VMworld Kick-Off: It's All About the Cloud -- Virtualization Review

VMworld Kick-Off: It's All About the Cloud

By David Ramel
09/29/2020

Astute readers may note that this site is called "Virtualization & Cloud Review," with that last part relatively new, as the original print publication focused on on-premises virtualization before this cloud thing happened.

It appears VMware may find itself in a similar situation.

"VMware and Cloud do not normally seem synonymous or, in fact, near each other. VMware is still viewed as the on-premises solution that is used for hypervisors, and then the cloud is viewed as a regional solution in multiple locations," says a blog post published today (Sept. 29) on the company's site at the start of its big VMworld event.

However, the online conference is continuing the company's effort to change that perception, starting with the above blog post from a VMware Technology Network member, which goes on to state about VMware's cloud solution: "VMC on AWS has changed that landscape, and the landscape continues to be changed."

And the company's initial barrage of news releases reinforces the message, with headlines including:

VMware Empowers Customers to Build their Multi-Cloud Future
VMware and NVIDIA to Enable Next-Gen Hybrid Cloud Architecture and Bring AI to Every Enterprise
VMware Unveils Project Monterey: Re-Imagining Hybrid Cloud Architecture to Support Next-Generation Applications
VMware Delivers the Next Wave of Virtual Cloud Network Innovation to Connect and Protect Today's Distributed, Multi-Cloud Enterprise

Here's a look at some of the cloud-related news on the opening day of the three-day event:

Introduction of VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery, an on-demand disaster recovery (DR) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering with a 'pay when you need' capacity model for DR resources. It's expected to be available in VMware's Q3'Fiscal Year 2021, which ends Oct. 30. More information is available here.

[Click on image for larger view.] VMware DR (source: VMware).
Enhancements to the VMware vRealize Cloud management services for VMware Cloud on AWS, including the introduction of VMware vRealize Cloud Universal, described as a cloud management suite combining on-premises and SaaS management under one license. "It gives customers the flexibility to deploy on-premises or SaaS, interchangeably, without the need to repurchase, for a consistent hybrid cloud management experience." More information is available here.

[Click on image for larger view.] VMware Cloud Universal (source: VMware).
The availability of VMware vRealize AI Cloud, which is now included with vRealize Operations Cloud with a vRealize Cloud Universal subscription. It's described as a self-optimizing service using machine learning and reinforcement learning techniques "to continuously learn, adapt, and optimize your storage KPIs to deliver consistent and optimal performance for your mixed application workloads." More information is available here.

[Click on image for larger view.] vRealize AI Cloud (source: VMware).
Updates in VMware Cloud Director, which are coming soon in version 10.2. VMware Cloud Director is a cloud service-delivery platform. Updates will focus on network and security services, such as key VMware NSX-T capabilities fully integrated. Also mentioned were increased Object Storage offerings and performance controls, along with enhanced support for modern application services. More information is available here.

[Click on image for larger view.] VMware Cloud Director (source: VMware).
Expanded Tanzu portfolio of Kubernetes-related services and products, including Tanzu support for VMware Cloud on AWS and preview support for Google Cloud VMware Engine and Oracle Cloud VMware Solution. VMware also said it's working with Microsoft to make a preview available to early adopters soon. More information is available here.

[Click on image for larger view.] VMware Tanzu (source: VMware).