For IT professionals, conference season is a prime time to assess current tech trends and see how your organization stacks up against others. At Dell Technologies World 2025, two key takeaways emerged that IT leaders should pay attention to as we move further into the year.
Lesson 1: Generative AI Is Here, and You Might Be Falling Behind
During the second-day keynote, Jeff Clarke, Dell’s COO, talked about how the company is integrating generative AI to boost productivity in sales, technical support, and engineering. He noted that AI can make an individual contributor as effective as a two-person team.
Dell’s approach serves as a model for other businesses. Research from Enterprise Strategy Group shows that the top three drivers for AI adoption align with Dell’s internal priorities: improving operational efficiency (48%), enhancing customer experience (44%), and fostering innovation (42%).
Getting started with AI begins with quality data and clear use cases, but many companies struggle with data management and defining these use cases. When I asked Clarke for advice on projecting ROI for AI investments, he simply urged businesses to “get busy.” Understanding your data and internal processes is crucial to finding the best opportunities for AI implementation. The sooner you start, the quicker you’ll learn what works.
Before making any big infrastructure investments, consider reaching out for help. Dell offers services to pinpoint the right AI use cases and prepare data. Other partners, like Deloitte and Accenture, are also available with their portfolios of AI services.
As for infrastructure, 52% of new AI initiatives currently use public cloud services, but 78% of organizations prefer running AI applications on-premises due to concerns over privacy and control. To meet this demand, Dell has its Dell AI Factory portfolio and has announced over 3,000 AI Factory customers. Other players like HPE, Cisco, and Nutanix are also rolling out solutions to simplify AI infrastructure deployment.
Lesson 2: More Options for Hypervisor Flexibility and Migration
Changes in hypervisor licensing are sparking a desire for alternatives, highlighting fears of vendor lock-in. In response, Dell launched the Dell Private Cloud and Dell Automation Platform, which provide validated blueprints for various systems, easing the path to multiple private cloud solutions.
Our research shows that 89% of organizations view the ability to explore different hypervisor and orchestration options as strategic. As costs rise, flexibility has become more critical than ever.
Dell Private Cloud is just one way to enhance hypervisor flexibility. HPE has rolled out the HPE Private Cloud Business Edition, which simplifies multi-hypervisor support. Nutanix is also expanding its offerings by adding support for third-party storage, making it easier to adopt its hypervisor technology.
Whether you’re diving into AI, looking for private cloud solutions, or both, you have more choices today than ever before. The landscape is evolving quickly, and the options will only expand further.