How VMware Is Transforming Itself Into a Multi-Cloud Company
No so long ago, VMware nurtured the ambition of becoming an enterprise public cloud company. Branded initially as vCHS and then vCloud Air, VMware’s public cloud didn’t reach the expectations of partners and customers. VMware was quick enough to sense the market reaction to exit the public cloud business. It sold vCloud Air assets to OVH, Europe’s largest hosting provider.
Pat Gelsinger, the tech-savvy and pragmatic CEO of VMware, applied the principle of fail-fast to vCloud Air before it transformed into a white elephant.
Pat didn’t waste any time in approaching AWS – a long-time competitor and arch-rival – for a strategic partnership, which raised eyebrows of many in the industry. The analysts and trade pundits were skeptical of the deal between VMware and AWS calling it as a marriage of convenience.
Two years later, VMware’s decision of walking away from the public cloud business and shaking hands with AWS started to make complete sense. Today, IBM and Microsoft have also become VMware partners to offer its hybrid cloud platform on IBM Cloud and Azure. With the merger with Dell, VMware now ships a managed hybrid cloud platform on Dell EMC hardware. There are multiple data center and infrastructure providers that deliver VMware stack under the VMware Service Provider Program.
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Janakiram MSV is an analyst, advisor, and architect. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Sr. Cloud Solution Architect specializing in Cloud Security and Scalable Solutions at Kyndryl
5 年Some Fact Correction. IBM, VMware partnership for running VMware VCF based cloud was announced on Feb 2016 before similar announce between AWS and VMware on Oct 2016. Though there were some strategic and logical decisions on the operating model since AWS has no bare metal?offering whereas SoftLayer?(IBM Cloud ) had that capability.?
Director, Advertising Tech at Walmart
5 年Thanks for sharing your thoughts??Janakiram MSV..
Managing Director @ Check Point | Customer Success, Growth, Partnerships | Investor & Board Member | IIT-Bombay | IIM-Calcutta | Turnaround Growth Specialist
5 年Very insightful article, Janakiram!
Communications Specialist | Strategist | Storyteller. Experience in Integrated Communications, Analyst Relations, and Entrepreneurship
5 年Excellent piece Janakiram MSV. I loved the way you have approached and analysed VMware's cloud strategy, taking back the readers to a couple of years ago and closing it with the latest developments.