Big Announcements at VMworld 2016

By Kent Christensen, Practice Director
9/12/2016

As I mentioned in my previous post, the VMware team did a nice job at VMworld of recapping the progress it’s made with its products and solutions in the last year. Attendees seem to be in agreement that the company is heading in the right direction. Part of that progress, of course, has to do with its interactions and integrations with other leading IT product and service providers.
 
There was a significant focus at the show on VMware’s Cross Cloud Architecture. Last year, the company’s cloud strategy was aligned tightly with solutions (like vRealize integrating with cloud such as VMware vCloud Air). At that time, it was less about integration with hyperscalers.
 
A few major changes have been made to Cross Cloud Architecture that rolled out over the last year:
  1. IBM Cloud (SoftLayer): The first big announcement is that IBM Cloud (SoftLayer) is a scalable cloud solution that even VMware will leverage to run SaaS services like Cloud Foundation. This indicates that vCloud Air will be more focused and not try to complete with hyperscalers.
  2. New hyperscaler interaction. The second major statement is that Cross Cloud Services now embrace hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, Google, and SoftLayer. A tech preview shows interaction with hyperscalers including network and security alignment. Datalink will provide additional details as we get early access to the software.
These are important changes that should have a very positive impact on our clients who use these technologies.

News regarding Dell's EMC Acquisition

There is a big event coming up as we near the close of the Dell acquisition of EMC. This clearly has implications for VMware, VMware customers, and VMware partners.  
 
Michael Dell arrived on stage Monday at VMworld to reassure VMware loyalists that VMware was built on an open ecosystem strategy, and that there is no intention to change that moving forward. This is not the first time he’s made that statement. But in this case, he had many customers and partners listening. He went on to say that Dell, EMC, and VMware will be continue to be a powerful alliance in the industry.

The impact on you

As always, major announcements in IT can be a cause for both optimism and concern. How will these changes affect your specific IT operations? We’re happy to share our thoughts. Contact us today.