In this interview from Dell Technologies World, Mary Ann Anderson, global marketing leader and head of the Dell partnership at Microsoft, joins theCUBE + NYSE Wired's Gemma Allen to discuss the deepening Dell-Microsoft alliance and how the two companies are helping enterprises move from AI experimentation to confident, production-scale deployment. Anderson, attending her first Dell Technologies World after 25 years at Microsoft, describes the partnership as stronger than ever in the agentic AI era. She explains how Windows and Copilot+ PCs built by Dell have become central to Microsoft's commercial strategy and stresses that organizations of all sizes need to start their AI journey now to avoid falling behind. Anderson frames AI adoption as a cultural shift as much as a technology investment — one that demands secure tooling and governance from the outset.
The conversation also explores how Microsoft and Dell are equipping mid-market organizations with the tools to adopt AI responsibly. Anderson highlights security as a critical barrier, noting that many enterprises fear AI will expose sensitive data and systems without proper governance in place. She explains how the joint platform addresses that concern through built-in oversight and compliance capabilities. Anderson also touches on the economics of on-device inference, noting that Copilot+ PCs can reduce token costs by processing AI locally rather than routing workloads to the cloud. From upcoming announcements at Microsoft Build to the growing role of the AI PC as a primary enterprise endpoint, she outlines how the Dell-Microsoft partnership is positioned to accelerate customer outcomes well into 2027.
Forgot Password
Almost there!
We just sent you a verification email. Please verify your account to gain access to
Dell Technologies World 2026. If you don’t think you received an email check your
spam folder.
In order to sign in, enter the email address you used to registered for the event. Once completed, you will receive an email with a verification link. Open the link to automatically sign into the site.
Register for Dell Technologies World 2026
Please fill out the information below. You will receive an email with a verification link confirming your registration. Click the link to automatically sign into the site.
You’re almost there!
We just sent you a verification email. Please click the verification button in the email. Once your email address is verified, you will have full access to all event content for Dell Technologies World 2026.
I want my badge and interests to be visible to all attendees.
Checking this box will display your presense on the attendees list, view your profile and allow other attendees to contact you via 1-1 chat. Read the Privacy Policy. At any time, you can choose to disable this preference.
Select your Interests!
add
Upload your photo
Uploading..
OR
Connect via Twitter
Connect via Linkedin
EDIT PASSWORD
Share
Forgot Password
Almost there!
We just sent you a verification email. Please verify your account to gain access to
Dell Technologies World 2026. If you don’t think you received an email check your
spam folder.
In order to sign in, enter the email address you used to registered for the event. Once completed, you will receive an email with a verification link. Open the link to automatically sign into the site.
Sign in to gain access to Dell Technologies World 2026
Please sign in with LinkedIn to continue to Dell Technologies World 2026. Signing in with LinkedIn ensures a professional environment.
Are you sure you want to remove access rights for this user?
Details
Manage Access
email address
Community Invitation
Mary Ann Anderson, Microsoft
In this interview from Dell Technologies World 2026, Kevin Johnson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Bud Ecosystem, and Rob Rollinger, head of marketing at Bud Ecosystem, join theCUBE's John Furrier and Dave Vellante to discuss how enterprises are moving beyond fragmented AI tools toward unified, full-stack platforms built for production agentic workloads. Rollinger describes Bud Ecosystem's complete stack — spanning silicon through training, inference and governance to agent orchestration — deployable on Dell AI Foundry on-prem or in the cloud. Johnson explains that the highest-value AI outcomes come not from bolt-on tools but from re-architecting enterprise workflows entirely, with a platform capable of reducing AI infrastructure costs by up to 80%. Both guests frame the enterprise challenge as one of simplification: too many stove-piped tools, too little centralized control.
The conversation also explores how legacy systems — HCM, ERP and CRM — were built for querying, not real-time machine intelligence, and how the agentic era is forcing a fundamental rethink of enterprise architecture. Rollinger outlines how leading deployments assign distinct roles across agent layers — orchestrators, quality control agents and gatekeepers — to balance autonomy with accountability. Johnson points to the Bud Ecosystem Enterprise AI Management Platform as a unified control and data plane capable of governing thousands of agents across environments, from large-scale AI factories down to individual Dell Pro Max endpoints, without sacrificing security or compliance. From navigating the economics of distributed hybrid architectures to protecting data as the irreplaceable core of enterprise intelligence, the discussion offers a practical roadmap for organizations ready to move from experimentation to full-scale AI production.
WW Marketing Director, Dell Partnership at MicrosoftMicrosoft
In this interview from Dell Technologies World, Mary Ann Anderson, global marketing leader and head of the Dell partnership at Microsoft, joins theCUBE + NYSE Wired's Gemma Allen to discuss the deepening Dell-Microsoft alliance and how the two companies are helping enterprises move from AI experimentation to confident, production-scale deployment. Anderson, attending her first Dell Technologies World after 25 years at Microsoft, describes the partnership as stronger than ever in the agentic AI era. She explains how Windows and Copilot+ PCs built by Dell have ...Read more
exploreKeep Exploring
What are you hearing from customers about getting started with AI—especially midmarket organizations without large enterprise budgets—and what advice do you have for those in the early stages?add
What are the priorities for someone in this role and for their partnership with the Dell team as they look ahead to 2027?add
>> Welcome back to theCUBE coverage here on the ground in Las Vegas. We are at Dell Technologies World 2026 and we are bringing all of the action from industry leaders, front-faced customers, hearing about what sorts of conversations are happening on the ground. Joining me now is a key partner to the Dell ecosystem, Marianne Anderson, Global Marketing Leader and Head of the Dell Partnership at Microsoft. Welcome, Marianne.>> Hi, thank you so much. So excited to be here.
Gemma Allen
>> So Microsoft and Dell, I mean that history goes a long way back, but this is your first Dell Technologies World. You are relatively new to this role, so how are you feeling? How has the week been for you?>> It's been amazing. I've been at Microsoft for 25 years. This is my first Dell Tech World and it's really been wonderful being able to engage with the Dell team, with their partners, with their customers, and really tell that joint story. It's been amazing.
Gemma Allen
>> And that story is evolving, right? It's kind of hard really, I think, as an ex Microsoft person myself, to imagine Dell without Microsoft. These two companies have been so connected for so long, but we are certainly at an interesting time in that story. A lot is changing very fast. Talk to us about what's happening in this partnership, how you guys are compounding, I guess, what the key priorities are for you as you think about the year ahead?>> Definitely. I mean, the partnership cannot be stronger. I would say that really with the emergence of AI, with the Agentic era, Windows is now front and center, and that partnership with Dell and Copilot+ PCs that are built by Dell is really important to the future, especially for our commercial customers. And then for consumers in general, there's so much going on, and it's really important to help customers understand how Microsoft and Dell can help them on that journey because the time to start is now. If you haven't started, you're going to feel behind, and Microsoft and Dell and that partnership can really accelerate where your business is going.
Gemma Allen
>> And I think that whole process of getting started, knowing where to begin, how to begin. I mean, for some folks with huge enterprise budgets, that's relatively straightforward, right? There's a whole middle market segment there though that maybe is still trying to figure things out. What are you guys hearing and seeing from customers and what advice are you giving to folks who are at that early innings?>> What we're seeing is that it's really more than technology. It's a culture change, and it's something that companies are embracing at different rates, but making sure that it's integral and part of that culture, AI, getting your employees to experiment and do that in a way that is secure, where you have the tools and the tools from Microsoft and Dell provide that, and that you can govern it so you know what's going on. And then moving from that experimentation, to truly looking at, hey, how can we optimize the workflow? How can we build this into our business? And whether you're small or big, there are ways to do that and really to advance yourself into the future.
Gemma Allen
>> We heard a lot this week about different conversations that are happening right now across the ecosystem. We heard about Tokenomics, total cost of ownership, realized value, but I think it really comes down to a couple of key takeaways for us at theCUBE. And one is that this is a race. There is definitely a speed element to this, but also an important governance element to this. Microsoft is a product and a company that has always been very, very heavy and very popular for those reasons. How is that message evolving in the field, do you think?>> So I would say that customers really understand Tokenomics and the cost associated with AI is something that will help them in the future, but then making sure that they're doing that in a secure way. And so the tools we have with Microsoft and Dell will help them get there. But at the core, Microsoft in particular is very committed to security. And I think that's a barrier for a lot of companies because they see AI as something that could infiltrate their data and their systems. And if you're not doing it in a secure way that's governed, then that can be scary, and making sure that they're working with strong partners, Dell and Microsoft will help them break through that then to get to that other side to really have their employees taking advantage of all the benefits we all keep hearing about with AI, but you have to do it in a very thoughtful way, and like I said about the culture, it's moving that forward so that you really see the benefits.
Gemma Allen
>> So Marianne, you're halfway through the year in this role. Lots of excitement ahead, lots of new developments this week as well from Dell, that I'm sure will impact the partnership in the field. What are the priorities for you and this new gig you have with this Dell team as you think ahead to 2027?>> I would say our biggest priority is really telling that joint story together to customers. The story has evolved and we need to make sure that our customers are tracking. So there is so much of opportunity around the processing power on devices now, and you mentioned the Tokenomics. Well, a lot of ways to save there is processing an AI on your device, on your Copilot+ PC, and making sure that in partnership with Dell, that we are helping customers understand how to do that. And then when they start to think about what are they developing within their organization to take advantage of that processing power, how to do that, and making sure that they can be successful in the future.
Gemma Allen
>> Well, I think the re-imagination of what a PC can and will do for any enterprise or knowledge worker is certainly evolving fast. We see that it's now the end point. So Marianne, great conversation and look forward to seeing this relationship between Dell and Microsoft.>> Yeah. And we look forward to even more announcements. Microsoft Build is coming up in a couple weeks, June 2nd. So make sure to tune in. You'll hear more from Microsoft for sure, and then that partnership we have with Dell.
Gemma Allen
>> We certainly will. Marianne, thank you so much for joining us on theCUBE.>> Thank you.
Gemma Allen
>> I'm Gemma Allen. We are here live on the ground at Dell Technologies World 2026 in Las Vegas, bringing you all the action, all the conversations happening right here on theCUBE. Stay tuned.
Gemma Allen