Home > Storage > Data Storage Essentials > DataIQ and CloudIQ > Dell CloudIQ Collector: An Overview > Introduction
The CloudIQ Collector is a virtual machine that is installed locally at a customer site and is used to collect information from VMware environments, Dell Connectrix, and Dell PowerSwitch.1 It is delivered as a vApp that is deployed from the customer’s VMware vCenter. The Collector can be configured to collect data from any combination of these device types. It collects capacity, performance, configuration, and alert information and sends it back to CloudIQ through Dell’s Secure Connect Gateway.2 The Secure Connect Gateway can be integrated or centralized. The integrated (or direct-connect) gateway is embedded within the Collector and can only send data back to Dell for devices managed by that associated Collector. The centralized gateway is an independent virtual machine that can communicate with multiple Collectors and other Dell devices to send data back to CloudIQ.
The CloudIQ Collector is deployed with the following resources:
1 CloudIQ collections for PowerSwitch originally occurred using an embedded SupportAssist module. Dell Technologies will end support of this method on August 17, 2023. Moving forward, the CloudIQ Collector is the supported method for PowerSwitch.
2 For more information, see the Secure Connect Gateway white paper.