Dell will provide APEX file and protection services to Microsoft's Azure cloud customers and supply AI services for Copilot use.

APEX is a set of compute, storage, and networking services supplied through a public cloud-like subscription model. It is a hybrid on-prem/public cloud offering. APEX File Storage is based on Dell's PowerScale OneFS scale-out file system software. It is due to be enhanced with parallel file system support, providing faster and more scalable access to file data. Dell is trying to show that it can provide file, cyber security, and AI development services to Microsoft customers - particularly those in the Azure cloud.

Arthur Lewis, president of Dell's Infrastructure Solutions Group, stated: "Our storage software, data protection, and service advancements help customers in Microsoft environments accelerate their transformation efforts quickly and securely."

There will soon be a Dell-managed option for APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure, giving customers simplified deployment and management. This service will offer burst capacity for performance-intensive AI workloads, data mobility and operational consistency across on-prem and cloud environments, and native integration with Microsoft AI tools.

This is complemented by Dell APEX Protection Services for Microsoft Azure, which will deliver Dell-managed, AI-powered cloud data protection, with data reduction, and cyber resiliency across edge locations, such as remote offices and datacenters. The cyber resiliency features zero trust security, immutability, encryption, multifactor authentication, and role-based access controls. AI-powered CyberSense threat intelligence enables "up to 80 percent less time spent on recovery," Dell claims.

There are two new Dell security services for Microsoft environments:

The Microsoft AI-related services being introduced by Dell are:

Microsoft's Aung Oo, VP of Azure Storage, stated: "Dell Technologies is enabling its customers to bring their existing knowledge, trusted platforms, and enterprise data to Azure to speed the adoption of critical technologies including Azure AI Services."