The Hindu Business Line : Dell shifting focus to software R&D

Bangalore, Jan. 22 Dell says it’s not shutting down its R&D centre in Bangalore, contrary to recent media reports. The company is merely shifting focus from hardware to software R&D, said Mr Pallab Talukdar, Enterprise Strategy Group, Dell India.

Earlier, Dell’s focus at the R&D centre was primarily on hardware. Gradually, it is phasing out hardware R&D from Bangalore and moving it to its other centres worldwide. “It’s more of a reorientation of focus. The Bangalore R&D centre will now focus on management software and testing,” said Mr Talukdar.

The R&D centre in Bangalore currently employs around 500 people. On whether there have been any job cuts as a result of this shift in focus, the company said there have been “minor changes and reorganisation” and no major firing. In fact, the company will be recruiting more people, said Mr Talukdar, at the sidelines of a press conference to announce the launch of Dell’s new PowerEdge M-Series blade solution.

New server

Dell hopes to set a “new standard for date centre energy efficiency and flexibility” with the PowerEdge M Series blade.

Targeted at the mid to large enterprises, the M Series enables businesses to save on power and cooling costs while increasing server capacity. It provides lead-free configurations, thus delivering a green IT solution that helps customers minimise environmental impact. The M1000e blade enclosure in now available worldwide at a starting price of Rs 3,11,948, along with blades at Rs 96,148. The M1000e supports 16 blade servers.