Dell and Red Hat, a provider of open source applications, have signed an agreement to deliver joint hardware/software applications for IT manufacturers.

The agreement will combine Dell hardware and Red Hat software application to help manufacturers save money and speed time-to-market, Dell said.

Dell OEM Solutions group, as part of its recently announced Dell OEM Partner Program, will offer flexible, integrated systems based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat JBoss Middleware Solutions.

Manufacturers can now customise Dell Precision and PowerEdge platforms and utilise the performance and reliability of Red Hat’s applications with approved terms and conditions.

Dell designed the OEM Partner Program to be a customisable, one-stop shop for manufacturers and the program is organised into OEM Channel Partners and OEM Solution Partners to include various levels and types of partnerships which tailor support according to customer needs.

The collaboration will provide IT manufacturers with technical resources, close collaboration with critical suppliers, product certification, regulatory compliance and extended-life products with locked down hardware configuration.

Dell OEM Solutions Americas executive director and general manager Ron Pugh said Dell OEM Solutions division collaborates with technology providers, such as Red Hat, to enable manufacturers to build a flexible hardware platform.

"The technical integration of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss Middleware offerings with Dell solutions addresses customer specific requirements including regulatory compliance, product life cycles, and quality testing," said Pugh.