the materials they contain. E-waste no longer becomes a waste or pollutant when it is put back into the economy in a useful format.

Commitment to Sustainability

Dell Technologies has a longstanding commitment to sustainability. We have a corporate goal that, by 2030, for every product a customer receives, we will reuse or recycle an equivalent product. We have an additional goal to make more than half of our product content and all of our packaging from recycled or renewable materials, thus helping close the loop. In conjunction with our other Progress Made Real goals, we are trying to drive sustainability and accelerate the adoption of a circular economy. Circularity is a key component of our design standards and we can see Circularity at work throughout Dell’s product lifecycle.

Technology Rotation

How can you advance sustainability and participate in the circular economy? Technology Rotation* integrates payment solutions into the procurement strategy, contributing towards the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), lowering total cost of ownership, and creating a positive impact on the environment.**

Technology Rotation optimizes the technology lifecycle by rotating in the latest products at a pre-defined cycle without continuing to incur cost for technology that is no longer operating at its peak performance. Technology Rotation contributes to the Circular Economy by refurbishing and remarketing 95% of assets. The recirculated equipment is therefore put back in to productive use. The remaining 5% are recycled in adherence with local regulatory guidelines such as EPA in the United States, WEEE in Europe, and NCTRS in Australia.

Increases in business flexibility of Technology Rotation allows companies the ability to innovate and meet challenges from new initiatives. Acquisition of technology is simplified. The findings from IDC Survey demonstrates that it can lower your Total Cost of Usage (TCU) by up to 33%. Technology Rotation improves operational efficiency. Systems and applications running on the latest technology achieve higher performance with less resource consumption. And of course, at the end of the cycle, we take that equipment back for reuse or recycling.

Sustainability Partnership

Dell Technologies can partner with you to meet your sustainability goals in reducing e-waste with Technology Rotation. The benefits are optimized performance, getting the latest equipment technology and moving the responsibility of handling e-waste to us. Together we can build a better world and a sustainable future.

*All websites referenced in this article are intended for readers located in the United States only.  Readers outside of the United States may access their county’s website by selecting their location from the location menu.  Products and offers may not be available or may vary by country.

**Payment solutions provided and serviced by Dell Financial Services L.L.C. or its affiliate or designee (“DFS”) for qualified customers. Offers may not be available or may vary in certain countries. Where available offers may be changed without notice and are subject to product availability, applicable law, credit approval, documentation provided by and acceptable to DFS and may be subject to minimum transaction size. Offers not available for personal, family or household use. Dell Technologies and the Dell EMC logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. Restrictions and additional requirements may apply to transactions with governmental or public entities. FAIR MARKET VALUE (“FMV”) LEASE: At the end of the initial FMV Lease term, lessee may 1) purchase the equipment for the then FMV, 2) renew the lease or 3) return the equipment to DFS

Source: delltechnologies.com

Continue reading