Dell (NSDQ:Dell) is leveraging its partnership with the Rackspace-led OpenStack open source cloud project to the fullest with the launch of an Infrastructure-as-a-Service system based on the OpenStack cloud operating system.

According to Dell, “OpenStack is a massively scalable infrastructure-as-a-service cloud solution. It offers support for existing ecosystems plus opportunities to influence future direction.”

The Dell Openck Cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service arrives just as cloud technology has matured enough for customers to want alternatives to proprietary licensed software cloud models.  John Igoe, director of cloud strategy at Dell put it thusly:

“This is one of the first reference architectures in the environment that can be purchased and deployed,” Igoe said of the Dell OpenStack Cloud Solution.

The Dell OpenStack Cloud Solution IaaS play comprises the OpenStack cloud operating system; cloud-optimized Dell PowerEdge C servers; a new Dell-developed OpenStack installer called “Crowbar;” and services from Dell and Rackspace Cloud Builders.

According to Igoe, Dell’s new OpenStack cloud system will not cannibalize existing Dell offerings. Igoe said Dell wants its customers to have different options for moving forward with the cloud.

Kudos to Dell for being a leader in this burgeoning space.

Click here for more information about the new Dell OpenStack-Based Cloud.