NASA reported that the Mars rover, which set out on November 26,
2011, made a safe landing thanks to the support from
Dell Inc.
(
DELL
). NASA scientists hailed Dell, saying that the landing was
the 'most complicated portion of the mission.'
Two NASA High Performance Computing (HPC) clusters running Dell
PowerEdge servers conducted the data analysis for NASA. The Mars
rover, Curiosity, is the largest rover ever sent to explore Mars.
Curiosity is being managed and controlled by NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, which is using Dell HPC
clusters.
NASA's Curiosity rover was aided by Galaxy and Nebula, the Dell
HPC clusters to analyze the vast amounts of test data that were
necessary for the rover to successfully enter the Martian
atmosphere and land safely. This was a key achievement for Dell,
building its experience in space research and improving its
prospects with government departments.
Government aside, the company is also launching multiple
solutions for the Small & Medium Business (SMB) segment. Dell's
SMB segment has performed particularly well in the first quarter of
2013 and it appears that its server, software, storage and any
other offerings capable of facilitating transition to the cloud
will be snapped up by SMB customers. The success in this segment is
because SMBs take quick decisions and there is less process
involved in the approval.
Moreover, to woo customers from different segments of the
society and to diversify its customer base, Dell has also
introduced the Predictive Analytics-Based Decision Support System
for schools and universities. This is basically a decision support
system that helps to personalize the learning environment for
students and enhances expertise in planning, management and
reporting.
The solution helps in managing and accumulating student's data
among different schools, which in turn is used by parents and
educators to develop different skillsets in students. This should
be a steady and dependable source of revenue as education is a
recession-proof business.
However, macroeconomic factors, currency and competitive
challenges remain headwinds for Dell's overall performance.
Moreover, the company faces certain sales execution issues, which
may delay the revenue recognition process. This apart, some modest
accounting issues along with volatility in the currency market may
also affect the company's business.
Currently, Dell has a Zacks #4 Rank, which implies a short-term
Sell rating.
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