April 9, 2024
This past September I wrote an article titled Charting our Path Forward: Recapping VMworld 2017. In it, I talked about how VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger who, in explaining how technology is “leaving the nest” as it becomes increasingly “woven” into the fabric of our everyday lives, laid out the following four-step cloud strategy:
1. Make private cloud easy;
2. Form deep partnerships with major cloud providers;
3. Expand the VMware Partner Cloud Network;
4. Offer a portfolio of cloud services.
I had originally planned to dedicate this Spotlight article to expand on each of these four steps. However, it dawned on me that while I know the great insight and expertise that went into developing the VMware strategy, explaining what differentiates our approach to activating the multi-cloud/no cloud environment from other strategies will provide the proper lens through which to view our value proposition. Or to put it another way, share with you how VMware eliminates the ambiguities of computing in the new digital era and converting its promise into tangible outcomes for our clients.
To start, it begins with pedigree. More specifically, VMware was the first commercially successful company to “virtualize” hardcoded processor intelligence, i.e., the x86 architecture that enabled us to understand the pathway in which software could be used to simultaneously run multiple operating systems and applications — on a single server. In essence, transform a single x86-based server into a viable, virtual platform for business.
What this means is that whether you operate in a private cloud, public cloud, no cloud, or a combination of these environments, VMware virtualization will increase IT agility, flexibility, and scalability while creating significant cost savings.
This last point is particularly important in that some think that virtualization is synonymous with “the cloud.” Cloud computing is not the same thing as virtualization. Cloud computing describes the delivery or sharing of computer resources – including data, through the Internet on an on-demand basis. But you do not need to be in the cloud to virtualize your servers.
Of course at the heart of a transformative virtual capability is not just technology. Considerations regarding security are what I referred to in my earlier article as being a “core component of our strategy.” In a future post, I will go into greater detail regarding VMware’s three-tiered approach to cybersecurity, which focuses on layering security technologies into everything we do.
In the meantime, I invite you to meet with our VMware team to learn more about charting your organization’s digital path forward at Long View’s ACTIVATEDIGITAL 2018 Conference on February 27th in Guelph.