VMworld 2010: Partner Super Session

Each year, the Partners of VMware are treated to a sneak peak at some of the announcements coming this week. Below I will not share anything that hasn’t already been since announced or is not already publicly available.

First speaker was:

Carl Eschenbach, EVP VMware

He spoke on the theme of this years show:

Cloud computing is real, but you have to go down virtual roads.

1) Industry is changing

2) Transform

3) Leverage

Year in review:

Jeff Casale, SVP GM Americas

Jeff is a recent acquisition for VMware from EMC, where he was for 16 years. He’s been at VMware only 45 days. His first impressions:

• Major land shift in cloud computing.
• The “Foundation” is virtualization.
• 3k partners here.

What he’s heard so far:

– He’s hearing clear alignment and that VMware listens.
– Sees great speed and velocity.
– Customers say VMware under-promises and over-delivers.

Results:

3,500 Partner Competencies in 2010, 111k Certifications in last year
85% of VMware’s revenues through Partners

$20k license sale = $300k solution sale for Partner.

Next up was

Paul Maritz, CEO VMware

During 30 years in the industry, he’s seen two major transformations:

While Paul can be forgiven by being a decade anachronous about client server happening at Microsoft in 1996 — we saw it at Sun in the mid ’80s — his approach is compelling.

He describes the work at VMware:

New technologies and business processes. Half a $B in research. New functionality and taking capabilities down the price curve as competition increases.

Next up:

Rick Jackson, CMO

The trend is: IT as a Service (ITaaS will be discussed in the 2nd day’s VMware keynote)

IDC reports that we’re past the tipping point: 2009 now more applications deployed on virtual servers than physical

IT production (cost efficiency) -> Business production (Quality of Service) -> ITaaS (Business agility) via Cloud Computing Infrastructure.

With open standards and freedom of choice, ITaaS = Optimizing IT production, for business consumption.

This means: existing apps, new enterprise apps, SaaS apps

The New Stack:

Cloud Infrastructure and Mgt, Cloud App platform, End user Computing (not desktop-centric)

Examples:

– VSphere, vCenter, vCloud Director, vShield — 27% CAGR

– Spring, vFabric, Hyperic — 39% CAGR

– View, Thin App, Zimbra, Horizon — 40% CAGR

IT market : 3.1% growth
SW : 3.8% growth

Next is:

Vittorio Viarengo, VP End User Services

View 4.5 is shipping this month with offline, follow me, and mobile mode.

Desktop -> interaction going to devices, computing is going to DC (VDI), computing/apps going to the cloud.

Indeed, 75% of computing is moving to cloud.

VMware intends to Modernize Desktop:

Better experience: beyond PC, simplicity, instant gratification, multiple devices

Project Horizon will be a new approach to end user computing: what user gets, where, with how much security.

Next:

Customer testimonial

Then,

Doug Smith, Global Channel Chief

Talked about Lighthouse Projects – beta competencies for Partners. 3,500 Partners achieved Competency. Solution Enablement Toolkit (SET) provides Sales and Marketing tools, Infrastructure tools, lab tools, Solution tools.

Example: MS Exchange on VMware Competency in the Infrastructure Virtualization area.

All in all, a great kick-off to the week in San Francisco for VMworld.

Thanks for coming along.

BillPetro.com

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