Dell’s acquisition of EMC last year brought it firmly into the world of software-defined networking (SDN) and virtualization, but both companies have often struggled to cross the gulf between their data center heartlands and the telco market. A trial with BT, focused on open, disaggregated switching, could give Dell the kind of jewel that will boost its standing with carriers, and help it raise its game against HPE in this sector. Programmable, virtualized and white box switches are seen by operators like AT&T – which has developed one with Bigfoot Networks – as an important way to hack away at a major area of network cost, while creating a platform that can support agile service delivery. Dell EMC and the…