Dell devices constitute closed, partially open, and open ecosystems, resulting in a large number of potential software and hardware combinations. These devices undergo multiple driver updates throughout their life cycles. Driver updates are crucial for performance and the overall health of devices. They enable various functions, including but not limited to supporting fundamental operations, optimizing performance, and new features, and addressing critical security concerns. Despite rigorous testing of drivers before release, the vast number of hardware and software combinations makes it impossible to predict and address every potential scenario where updates might fail. These failures could prevent customers from fully experiencing the benefits of these updates.
Dell Technologies has a mature and comprehensive telemetry ecosystem for their devices, which has evolved over the years, based on field performance and feedback. While not all devices are registered and connected, the connected devices can avail of additional proactive and predictive services, and maintain a data-sharing agreement with Dell. Dell monitors telemetry data from all connected devices to identify faulty drivers and blocks them using an internal catalog that identifies and prevents such driver updates. The base services, in the context of driver updates, are general in approach. They account for a certain variability of features such as platform, model, and more, but still are high-level in approach. Leveraging our mature telemetry ecosystems, our understanding of data, and modern machine learning modeling techniques, we have established a personalized value-added service capability that services individual devices concerning driver update failures.
