Dell has just hosted its first major industry event, with a bevy of heavy-hitting CEOs--including Steve Ballmer, Paul Otellini and Marc Benioff--lining up to speak. There was no better time for the computer maker to debut such an affair than when one of its main rivals--Hewlett-Packard--is grappling with a host of challenges, writes Charles Babcock at InformationWeek.

Dell worked hard to bring some of HP's biggest customers to Dell World in Austin, Texas, Babcock reports. It lured enterprise IT pros, who might be in the market for switching out some gear. The company is selling switches and storage than can be deployed along with servers, which might be appealing to IT departments that are heavily virtualized.  

When Michael Dell addressed the attendees Thursday, it was clear that the enterprise--not the consumer--is the company's focus. He highlighted Dell IT Consulting Services' ability to deliver follow-up services after server installations, and told the audience that "eighty percent of our revenue comes from business and organizations like you."

For more:
- see Charles Babcock's two articles at InformationWeek

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