June 28, 2006

In its quest to further expand its lucrative business of maintaining companies' pc's and computers, Dell is to launch a new service plan today that will integrate mapping technology from Google Labs.

Dell will call its new service "Platinum Plus" and it will allow its customers to use the 3-D mapping solution from Google Earth Pro.

Dell's new service will offer in real-time how the computer manufacturer is responding to specific technical support issues around the world.

"Dell's idea is to make it simpler and easier for medium to large businesses using Dell computers to maintain their systems", said Steve Meyer, vice president of Dell Services.

Instead of having to make a telephone call for an update, customers can quickly see the status of open service tickets on a computer screen.

"We've removed the mystery of what's going on out in the field", Meyer said. "It's just representative of a different structure for infrastructure services".

The tracking ability is the most recent in a string of deals involving Google. Earlier in June, Dell reached a deal to supply Google with customized computer servers the search engine company will sell to corporate customers.

And last month, Google said it would start bundling some of its software on Dell's personal computers.

In the past several years, Dell executives said the company has spent more than $200 million to add thousands of new IT workers and to design special monitoring centers to further enhance its services business.

Source: Silicon Valley