Dell to sell Surface Pro as part of a bid to get Windows 10 into enterprises
Microsoft and Dell are teaming up to deliver Windows 10 devices, services and support to enterprise customers, starting next month with a new Surface Enterprise Initiative.
Beginning in early October in the US and Canada, Dell will sell Microsoft Surface Pro tablets and Surface accessories through its North America commercial sales organization. This will be rolled out to the remaining 28 markets of Microsoft's Surface commercial channel starting early next year.
"Windows 10 is off to a great start, and we're ready to help make the transition to Windows 10 as easy as possible for all of our customers," says Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of Dell. "Together with Microsoft, we are giving our customers great products, including Surface, with the best sales, service and support in the world".
Surface Pro devices sold through Dell will offer the option of Dell Services, including up to four years hardware warranty, ProSupport with Accidental Damage Service, and Configuration and Deployment Services. The Surface Pro will be sold alongside Dell's existing Windows tablet portfolio.
"We want to move people from needing, to choosing, to loving Windows and so do our partners," says Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Our global enterprise customers have asked us to match the Surface Pro 3 and Windows 10 experience with enterprise-grade support and services -- and our partnerships like this one with Dell will do just that".
New Windows 10 enterprise features will also roll out to Windows Insiders this month, with wider availability later in the year. These will include Enterprise Data Protection (EDP), which provides personal and corporate data protection wherever data flows, and Microsoft Passport for enterprise, which helps workers securely login to applications, websites and networks without the need for a password. There will also be a Windows Store For Business, delivering business customers a unified Windows app store experience with a choice of Windows store apps alongside company-owned apps, and allowing IT administers to acquire apps in bulk.
You can read more about the announcement on the official Windows blog.