The Next VMworld Already?
Gee, it seems like we just got finished with
VMworld Las Vegas (wait, we did!), and now comes word of the next event.
VMware announced this morning that VMworld, the gigantic virtualization party, will be heading back to Cannes, France next Feb. 24-26. The first VMworld Europe was held there earlier this year. (Side note: Don't you think your faithful editor has to attend that show? Purely for news-gathering reasons, of course.)
Here's a quote from CEO Paul Maritz from the press release: "Our first VMworld Europe was a defining moment for the company. This event allows customers in one of the most advanced markets in the world, to get their hands on the best virtualization technology on the planet."
Actually, I have to say I wish the VMworld we just finished up was a little more defining. There was lots of vision, with little in the way of specifics. That should probably be expected, given that Maritz still has that new-company smell. The announcement said that at the Cannes show the company will go into more detail about the three main initiatives -- Virtual Datacenter OS (VDC-OS), vCloud and vClient -- unveiled last week. I'm hoping we know a lot more about them before that show.
Bogomil Balkansky, VMware's senior director of product marketing, told me at the show that all the products to make those visions concrete, shipping technologies will be released next year, giving VMware serious time pressure. Of course, that pressure existed anyway in the form of new competition.
Now the serious work begins, under new management. Maritz was wildly successful at Microsoft; can he bring the same magic to VMware?
In the meantime, I'm interested to hear your impressions of VMworld. What did you like best? Least? What's your impression of the new initiatives? I'll post a feedback blog as soon as I get some good stuff. E-mail me. If you don't want your name used, please let me know; otherwise, I'll assume it's OK to post your first name.
Posted by Keith Ward on 09/25/2008 at 12:48 PM