Dell 2009 Annual Report Download - page 8

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Table of Contents
systems obtained from third-party suppliers. Quality control is maintained through the testing of components, sub-assemblies,
and systems at various stages in the manufacturing process. Quality control also includes a burn-in period for completed units
after assembly, ongoing production reliability audits, failure tracking for early identification of production and component
problems, and information from customers obtained through services and support programs. We are certified to the ISO
(International Organization for Standardization) 9001: 2008 Quality management systems standard. This certification includes
most of our global sites that design, manufacture, and service our products.
We purchase materials, supplies, product components, and products from a large number of vendors. In some cases, multiple
sources of supply are not available and hence we have to rely on single-source vendors. In other cases, we may establish a
working relationship with a single source or a limited number of sources if we believe it is advantageous to do so due to
performance, quality, support, delivery, capacity, or price considerations. This relationship and dependency has not caused
material supply disruptions in the past, and we believe that any disruption that may occur because of our dependency on single-
or limited-source vendors would not disproportionately disadvantage us relative to our competitors. See "Part I — Item 1A —
Risk Factors" for information about the risks associated with single- or limited-source suppliers.
• Enterprise Solutions
– Servers and Networking — Our standards-based PowerEdgeTM line of servers is designed to offer customers affordable
performance, reliability, and scalability. Options include high performance rack, blade, and tower servers for enterprise
customers and value tower servers for small organizations, networks, and remote offices. We also offer customized Dell
server solutions for large data center customers. During Fiscal 2010, we introduced our new 11th generation PowerEdgeTM
servers as part of our mission to help companies of all sizes simplify their IT environments.
Our PowerConnectTM switches connect computers and servers in small to medium-sized networks. PowerConnectTM
products offer customers enterprise-class features and reliability at a high value to our customers.
– Storage — We offer a comprehensive portfolio of advanced storage solutions, including storage area networks, network-
attached storage, direct-attached storage, disk and tape backup systems, and removable disk backup. With our advanced
storage solutions for mainstream buyers, we offer customers functionality and value while reducing complexity in the
enterprise. Our storage systems are easy to deploy, manage, and maintain. The flexibility and scalability offered by Dell
PowerVaultTM, Dell EqualLogicTM, and Dell | EMC storage systems help organizations optimize storage for diverse
environments with varied requirements. During Fiscal 2010, we expanded our storage portfolio by adding a variety of
increasingly flexible new Dell PowerVaultTM, Dell EqualLogicTM, and Dell | EMC storage choices that allow customers to
grow capacity, add performance and protect their data in a more economical manner. We are shifting towards more Dell-
branded and co-branded storage offerings that generally can be sold with our service solutions.
• Services
– Infrastructure Technology — Infrastructure technology includes our support services, which consist of warranty services
and proactive maintenance offerings. Our suite of scalable support services is designed for IT professionals and end users
whose needs range from basic phone support to rapid response and resolution of complex problems. We also offer a full
suite of solutions for customers who desire outsourcing of some or all of their IT management and operations. From
planning to deployment to ongoing technical support, we offer services that are modular in nature so that customers can
customize a solution based on their current and future needs. We can manage a portion of the customer's IT tasks or provide
an end-to-end solution both in-house and remotely. Depending on our customer's needs, we will assume operational
responsibility for various aspects of the customer's IT infrastructure, including data center and systems management, web
hosting and Internet access and security, desktop solutions, messaging services, program management, hardware
maintenance and
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