Taking the Road Less Traveled: Leaders at Dell Technologies Israel Outline the Future of Tech

Research and Development (R&D) | Israel

Originally Published: May 15, 2023

With its vast technology portfolio, Dell Technologies has a solid vision for the future, and its developers often lead the technology frontier. In this article, top tech leadership at the Dell Israel Research and Development (R&D) site discusses what it's like to be at the technological forefront, what trends are in store, and the Top-Ten ranking of the Israel site in "Best Companies to Work for in Israel - 2023" surveys. 

"Dell is one of the only companies with such a wide range of products, from cloud storage, through servers and storage at the customer site or the Edge, and laptops – from the B2B market to the consumer. It’s one of the widest portfolios in the world generated by the huge merger between Dell and EMC companies. "Today, this extensive portfolio provides Dell with a comprehensive perspective and true understanding of the customer," says Itzik Reich, VP of Technologies, ISG, at Dell.

"Our customers are the largest organizations in the world, from every possible field," he elaborates, "from high-tech companies that design their products with our help to government organizations that value the reliability of Dell, which provides all protocols, hardware, and software from one source to agricultural organizations using our products for predictions about optimal timing for sowing and harvesting."

Cutting Edge Tech at Dell Technologies  "At the R&D site in Israel, we develop some of Dell’s cutting-edge technologies like PowerStore, the information storage product developed for the infrastructures of the future, as well as PowerFlex, the fastest software-based storage product of its kind, with infinite flexibility for storing information in the cloud or on the client side," says Itzik. "As a company, Dell is very focused on creating a technological vision for the future. Our developers always work at the forefront of technology and often take the road less traveled – in methodology, tools, and products. The information-rich environments they work with here will accompany them for a long time later in their careers." The opportunities at Dell’s Israeli site for developing future innovation and personal development are among the leading factors for the Israeli site’s ranking among the top ten high-tech companies in two different “Best Employers to Work for in Israel - 2023" surveys - held by leading Israeli newspapers - Globes and TheMarker.

Exploring Open Questions

Michal Davidson, an architect on the PowerFlex team, describes what it's like to work at the forefront of innovation when she mentions, "I lead the deployment in the public cloud, which involves technological leadership at industry cutting edge level. We devote a lot of thought and effort to the architecture of the multi-cloud, where the data moves between different clouds. We plan to file patents around this area because there are a lot of open questions that have not yet been answered. We are treading on an unpaved road."

"Recently, I gave a presentation on the challenges of cloud security and pointed out that whenever you encounter a problem, that's where the fun begins; the more challenges and the less mature the field, the more it’s technologically interesting and the more potential for opportunities to contribute to the current knowledge base," Michal points out. "We study industry best practices and invest intensive research and resources to create a secure architecture, which is both zero trust compliant and suitable for the multi-cloud model. One of our projects focuses on implementing information storage products in the cloud, and Dell’s global management has conveyed that this is one of the company’s flagship projects of the future."

Michal joined Dell at the beginning of 2022 and has already registered several patents with her team. For example, she explains, "The encouragement for Dell employees to create innovation is unique. Our approach is that everyone can contribute and that patents don’t have to be generated by any particular group. Writing patents is exciting and satisfying because it builds an infrastructure that will benefit future generations." 

Security as an Integral Part of Development One of the areas in which we are at the forefront of technology is cyber," states Boris Giterman, Director of the Common Security Engineering group, at Dell. "Previously, security features were considered add-ons to the product, but today at Dell, security is the main, integral part of development. All new generation Dell data storage products are hardened using the security-by-design approach, where security is built into the products. The focus is on developing a common security infrastructure for all Dell products, including storage, servers, and networking. As Boris explains, "For the developers, this generates greater interest and meaning, because there is a huge scale of customers who will be using what they created. There are substantial resources invested, recruitment plans, and a multi-year plan designed to optimize security capabilities."

A Fully Zero Trust Compliant Internet of Things (IOT) Solution

Dell has built a cyber infrastructure adapted to zero trust requirements for all company products. Boris gives an example of a Dell IOT solution that features zero trust compliance at all levels. This includes ensuring secure communication and components so that the entire supply chain, from electronic component preparation to testing, is based on cyber solutions developed by Dell. 

The development teams in Israel have a significant global role in this process, since the chief architect, the product manager of the solution, and part of the team are in Israel. Together, they join forces with developers in Singapore and the USA. "Cyber issues impact Dell’s cloud technology as well. One example is an application called CloudIQ, which performs security monitoring and assessment to identify weaknesses by collecting telemetry data in an operational cloud," explains Boris. "Users of Dell's storage solutions can access the analytical cloud, view all cyber reports, identify weaknesses and problems in real-time, and receive treatment recommendations. The solution is based on the cloud's ability to store, process, and transfer Big Data information to the customer at any moment."

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