VMware Cloud Assumes New Mantle as Multicloud Adoption Soars

By | Managed Services News

Mar 31

Partners will benefit from the changes and additions, just not right away.

VMware aims to capitalize on the multicloud movement with the release Wednesday of three components within its newly holistic VMware Cloud platform.

The additions – VMware Cloud Universal, VMware Cloud Console and App Navigator – will not be immediately available through the channel; rather, VMware wants to give its direct teams time to iron out any kinks in the modules.

This approach mirrors the one the company took with NSX and VMWare Cloud on AWS.

Tracy-Ann Palmer is vice president, partner programs and experience, at VMware.

VMware's Tracy-Ann Palmer

VMware’s Tracy-Ann Palmer

“This is by design, similar to how we have rolled out other first-generation offerings,” Palmer told Channel Futures. “We believe partners will benefit from the early work we do with customers and want to ensure partners get access to a mature and proven solution when the time comes.”

Even though there’s no timeline on channel readiness, partners will want to stay abreast of the VMware Cloud developments as multicloud environments grow in popularity.

Multicloud and the Rise of VMware Cloud

Research firm Gartner predicts that, by next year, around 75% of enterprises using infrastructure as a service will employ a multicloud strategy. That’s up from 49% in 2017.

VMware has been preparing to take advantage of that trend. To that point, the vendor now positions its familiar VMware Cloud brand as a complete multicloud offering. In other words, VMware Cloud represents more than infrastructure or pieces of IaaS such as VMware Cloud Foundation or VMware Cloud on AWS.

Instead, these days, VMware Cloud contains a full set of modular, multicloud services, according to the vendor. This means the platform accommodates modern and legacy apps. It further applies to developers and operators, pertains to any cloud and on-premises setting, connects to all native-cloud services, and features unified operations and security, VMware says.

More specifically, VMware Cloud lets customers deploy apps to VMware Cloud Foundation running in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud and Oracle Cloud; on VMware Cloud on Dell EMC; and across VMware Cloud Verified partners. VMware Cloud users further can deploy and operate across native public clouds, and give developers access to all native-cloud services.

“With VMware Cloud, partners can provide their customers a single-cloud operating model for their multicloud reality, and enable customers to gain portability to help address the challenges of single-cloud silos,” Palmer said.

So, expect to hear VMware talk about the new(ish) VMware Cloud as the umbrella offering for a host of tools. And the resources debuting Wednesday are VMware Cloud Universal, VMware Cloud Console and App Navigator.

Exploring the 3 New Parts of VMware Cloud

First up, VMware Cloud Universal. VMware calls this a flexible subscription that simplifies how customers buy and consume its multicloud infrastructure and management services. Users will buy once and redeem credits for eligible services during the contract time frame. VMware says this will especially provide financial benefits for organizations moving from the company’s perpetual licenses to cloud. That way, they can move to the cloud at their own pace.

In addition, customers may convert and apply unused on-premises Cloud Foundation credits toward VMware Cloud on AWS or VMware Cloud on Dell EMC at any point during the term. VMware Cloud Universal also features VMware Tanzu Standard edition for easier Kubernetes deployment and operation.

VMware Cloud Universal best suits users fitting the following descriptions:

  • Dedicated to a to a hybrid cloud architecture.
  • Abiding by extended or variable cloud migration timelines.
  • Having cloud bursting requirements.
  • Wanting an opex model for on-premises infrastructure.

Palmer called Cloud Universal “a promising path forward in how …

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