Faster and easier server installation with Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration or ProDeploy for Infrastructure

Faster and easier server installation with
Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration or
ProDeploy for Infrastructure
IT installation services have a variety of requirements to meet. Some organizations
want large-scale data center expansions or server refreshes while others want smaller
installations that require hands-on, on-premises deployments of just a few servers.
Dell Technologies™
can meet those requirements and anything in between for
Dell™
PowerEdge™
servers via Dell ProDeploy Infrastructure Suite. For large server
installations within organizations that have IT staff available to rack and stack servers,
Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration configures servers at the factory and ships them
to customers just how they want them. For organizations without a robust IT staff, Dell
ProDeploy for Infrastructure sends a Dell Technologies-certified engineer to deploy
hardware and software on site.
To understand how much IT admin time the two ProDeploy services can save, we
tasked one of our admins with configuring and deploying a Dell PowerEdge R750
server in two different scenarios. Each of the following two sections provides an
overview of one of these scenarios.
Save
69m
configuring one
PowerEdge server
or over
115h
configuring 100
PowerEdge servers
Using ProDeploy
Factory Configuration
vs. an in-house admin
Save over
133m
deploying one
PowerEdge server
or over
223h
deploying 100
PowerEdge servers
Using ProDeploy
for Infrastructure
vs. an in-house admin
Scenario 1: Server configuration – ProDeploy Factory Configuration
We ordered a PowerEdge R750 server with specific settings via Dell
ProDeploy Factory Configuration. We then had our admin configure the
same server and manually prepare it for deployment, which took 1 hour
and 9 minutes—time that an organization could save per server if they used
ProDeploy. By extrapolating the data to a 100-server installation, we found
that an organization could bank over 115 IT admin hours.
Scenario 2: Server deployment – ProDeploy for Infrastructure
We tasked our admin with installing hardware in our data center. For one
PowerEdge R750, our admin needed over two hours and 13 minutes to
complete the deployment. Using Dell ProDeploy for Infrastructure for your
on-site deployment frees up that admin time per server for other business-
critical initiatives. It also can save your organization the additional overhead
of planning and allocating resources for new data center deployments.
By extrapolating the data to a 100-server installation, we found that an
organization could save over 223 IT admin hours.
Faster and easier server installation with Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration or ProDeploy for Infrastructure July 2024 (Revised)
A Principled Technologies report: Hands-on testing. Real-world results.

How we tested
Scenario 1: Server configuration –
ProDeploy Factory Configuration
vs. in-house admin
Configuring servers can be tedious and time-consuming
for IT staff, especially for larger server orders.
ProDeploy Factory Configuration allows you to acquire
pre-configured servers that are ready to deploy
in your environment out of the box. Without the
service, IT staff must configure settings themselves after
receiving the servers.
We ordered one Dell PowerEdge R750 server with Intel®
Xeon®
Silver 4309Y processors, 16 GB of memory, PERC-
enabled SSD storage, and an additional 25GbE network
adapter through ProDeploy Factory Configuration.
When we placed our PowerEdge R750 server order, we
provided the following:
• A list of desired hardware, including a PERC RAID
controller and additional network adapter to allow
for custom RAID, boot, and firmware settings
• An asset tag number and list of desired
Asset Report fields
• A description of BIOS, iDRAC, firmware, and RAID
settings that we wanted
• A custom disk image that we uploaded through the
Dell online portal
Once we received the PowerEdge R750 and ensured
that it met our specifications, we reset all settings. To
see how much time the service can save for an IT admin
configuring a single server, we completed and timed the
tasks that Factory Configuration performed.
key takeaways
Time savings: ProDeploy Factory
Configuration saved 69 minutes of IT
admin time by delivering a pre-configured
server. The service could save nearly 115
hours (or approximately three working
weeks) by pre-configuring 100 servers.
Simplified future orders: ProDeploy
Factory Configuration keeps
necessary information from orders,
e.g., server settings, to help expedite
subsequent orders.
Consistent configuration: ProDeploy
Factory Configuration ensures all servers in
a large order have the correct settings at
scale upon delivery. Without the service,
an admin configuring each server could
make errors or apply the wrong settings
(e.g., RAID 6 for a server running write-
intensive workloads).
About Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration
Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration delivers ready-to-install, preconfigured servers to where
customers need them, whether that’s an enterprise data center, remote office, or somewhere in
between. Factory Configuration provides asset tagging and reporting; RAID, BIOS, and iDRAC
configuration; and OS and hypervisor installation and configuration.
For more information on Factory Configuration, visit https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/services/
deployment-services/prodeploy-infrastructure-suite.htm.
Faster and easier server installation with Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration or ProDeploy for Infrastructure July 2024 (Revised) | 2

Scenario 2: Server deployment –
vs. in‑house admin
Organizations without available IT staff can
see serious delays when they need to deploy
servers. ProDeploy for Infrastructure tasks an
experienced and knowledgeable Dell-certified
engineer to deploy servers, including single
server orders, on site for you.
In another PT study,1
we compared deployment
time of a server, storage, and networking
solution for ProDeploy for Infrastructure and
one of our in-house admins. While deploying
the solutions, we captured the time our admin
needed to deploy a single Dell PowerEdge R750
server. We include that time in this report to
show the time savings benefits for organizations
considering on-site services for PowerEdge
servers and to demonstrate that ProDeploy can
save time for organizations performing server
deployments at scale.
About ProDeploy for Infrastructure
Dell Technologies offers ProDeploy for Infrastructure for end-to-end, 24/7 service that provides skill
and scale in a single point of contact for data center project management, site readiness review,
onsite hardware installation, program management, and knowledge transfer. Customers can also
get deployment verification.
To learn more about ProDeploy for Infrastructure, visit https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/services/
deployment-services/prodeploy-infrastructure-suite.htm.
key takeaways
Time savings: Deployment with Dell ProDeploy
for Infrastructure can save over 133 minutes per
server. The service could save over 223 hours
when deploying 100 servers.
Flexibility to meet customized customer
requirements: Whether it’s meeting industry-
specific compliance standards or dealing with
limited rack space, the portfolio of ProDeploy
services meets customers where they are.
Dell team expertise: ProDeploy for Infrastructure
relies on engineers, architects, project managers,
and others who have years of experience with
Dell solutions and technology. Their expertise
comes through in time savings while following
best practices.

What we found
Scenario 1: Server configuration – ProDeploy Factory Configuration vs. in-house admin
Get servers with the settings you need while saving time for admins
ProDeploy Factory Configuration completely configured the Dell PowerEdge R750 server before shipping it to
us. The server was ready for deployment once we received it; we spent no additional time on configuration.
Figure 1 shows the total time and steps to complete the configuration tasks after resetting the PowerEdge
server. To see the full list of tasks, see the science behind this report. Please note, using deployment tools when
configuring servers on site could cause the time savings to vary.
Scale time savings for larger server installations
Enterprise-grade organizations often replace large quantities of servers, and sometimes need to deliver
many consistently configured servers to multiple locations. Our first test scenario reflects these use cases and
demonstrates perhaps a greater value of using ProDeploy Factory Configuration. To show how much time
an organization could save using ProDeploy Factory Configuration on a large-scale server installation, we
extrapolated the timings we captured from the single PowerEdge R750 server configuration to 100 servers. As
Figure 2 shows, allowing the service to complete all configuration tasks for 100 servers (rather than having an
admin complete them manually) could save approximately 115 hours while ensuring configuration remained
consistent for each server throughout the installation.
Figure 1: In-house admin time, in minutes, and steps to configure a single PowerEdge server. Lower is better.
Source: Principled Technologies.
Save hands-on admin time and effort with a
pre-configured Dell PowerEdge server
Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration
0 time 0 steps
Our admin
69m
Save 69m
and 115 steps
115 steps
Figure 2: Extrapolated in-house admin time, in hours and minutes, and steps to configure 100 PowerEdge servers. Lower is better.
Scale time savings when ordering 100
Dell PowerEdge servers
Save 115h 45m
and 11,500 steps
Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration
0 time 0 steps
Our admin (projected)
115h 45m 11,500 steps

Save over
133 minutes
Our admin
with ProDeploy
for Infrastructure
133m
Scenario 2: Server deployment – ProDeploy
for Infrastructure vs. in-house admin
Remove IT admin time from server deployment
Organizations with remote or regional data centers
might not have the IT staff to deploy solutions on site
when necessary. To address these kinds of situations,
ProDeploy for Infrastructure can send a Dell-certified
technician to leverage extensive Dell solutions expertise
and deploy hardware on site, saving admin time (or in
some instances, non-IT staff time). As Figure 3 shows,
our admin needed over two hours and 13 minutes to
deploy a single Dell PowerEdge R750—admin time
that an organization could save with ProDeploy for
Infrastructure. Installation requirements vary, but by
using ProDeploy for Infrastructure, your organization
could see additional savings by eliminating project
planning, travel to the deployment site, and other
time-based hurdles.
Roll out a large server installation while saving
admin time.
ProDeploy can also help with a large or multi-phase
server rollout by deploying the servers for you. To
show how much time an organization could save using
ProDeploy for Infrastructure on a large-scale server
installation, we extrapolated the captured timings from
the single Dell PowerEdge R750 server deployment to
100 servers. As Figure 4 shows, allowing a Dell-certified
engineer to deploy 100 PowerEdge servers for you
could save over 223 hours compared to having an in-
house admin deploy them.
Figure 3: Time, in minutes, and steps to deploy a
single PowerEdge server. Lower is better. Source:
Principled Technologies.
Figure 4: Extrapolated time, in hours and minutes, and
steps to deploy 100 PowerEdge servers. Lower is better.
Save over
223 hours
Our admin (projected)
223h 16m
with ProDeploy
for Infrastructure

Conclusion
Saving any amount of time when configuring or deploying servers can help IT admins as well as your
organization. Enterprise-grade organizations might feel the pressure of a large-scale Dell PowerEdge server
rollout and want to save time with pre-configured servers or on-site installation. Smaller organizations might not
have IT staff available to configure or deploy PowerEdge servers in a new data center. Dell ProDeploy can save
you time in these scenarios and more.
By tasking one of our admins with configuration and deployment of a Dell PowerEdge R750 server, we found
Dell ProDeploy Factory Configuration and ProDeploy for Infrastructure services can offer the following:
Regardless of whether you’re rolling out a hundred servers at once into an established IT infrastructure or
needing on-site services installing new servers in a regional data center, using ProDeploy Infrastructure Suite can
help your organization achieve critical business priorities and save time for your IT admins.
1. See “Using Dell ProDeploy Plus
for Infrastructure can improve deployment
times for Dell technology” at https://facts.
pt/5gOqYFB for more information.
• Eliminated hands-on IT admin involvement in server configuration, saving 1 hour and 9
minutes of admin time per server
• Could save over 115 hours based on our extrapolated data for 100 servers
• Could save over 2 hours and 13 minutes of admin time per server
• Could save over 223 hours based on our extrapolated data for 100 servers
• Depending on installation requirements, could save additional time by eliminating planning,
travel, and other admin tasks
ProDeploy Configuration Services is now part of
the ProDeploy Flex service.
Principled Technologies is a registered trademark of Principled Technologies, Inc.
All other product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.
For additional information, review the science behind this report.
Principled
Technologies®
Facts matter.®
Principled
Technologies®
Facts matter.®
This project was commissioned by Dell Technologies.
Read the science behind this report at https://facts.pt/VM30HOj

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