Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local is a way to run a true Azure environment on-premises using Dell infrastructure. It’s designed for organizations that need to support a mix of workloads—traditional virtual machines, databases, AI, and containers—while keeping control of data and costs.

Instead of choosing between a traditional three-tier architecture (flexible but complex) and hyperconverged infrastructure (simple but sometimes rigid and expensive at scale), Dell Private Cloud offers a disaggregated architecture. That means you can scale compute and storage independently, so you don’t have to overprovision one just to get more of the other.

Key elements include:

• Compute: Runs on Dell PowerEdge servers you already own or plan to buy.
• Storage: Uses your existing Dell storage or new systems, either tightly integrated with automation or validated and managed independently.
• Azure Local licenses: You procure Azure Local through your usual Microsoft channels and manage it with familiar Azure tools—no new training required.

Under the hood, the Dell Automation Platform acts as a no-cost control plane and orchestrator. It automates deployment, management, and scaling using blueprint-driven workflows and intelligent lifecycle management. This helps keep the environment in a continuously validated state, reducing manual steps and operational risk.

Validated internal and third-party testing highlights that Dell Private Cloud can:

• Lower costs compared to a five-node HCI cluster over three years (based on Dell internal analysis, August 2023).
• Reduce the number of steps needed to provision infrastructure versus manual deployment.
• Speed up Day-2 operations compared to traditional three-tier architectures (validated by Prowess Consulting, April 2026).

In practice, this means you can deploy, manage, and scale a wide range of workloads on a single, Azure-consistent platform—while keeping sensitive data local and maintaining control over performance, compliance, and costs.

Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local is built to support both traditional and next-generation workloads on the same platform, so you don’t need separate silos of infrastructure.

Here’s how it aligns to common workload types:

1. Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD)

For remote and hybrid work, Dell Private Cloud helps you deploy Azure Virtual Desktop in a Microsoft hybrid cloud model—running on-premises with Azure Local. You get:

• Centralized control over Windows 10/11 and Microsoft 365 Apps.
• Support for single- or multi-session desktops and Windows Server 2025.
• Integrated profile management with FSLogix.

This setup helps IT tighten security and simplify management while still giving users a familiar Windows and Microsoft 365 experience.

2. AI and Foundry-style tools

If you’re looking to bring AI closer to your data, Dell Private Cloud can reimagine how you deploy AI on-premises by pairing with Azure AI services:

• Run Azure AI containers on-premises using the same APIs as in Azure.
• Bring services like language, translation, speech, document intelligence, and vision to your local data.
• Leverage support for the latest GPUs, including NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition, for both VM-based and container-based AI workloads.

This is well-suited for organizations that need low latency, strict compliance, and cost control while still tapping into Azure’s AI capabilities.

3. Containers and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Dell Private Cloud lets you run AKS enabled by Azure Arc on-premises, alongside your traditional virtual machines. Benefits include:

• Provision AKS clusters using Azure Portal, Azure CLI, ARM templates, Bicep, or Terraform.
• Run Linux and Windows containers side by side on the same platform.
• Use the broader Kubernetes open-source ecosystem.
• Apply Azure RBAC, Azure Policy, Microsoft Defender for Kubernetes, and Azure Monitor for containers.

This gives your developers a consistent Azure-native experience for application modernization and DevOps, even when workloads stay on-premises.

4. Hybrid Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS)

For data platforms, Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local supports Azure SQL Managed Instance and PostgreSQL on-premises. This helps you:

• Move away from traditional VM-based databases to a more scalable, redundant, Azure-consistent model.
• Automate common administrative tasks and lifecycle management.
• Scale resources flexibly as workload demands change.
• Use Azure Arc-enabled management and governance for fleet-level visibility.

The result is a DBaaS experience that can reduce operational burden for DBAs, IT admins, and developers while supporting strict SLAs for availability and performance.

5. Traditional virtualized workloads and legacy apps

Dell Private Cloud also supports tried-and-true virtualized applications and legacy Microsoft workloads:

• Provision and manage VMs directly from Azure using Azure Arc Resource Bridge.
• Migrate VMs from Hyper-V and VMware vSphere to Azure Local with Azure Migrate, keeping data transfers on-premises for confidentiality and compliance.
• Provide a modern home for Windows Server 2012–2016 and SQL Server 2012–2014 as they approach end of life.
• Access up to three years of extended security updates for these legacy workloads at no additional cost.

In short, if you have a mix of AVD, AI, containers, databases, and legacy VMs, Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local is designed to host them together on a single, consistent platform.

Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local is built to help IT teams simplify operations while keeping a close eye on cost and risk.

1. Operational simplicity through automation

The platform is powered by the Dell Automation Platform, a no-cost control plane and orchestrator that:

• Automates deployment, management, and scaling of the environment.
• Uses blueprint-driven workflows to standardize and streamline tasks.
• Maintains a continuously validated state through intelligent lifecycle management.

Internal testing shows that many manual steps can be automated into a single Dell Private Cloud blueprint, and third-party validation (Prowess Consulting, April 2026) found that Day-2 operations can be completed in less time than on traditional three-tier architectures.

2. Cost management and resource efficiency

Dell Private Cloud’s disaggregated architecture lets you scale compute and storage independently. This helps you:

• Avoid overprovisioning one resource just to expand the other.
• Reuse existing Dell servers and storage where it makes sense.
• Choose between platform-integrated storage (with full automation) and platform-compatible storage (validated but managed separately).

According to Dell internal analysis (August 2023), Dell Private Cloud can deliver cost savings compared to a five-node HCI cluster over three years, assuming similar capacity and data efficiency settings. It also requires fewer steps to provision compared to manual deployment, which can translate into lower operational overhead.

3. Risk reduction and compliance support

By bringing Azure services on-premises, Dell Private Cloud helps you keep sensitive data local while still using cloud-native tools:

• Run Azure Arc-enabled services (e.g., SQL Managed Instance, Container Apps, Logic Apps, Azure IoT Operations) on-premises to meet data locality and regulatory requirements.
• Use Azure governance and security services such as Azure Policy, Microsoft Defender for Kubernetes, and Azure RBAC.
• Maintain platform resiliency and performance to meet defined SLAs for availability and data integrity.

For legacy Microsoft workloads like Windows Server 2012–2016 and SQL Server 2012–2014, Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local also supports up to three years of extended security updates at no additional cost, helping you manage end-of-life risk while you plan modernization.

4. Consistent Azure experience for your teams

Because Azure Local is natively integrated, your teams can manage on-premises resources using the same Azure tools and processes they already know:

• Azure Portal, CLI, ARM templates, Bicep, and Terraform for provisioning.
• Azure Monitor, Defender, Policy, and RBAC for operations and governance.

This consistency helps you reuse in-house skills, avoid new training costs, and reduce the risk of configuration drift between cloud and on-premises environments.

Overall, Dell Private Cloud with Azure Local is designed to help IT leaders rethink how they run hybrid infrastructure: simplifying day-to-day operations, improving cost control, and strengthening governance and compliance, all while supporting a broad mix of workloads on a single, Azure-consistent platform.