Dell is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its internal systems and processes this year under an initiative called One Dell Way. 

In a leaked memo to employees this week obtained by Business Insider, Dell COO and vice chairman Jeff Clarke described the change as the “biggest transformation in company history.”

The shift centers on moving to a single enterprise platform, per the memo. Clarke explained that One Dell Way, which took two years to develop, modernizes how Dell works by simplifying and standardizing processes and cutting inefficiencies. 

The next step is “rolling out standardized processes and an enterprise platform that will connect our data, break down silos, streamline our software applications and give us the foundation to work as one connected company,” Clarke wrote in the memo. 

One of the memo’s key arguments is that Dell employees built many variations of fundamental processes over the years, including multiple ways to develop, market, sell and service. That “won’t cut it” in an AI-centric world, according to Clarke. Dell needs one simple, standardized and automated way to bring fragmented data and tools together. 

Dell plans to replace what Clarke describes as a sprawl of applications, servers and databases with a unified platform that enables more consistent workflows and data flows. The new system will allow for faster decision-making, making more time for work that creates impact.  

The new platform will go live at once, rather than in a phased approach. According to the memo, this will start on May 3 for much of Dell’s core business, with its infrastructure division following later in August. Clarke stressed in the memo that “this is a comprehensive change, not a gradual transition. Once we start operating in the new way on May 3, we won’t go back.”

The degree of change will vary by team and role, with some jobs seeing significant shifts while others will have minimal day-to-day impact. However, Clarke wrote that “all” employees need to understand what is happening and “support each other through it.”

Clarke also repeatedly emphasized training as non-negotiable and urged employees to adopt an open-minded mindset. Training for the new platform opens on February 3, and Clarke makes clear that there are “no exceptions” to taking it. 

Clarke ended the memo by tying the effort directly to Dell’s future in AI. “This is foundational to our success in an AI-driven world, and One Dell Way is how we get there — working as one company, with one set of processes, focused on what matters most,” he wrote. 

Dell employs 108,000 people globally. The company has a market cap of $80 billion.

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