THE HISTORY
The company, first named PC’s Limited, was founded in 1984 by American Michael Dell, who was then a student at the University of Texas in Austin. Initially running the business from a dormitory room, Dell started out providing customized upgrades for PCs. The venture proved profitable, and Dell dropped out of college that same year to begin building PCs.
In 1985 the company released the Turbo PC, the first computer featuring Dell’s own design. Founded on the premise of creating and selling custom-built PCs directly to consumers, the company initially sold its products through advertisements and mail-order catalogs. By avoiding the costs associated with traditional retail markets, Dell was able to offer high-quality PCs at competitive prices. Dell emphasized customer support, sending technicians to service PCs and implementing a policy of risk-free returns. This business model proved successful, and the company quickly grew, expanding into international markets. The company, renamed Dell Computer Corporation, went public in 1988.
In 1996 Dell began selling PCs online and also used the Internet for customer support. Online sales helped Dell overtake the Compaq Computer Corporation in 1999 as the largest seller of PCs in the United States. In the early 21st century Dell expanded its product line to include televisions, digital cameras, and a variety of computer-related products. In 2003 the company was renamed Dell Inc. to signify a move into the broader consumer electronics market. In 2016 the company and an investment firm acquired EMC, an American corporation that specialized in data storage. The merger, valued at approximately $60 billion, was the largest technology deal at the time.
THE CHALLENGES AND THE SOLUTIONS
Over the last decade, organizations of all sizes have embraced a connected and digital society. An even more dramatic shift is underway as how we work and learn has become distributed, and the home is now the office and the classroom. Dell Technologies delivers innovation to make a more connected, data-intensive and distributed future a reality.
Dell Technologies, engages in the provision of information technology hardware, software, and service solutions through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), Client Solutions Group (CSG), and VMware. The ISG segment includes servers, networking, and storage, as well as services and third-party software and peripherals that are closely tied to the sale of ISG hardware. The CSG segment consists of sales to commercial and consumer, customers of desktops, thin client products, and notebooks. The VMware segment provides compute, cloud management, networking and security, storage and availability, and other end user computing offerings.
INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION
Dell Technologies is helping customers become more resilient and prepare for the future. The company has invested more than (U.S.) $18 billion in research and development during the past five years and, in 2019, was the 16th highest recipient of U.S. patents. While shifting 90% of its global team to work remotely, Dell introduced many innovations this year and, in Q2, realized 30% year-over-year growth in asa-Service and flexible consumption recurring revenue.
Since the first Dell PC was introduced in 1986, Dell has continued to shape the industry by breaking new ground and pioneering critical developments in home, small business and enterprise computing.
Founded in 2012, Dell Technologies Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Dell Technologies based in Palo Alto, California. The firm prefers to invest in companies operating in the storage, software-defined networking, management and orchestration, security, machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data & analytics cloud and internet of things sectors.
As an example of this successful strategy, early this year Dell Technologies announced an investment of US$50 million (approx. S$66 million) over three years since 2019 in the establishment of a Global Innovation Hub (GIH) in Singapore. Of that planned investment, US$23 million (approx. S$30 million) will be invested this year. Supported by Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), these investments will go towards accelerating developments in digital experiences and research & development (R&D) capabilities.
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CONCLUSION
Our story began with a belief and a passion: that everybody should have easy access to the best technology anywhere in the world. That was in 1984 in Michael Dell’s University of Texas dorm room. Today, Dell Technologies is instrumental in changing the digital landscape the world over.
We are among the world’s leading technology companies helping to transform people’s lives with extraordinary capabilities. From hybrid cloud solutions to high-performance computing to ambitious social impact and sustainability initiatives, what we do impacts everyone, everywhere.
