News & opinion from VMworld 2013

VMware product announcements and partnerships •

• VMware (VMW) is teaming up with parent EMC to create storage virtualization solutions for SMBs. The solutions will leverage VMware's new Virtual SAN solution, which creates shared storage pools for virtual servers using storage attached to servers (thus eliminating the need for traditional storage networks), along with EMC hardware and software.
• Virtual SAN bears some resemblance to the software developed by ScaleIO, a startup acquired by EMC in July. ScaleIO, Virtual SAN, and EMC's ViPR storage management platforms (covers both EMC and non-EMC gear) point to a growing willingness by EMC to cannibalize sales of traditional storage arrays in the name of selling higher-level software solutions.
• VMware has updated its core vSphere virtualization platform to offer faster disaster recovery and better flash memory performance, and to feature extensions for handling big data workloads. Several other products found within VMware's expansive vCloud Suite (e.g. software automation tools, cloud management software) have also been updated.
• VMware's vCloud Hybrid Service, which allows on-premise workloads to be paired with VMware-managed public cloud workloads (and to move workloads between the settings), is nowgenerally available. CenturyLink's (CTL) Savvis unit will provide some of the public cloud data centers. vCloud Hybrid will face stiff competition from Amazon and Microsoft, who already have large established bases.
• VMware is partnering with Pivotal (set to be taken public by VMware and EMC) o create Pivotal CF, a cloud app development service (PaaS) based on Pivotal's open-source Cloud Foundry platform and available on vCloud Hybrid. Pivotal CF will compete against Salesforce and Microsoft's established offerings.

VMware names former Microsoft exec its new CIO

• Former Microsoft CIO Tony Scott, who left the company 3 months ago to "focus on personal projects," is VMware's (VMW -0.2%) new CIO. (PR)
• VMware has lost a number of prominent execs over the last two years, but has also made a big-name hire or two.
• News of Scott's hiring comes as the annual VMworld conference gets underway. Among other things, Network World is looking for VMware to provide specifics about its much-hyped hybrid cloud platform, to outline its plans for its Nicira software-defined networking unit, and to explain how it plans to keep its core vSphere virtualization platform differentiated in the face of strong competition.

VMW price at time of publication: $87.65. 

Focus Articles on VMW

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• VMware Earnings Preview: Q2 2013 by Selerity Research

Press Releases on VMW

• VMware Appoints Microsoft Veteran Tony Scott as Chief Information Officer (Marketwire)
• MEDIA ALERT: VMware Announces Lineup for VMworld Executive Roundtable "The Data Center is Dead, Long Live the Data Center" (Marketwire)
• VMware to Present at the Citi 2013 Global Technology Conference (Marketwire)

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Transcripts on VMW

• VMware, Inc. (VMW) CEO Discusses Q2 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript
• VMware, Inc. (VMW) Management Discusses Q2 2013 Results (Webcast) by SA Transcripts
• VMware's CEO Discusses Q1 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript