What was once VMware is now Broadcom. With the acquisition closed, the American multinational brought its VMware Explore 2024 event to Barcelona from Nov. 4-7 with a new portfolio of solutions and an emphasis on its flagship private cloud platform, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).
On the stage, Joe Baguley, Broadcom’s chief technology officer for EMEA, directed the focus towards the launch of new advanced VCF services, ecosystem partnerships and the definition of modernization programs whose purpose is to accelerate the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications, cybersecurity initiatives and adoption of the sovereign cloud.
Computerworld Spain had a chance to sit down with Baguley and talk about VMware’s evolution and its current technology strategy.
VMware’s origins
To understand Baguley’s career at the company, you have to look back 13 years and six months. Since then, he said, the transformation of the industry has been both incontestable and interesting. “When I joined VMware, we only had a hypervisor – referring to a single software [instance] that can be used to run multiple virtual machines on a physical one – we didn’t have storage or networking.”
Baguley recalled attending an internal R&D event with other senior managers of the organization. “That’s where we came up with this vision: people would build private clouds with fully software-defined networks, storage and computing. That’s what we would eventually call hyperconverged infrastructure.”
With that picture in mind, the company has grown from “a small company” to the giant it is today, “an organization within a much larger one,” Baguley said. For him, the journey to the present has been “very exciting.” But, Baguley insisted, the most exciting thing, and what still keeps him in his office chair, is “feeling that we are still capable of carrying out that vision that we once conceived in a bar in Monterey.”
Corporate evolution
Since those first steps, the organization has passed through several hands – including former parent company Dell EMC and equity stakeholder Silver Lake – until ending up with Broadcom, which finalized the acquisition of VMware in November 2023. Looking back, Baguley considers that the company’s philosophy “has not changed” since its origins. “All we have done has been to complete” the solutions portfolio, he said. “We have gone from choosing an operating system to being able to run any application anywhere and on any cloud by virtualizing storage.”
“Everything we have done for customers over this time is simply to give them more options to manage their needs, from the sovereign cloud to the edge without forgetting the intrinsic security in all our products.” They have done so, moreover, without overlooking simplicity: “We choose to empower people in a scenario where talent and technical skills are emerging as a challenge.”
In the 25 years of the company’s existence, the transformation has been undeniable. “We have evolved, we have refined those appendages that were not perfect.”
Since the acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, the organization has integrated the business units that previously advanced in isolation. “Computing, networks, storage and security management used to operate in silos,” Baguley said. Now, however, the great change they have experienced is that those silos have disappeared, the roadmap of all those individual components is driven under the heading of VCF. “We are seeing how our approach is already happening through customers.”
Championing private cloud
Asked about his position in the global market compared to competitors, Baguley is proud of the latest VMware innovations highlighted at the event, particularly related to the VCF platform.
“When it comes to building private clouds, we are the first. There is no one who can offer you a profile as broad and complete as ours.” However, Baguley, aware of the high competitiveness of the industry in which they operate, maintained that “if you look back at the history of technology, there have always been failures, barriers, stories where people have been too arrogant … As a technologist I am always aware that we cannot sit back, we must continually think about how to be relevant, strategic.”
In the reputational sphere, the acquisition of VMware by Broadcom marked a turning point in the company’s history. At VMworld Explore, spokespersons tried to dispel the negative publicity.
“We have been through a lot. However, I think it has been really exciting, empowering as well. We have been able to better understand the needs of the market by adjusting the approach,” Baguley said.
“Many people respect the innovation we do, they respect the work we do. From my point of view, it is key to understand where we are headed: We have to understand that, although it was not fashionable five years ago, the private cloud is the future. We have reached a level of technological maturity where people try to place the right application in the right location, and that place is the private cloud.”
The executive’s next steps will continue to guide him towards supporting clients. “I really work on the ground, directing my efforts to find out how to help clients evolve, get rid of their servers, improve processes, people and technology used. Ultimately, this is what it’s all about. What prevents technology from being successful are processes and people. I work to align these three fundamental pillars for my clients, figuring out how to deliver value to them.”
This story originally appeared on Computerworld Spain.
Read more about VMware by Broadcom
- Broadcom launches VeloRAIN, using AI/ML to improve network performance: It’s billed as a tool to help AI and non-AI performance, but an analyst says it’s the non-AI workloads we should be focusing on.
- VMware customer concerns linger: Enterprise customers have questions about VMware’s future direction, licensing changes, and product roadmap following Broadcom’s takeover. Customers want to continue to see innovation across the VMware portfolio, says one analyst. They also want to see Broadcom focus on integration, interface design, and an easier adoption path.
- AT&T and Broadcom near settlement in VMware support dispute: AT&T and Broadcom are close to resolving their legal dispute over VMware support services, according to a joint letter filed in the New York Supreme Court on October 11.
- Broadcom’s vision for VMware highlights private clouds, private AI: This year, attendees at the annual VMware Explore conference heard about VMware’s partnership with Nvidia to deliver generative AI models and tools – but in the context of a private cloud.
- Broadcom CEO pushes on-prem private clouds: In a keynote address at VMware Explore 2024, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan talked up the new version of VMware Cloud Foundation and extolled the future of the enterprise: “private cloud, private AI, your own private data.”
- Broadcom distrust drives sales for VMware competition: Concerns about the new direction VMware is taking are driving some enterprise customers to consider alternative platforms from vendors such as Scale Computing, Nutanix and Oxide Computer.
Source:: Network World