VMware plays nice with OpenStack, unveils a VMware-powered data-center-in-a-box
At this year's VMworld event, the virtualization giant plans to announce a new service that makes OpenStack more compatible with VMware tools and VMware-loaded data centers as well as a new appliance manufactured …
Context & Ripple Effects
VMware’s path toward cloud interoperability predates VMworld: it launched an open-source cloud offering in 2011, then joined the OpenStack effort in 2012. Its 2013 combination of vCloud and Nicira framed the company’s broader push toward a software-defined data center.
The new compatibility service and appliance extend that strategy in two directions at once: making VMware environments more usable alongside OpenStack while packaging VMware’s stack into a deployable data-center product. Announced Docker partnerships add container support to the same platform agenda.
First-order effects
- VMware customers using OpenStack gain a planned path to use VMware tools and VMware-loaded data centers with fewer compatibility barriers.
- Buyers seeking a prepackaged deployment option gain a VMware-powered data-center appliance rather than assembling every infrastructure component themselves.
Second-order effects
- OpenStack vendors and integrators face greater pressure to support VMware-centric enterprise environments, because interoperability becomes part of the buying decision.
- Docker, Google and Pivotal gain a channel into VMware’s platform through their announced partnerships, tying container adoption to VMware’s existing infrastructure footprint.
Third-order effects
- If VMware can combine open-source compatibility with a packaged stack, software-defined data-center competition shifts toward vendors that control both the operating layer and the deployment experience.
- The pattern points to enterprise infrastructure buyers favoring interoperable but curated stacks over a choice between fully proprietary platforms and independently assembled open-source deployments.
The trend: Enterprise infrastructure is converging on curated, software-defined stacks that preserve links to open-source ecosystems rather than requiring customers to choose one model exclusively.