VMware Adds vCloud Data Centers, Acquires Desktone

At VMworld 2013 in Barcelona this week VMware expanded its Hybrid vCloud Service in the U.S. and the UK by adding vCloud data centers, vaulted into a leader position in the Desktop as a Service market by acquiring Desktone, and expanded capabilities for the software-defined data center. The VMworld event conversation can be followed on Twitter hashtag #VMworld.

Hybrid vCloud Data Center expansion and Online Marketplace

VMware announced two new locations where it will offer its vCloud Hybrid Service, in Santa Clara, California and Sterling, Virginia. These two facilities centers complement VMware’s existing data center in Las Vegas. Both locations are designed to serve the growing demand for vCloud Hybrid Service and comprised of high performance cloud architecture including fully redundant VM service, enterprise-class storage, and full network virtualization.

“With the success of VMware vCloud  Hybrid Service, we are rapidly expanding service capacity with robust physical infrastructure that can scale to accommodate our growing customer demand,” said Bill Fathers, senior vice president and general manager, Hybrid Cloud Services Business Unit, VMware. “Customers now have additional strategic East and West coast locations from which to take advantage of VMware’s hybrid cloud service that is completely interoperable with existing infrastructure and enables new and existing applications to run without compromise.”

VMware also launched a UK presence for its vCloud Hybrid Service, with a new data center location in Slough. VMware will offer a private beta of vCloud Hybrid Service in the UK in the fourth quarter of 2013, with general availability planned in the first quarter of 2014. The international infrastructure as a service (IaaS) expansion demonstrates the company's commitment to providing European customers with a fast path to the cloud.

“We have to be able to respond quickly to client requests,” said Angus Gregory, CEO of Biomni, a vCloud Hybrid Service customer and provider of IT service catalog and request fulfillment solutions based in London. “With vCloud Hybrid Service and our longtime IT partner Computacenter, Biomni can create environments in the hybrid cloud that are identical to our internal platform and seamlessly move workloads with complete confidence. The service enables Biomni to not only deliver a better quality and more responsive service for our clients and strategic partner Computacenter, but also allows us to grow more rapidly.”

VMware also announced the vCloud Hybrid Service Application Marketplace - with access to 3,800 pre-qualified applications and rich online resources, where customers can discover, download and test-drive and buy solutions for the vCloud Hybrid Service. Customers can now find and deploy listings offered by VMware, buy critical software as a service (SaaS) solutions on vCloud Hybrid Service, find thousands of vCloud Hybrid Service virtual appliances, and read guidelines and best practices for bringing their own licenses to vCloud Hybrid Service.

VMware acquires Desktone

VMware announced that it has acquired Desktone, an industry leader in desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) with an advanced multi-tenant desktop virtualization platform for delivering Windows desktops and applications as a cloud service. The Desktone platform was purpose-built for service providers to deliver windows applications and desktops as a cloud service with unique capabilities such as multi-tenancy, self-service of virtual desktops, grid-based architecture for elastic scalability, and a low cost of delivery.

“Desktone is a leader in desktop-as-a-service and has a complete and proven blueprint for enabling service providers to deliver DaaS,” said Sanjay Poonen, executive vice president and general manager, End-User Computing, VMware. “By bringing Desktone’s innovative platform in house, VMware can accelerate the delivery of DaaS through its network of over 11,000 VMware service provider partners while helping to shape and lead the future of the industry.”

“The combination of VMware and Desktone’s global partner network will allow customers in all regions to benefit from the economies of scale provided by DaaS,” said Peter McKay, president and chief executive officer, Desktone. “With the Desktone platform already certified with the VMware vCloud technology, VMware vSphere and VMware Horizon View, customers will be able to quickly modernize and move their desktop infrastructure to the cloud and open new possibilities for customers, users and service providers.”

Expanded capabilities for the software-defined data center

VMware announced new capabilities and enhancements across its portfolio of cloud management solutions to simplify and automate management of IT services for multiple clouds and platforms. New product releases introduced include VMware vCloud Automation Center 6.0, VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite 5.8, VMware IT Business Management Suite, and VMware vCenter Log Insight 1.5. In addition, VMware will update the automation and management capabilities of VMware vCloud Suite 5.5. also announced new professional services to help customers outline the strategy and technology roadmap to define and implement cloud management and automation solutions. The new Cloud Automation Design and Deploy service focuses on policy-based automation, enabling customers to build cloud management infrastructure for improved time-to-project completion, operational reliability and efficiency. Enhanced VMware Accelerate Advisory Services help organizations evaluate the value of cloud operations and cloud business management solutions.

“For IT to keep pace with business demands, stay relevant and deliver IT services with agility, it must transition from being builders to brokers of IT services,” said Ramin Sayar, senior vice president and general manager, Cloud Management, VMware. “VMware cloud management solutions enable IT to deliver this agility while standardizing and ensuring governance and control – whether the goal is to better manage a highly virtualized environment, build a vSphere-based private cloud, extend to the hybrid cloud or broker services across many providers.”