As we head into VMware Explore US 2023, we are forced to consider the company’s strategy once again. Wouldn’t it be better if VMware focused on the hypervisor and networking rather than continually exploring new products and markets? That’s the question posed by Stephen Foskett to Allyson Klein, Andy Banta, and Matt Tyrer in this episode of the On-Premise IT podcast. Focus isn’t a bad strategy, especially given the slow pace of development for cloud-native applications in the enterprise. And VMware’s involvement in edge computing is an enticing new market for their core technologies. But not everyone is convinced that this is the right move!

In this episode of the On-Premise IT podcast, Stephen Foskett poses the question of focus and strategy for VMware. Allyson Klein, Andy Banta, and Matt Tyrer acknowledged the significance of VMware in the enterprise and the value of their core products, with Banta pointing out the value of moving a running Virtual Machine (VM) from one place to another, memory over-provisioning, and its capability in effectively utilizing multi-core processors. The discussion emphasizes VMware’s relevance for enterprises preferring to run their applications in a modern data center.

However, the panel expressed skepticism about VMware’s decision to diversify its focus. VMware initially gained traction by encouraging collaboration among networking, storage, and processor vendors, providing an integral platform that unified these varied technologies. But its decision to compete with these firms by branching out beyond its core competencies has raised concerns among panelists.

The panelists’ apprehension was also influenced by emerging technology trends, particularly the rise of edge development and container use. The panelists saw VMware as playing a potentially critical role in edge environments, given its established ties with enterprise IT. They anticipated VMware’s strategies for hypervisor control in multi-cloud to multi-edge settings responding to interoperability challenges.

The upcoming VMware Explore event in Las Vegas is highly anticipated by the panelists, as they look forward to insights about the company’s vision and imminent innovations. Especially significant is the fact that this event comes as the company nears takeover by Broadcom. VMware’s steps in leveraging enterprise data center applications beyond data center boundaries, suggesting its involvement in edge compute and storage, will be closely watched.

On-Premises for Today’s Podcast:

Panelists

Allyson Klein

Andy Banta

Matthew Tyrer

Moderator

Stephen Foskett

Twitter

@TechAllyson

@AndyBanta

@MattsStylinHat

Twitter

@SFoskett

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