Dell Rolls Out Cloud Service For Retail Stores

Dell said the service, called Cloud Client Computing for Retail, is the first end-to-end cloud service for retailers.

The offering includes networking, endpoint devices, virtualization, infrastructure, security, management tools and services -- all customizable to a retailer's individual needs, according to Dell.

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Retailers will be able to manage and host complex point-of-sale (POS) and inventory systems centrally in the store or in the cloud, Dell said.

Dell developed the service based on recent acquisitions of network security vendor SonicWall, desktop virtualization company Wyse and infrastructure management company Quest.

"Until now, most retailers have had to cobble together products and services from multiple vendors in order to address cloud solutions and virtualization in their store environment," Mike Adams, retail industry practice lead at Dell, said Monday in a statement. "As a result of our recent acquisitions that include Wyse, SonicWALL and Quest, Dell is able to provide an end-to-end solution that has been tested and optimized for retail's unique environment."

Dell did not return requests for further comment.

Dell said the offering consists of three components: thin and mobile endpoints with and without POS peripherals; on-premise desktop virtualization infrastructure; and cloud-based desktop virtualization infrastructure.

The service will be made available on March 4, 2013, for point-of-sales systems, kiosks and back-office systems to be supported with on-premise or retailer-hosted cloud infrastructure; during the summer for store systems supported with digital signage and surveillance hardware; and during the fall, with option for store systems to be supported by Dell-hosted cloud infrastructure.

PUBLISHED JAN. 14, 2013