VMworld 2011 Parting Shots

As VMworld 2011 comes to a close, I've formulated a few thoughts and observations on a interesting week in Las Vegas. In the end, it was great to catch up with partners, competitors, new and old friends while providing a sneak-peak into Zenoss Service Dynamics. One thing is clear, Cloud computing is alive and well while VMware continues to dominate the Enterprise. However, open source looms large as Enterprises seek an open solution that eliminates vendor lock-in. Finally, while security remains a chief concern for Cloud computing, Cloud Instrumentation, Management, Monitoring, Automation, and Service Assurance are rapidly moving up the charts.

• Lack of fireworks
  • No acquisitions
  • No revolutionary offerings
  • No surprises
• New definition of Cloud
  • VMware + Management + Automation
  • What about Instrumentation & Service Assurance?
• Management is key to VMware's future but competition is fierce
  • vCenter Ops = Integrien + CapacityIQ + ConfigureSoft
  • “vCenterOps” = Netuitive + vKernel + BMC BladeLogic
  • “vCenter Ops” = Prelert + Quest + HP Opsware
  • Get the Picture?
• Cloud Management is moving up the “must-have” list
  • Service Assurance regardless of application, hypervisor, or Cloud
  • Dashboards are in; gauges, flashing lights are out
  • True event correlation and impact analysis is desperately needed
• Red Hat Looms Large
  • Vendor lock-in is a huge topic of conversation
  • Microsoft-like hangover of single source vendors
  • As Cloud grows, the hypervisor becomes less relevant
  • KVM is gaining steam; OVA (IBM, Intel, HP, Red Hat)
• New projects
  • Project AppBlast – Application streaming over HTML 5
    • Innovation or Hubris?
    • Check out SproutCore
  • Project Horizon – VMware for your mobile phone
    • Limited Support (Android OS from one model of LG)
    • Will Apple/Microsoft play along?
• Intangibles
  • Who is going to take on Microsoft and Amazon with VMware's technology at scale?
  • Does Cloud Foundry dramatically alter who VMware is today and what they will become tomorrow?
  • VMware's messaging is dead-on, but are their products/solutions up to the challenge or just marketecture?
  • Can OpenStack's momentum be stopped with vCloud 1.5?
  • Will Citrix and Xen rise again?
  • VMware pricing and tactics are top-of-mind and are being watched by customers, prospects, and competitors
  • VMworld as an industry show? No, it's an infomercial for VMware.