News Briefs
October 2002
Dell comes on strong with second quarter 2002 earnings
Austin, Texas, August 15, 2002 Demonstrating the unique advantages of its efficient, customer-focused business model, Dell shipped a record number of computer systems in fiscal second-quarter 2003, exceeding the company's latest revenue guidance and sharply improving profitability. Company shipments of servers and workstations were up 20 percent, and those products together with storage systems accounted for 20 percent of revenue.
Second-quarter revenue was $8.5 billion, up 11 percent from last year; sales by the rest of the industry are expected to be down more than 10 percent. Dell's revenue was slightly higher than the company estimated on July 11, when it raised sales and earnings guidance for Q2. Per-share earnings were 19 cents, an increase of 19 percent. In Q3 2002, the company anticipates record revenue and a 25 to 30 percent growth in per-share earnings. For six straight quarters, the company has met or exceeded its guidance to investors.
Interbrand names Dell one of top 100 global brands
August 5, 2002 In what it dubbed "a tough year to build a brand," Interbrand and BusinessWeek magazine have named Dell number 31 in their ranking of the top 100 global brands. The list, compiled by Interbrand, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc., is intended to identify global brands that are holding their value—and those that are not. Interbrand bases its findings on the premise that strong brands have the power to lift sales and earnings. In its study, Interbrand attempts to quantify just how much of a boost each brand delivers, how stable that boost is likely to be, and how much those future earnings are worth today.
To qualify for the ranking, brands were required to have a value greater than $1 billion. They were selected according to two criteria: First, they had to be global in nature, deriving 20 percent or more of sales from outside their home country, and second, they had to have publicly available marketing and financial data on which to base the valuation. According to the study, "Dell Computer Corp.'s ability to see a 12 percent increase in brand value is...impressive."
Dell and Red Hat simplify enterprise Linux deployments
San Francisco, August 13, 2002 In a news conference held at Linux® World 2002, Dell introduced new professional services designed to accelerate the deployment of Linux in the enterprise, including jointly delivered services with Red Hat, Inc. The agreement extends the companies' One Source Alliance with a portfolio of services to help customers migrate from proprietary UNIX® systems to Linux. Dell also announced services that facilitate the planning and deployment of enterprise-ready solutions on DellTM server and storage systems running Red Hat® Linux Advanced Server, Oracle9iTM Database, and Oracle9i Real Application Clusters (RAC).
Specifically, Dell Professional Services and Red Hat will offer new assessment services, planning/proof-of-concept services, application porting, and implementation services. These migration services will include a total cost of ownership (TCO) assessment that details the potential savings associated with migrating from proprietary UNIX to Linux. In addition, Dell Professional Services is available to assist customers in the design, building, and implementation of Dell PowerEdgeTM servers and Dell|EMC storage systems with Oracle9i Databases and Oracle9i RAC on Red Hat Linux Advanced Server.
Dell and IMAX blast off on Apollo 13: The IMAX Experience
San Francisco, August 13, 2002 Announced at Linux World 2002, Dell PowerEdge servers running Red Hat Linux will play an important role in IMAX's first-ever digital remastering of Universal Pictures' and Imagine Entertainment's Apollo 13 , scheduled to hit IMAX theatres this fall. IMAX's new patent-pending technology, IMAX® DMRTM (Digital Remastering), uses the processing power of Dell PowerEdge servers to repurpose individual frames of 35 mm film into IMAX's 15/70 mm format in a matter of seconds. IMAX films are projected on screens eight stories high and 120 feet wide with high-caliber sound and image quality. Apollo 13 is the first theatrical live-action film to be digitally remastered for The IMAX Experience® .
The IMAX DMR technology resides at IMAX's Toronto data centre, which processes several hundred gigabytes of data daily and is one of the largest rendering farms in Canada. IMAX uses dozens of Dell PowerEdge 2550 servers running Red Hat Linux for its DMR process, as well as an additional cluster of Dell PowerEdge 2550 servers for testing. IMAX chose Dell PowerEdge servers running Red Hat Linux for its IMAX DMR process because of the easy-to-use, standards-based platform, outstanding price and performance, and superior Dell support.
Dell plays role in Minority Report
This futuristic action-thriller film, directed by Steven Spielberg, features complex visual effects that required the film's actors to interact with virtual objects. To enable this interaction, the Minority Report crew needed a way to create these complex effects in real time to ensure that they fit precisely with actors' movements on screen. The solution? The film's crew rented a 47-foot trailer and equipped it with the latest Dell computer hardware to capture, monitor, and edit video in real time on the set.
The Minority Report production team installed six Dell PrecisionTM workstations and 10 Dell OptiPlexTM desktops, all with flat-panel monitors to save valuable real estate inside the trailer. They then loaded the systems with Adobe® Photoshop® , Adobe Premiere® , and Macromedia® Director® Shockwave® Studio applications. Each Dell Precision workstation was configured with a dual 36 GB SCSI RAID setup, an IEEE® 1394 card, and 512 MB RDRAM to play back the uncompressed video in full motion as it was streaming in from the set. The crew used Dell InspironTM laptops for real-time monitoring and for distributing precompressed digital information.
Houston Texans kick off new stadium with Dell systems and HOK Sport+Venue+Event
Austin, Texas, August 19, 2002 This season, thanks to architecture firm HOK Sport+Venue+Event (HOK S+V+E) and Dell Precision workstations, the Houston Texans and their fans will be able to enjoy the brand-new Reliant Stadium, a 69,500-person event venue that is the first NFL stadium to feature a retractable roof.
HOK S+V+E has designed many well-known sports facilities, including the home stadiums of 54 professional football and baseball franchises. The firm has been a Dell customer since it started its business with just two Dell DimensionTM desktops. The firm's infrastructure includes a Dell|EMC storage area network (SAN), Dell PowerEdge servers, and Dell Precision 530 workstations, as well as Dell LatitudeTM notebooks and Dell OptiPlex desktops. HOK S+V+E also recently implemented a Dell|EMC SAN, adding about two terabytes of additional storage space.
