As it does every year VMworld Europe brought a vast amount of news and announcements to the yearly conference held in Barcelona.
From cloud development to effective security patterns, VMware explained its newest arrivals and future goals to the thousands at Fira Gran Via. Pat Gelsinger, CEO, VMware kicked off the keynote on Tuesday morning with quite a list of announcements in comparison to what most expected following Las Vegas VMworld only two weeks ago.
However, along with the announcements were some interesting updates, developments and partnership announcements. Here’s a rundown of what the event held.
Connecting Cloud
At the heart of VMware is its cloud development, using Hybrid Cloud to effectively transform the way businesses operate and the systems that they use. VMworld 2017 followed the promise VMware has given over the last couple of years that they want to provide a cloud platform on any device, with any application, with any cloud anywhere.
On day one of the event, VMware announced the debut of VMware Cloud Provider Platform which aims to tackle the strategic business needs of cloud providers around the world.
Offering a seamless cloud system for businesses will be the token needed to help customers deliver applications that transform their business and VMware outlined this as a continued part of their strategy on the first day of the conference.
HCX
A much discussed topic at the first day keynote was around VMware using HCX technologies with the cloud to accelerate multi-site application migration and easy factoring of data without interuptions.
Effectively, HCX technologies will be used in the cloud to help businesses back up their data and transform from one system for another whilst simultaneously carrying out day to day tasks, meaning no hault in their workflow.
By doing so, VMware hopes HCX technologies will transform the way businesses operate to benefit both the business and their clients, for example through the use of IBM Cloud.
vRealize Suite
VMware launched vRealize Suite that will enable businesses to thrive in a digital transformation strategy. The suite manages applications, data, monitors performance levels and works across multiple clouds. The suite will enable modern data centres to be created.
During the keynote David Kinney, SVP IBM Watson & IBM Cloud, said: “We want to make sure all of our client data centres are integrated into globally available cloud services.”
Security
Pat Gelsinger amplified the need to ensure that cloud software systems have effective security systems in place as well as the mobility of the platform itself. When describing security, Gelsinger said: “The most important topic of all.”
VMware’s CEO explained the most efficient way to ensure high security across your system is through five cyber hygiene steps he said were ‘the basics’. Least privilege, micro-segmentation, encryption, multi-factor authentication and patching.
In his first day keynote speech, Gelsinger explained for VMware’s cloud platform it needs to be built with an intrinsic security system to effectively achieve their strategy.
Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) & OpenStack
During VMware’s time in Barcelona, they announced its new vCloud NF OpenStack product that offers customers the quickest way to implement NFV servies by offering a vast NFV infrastructure based on VMware’s virtualisation software.
VMware has made an enterprise agreement with Vodafone and also working with Dell EMC on a new integrated platform to simplify, accelerate and lower NFV cost.
Dell Partnership
On day one of VMworld Europe 2017, Gelsinger announced the partnership VMware had fusion with Dell EMC. Working together, the partnership will allow Dell EMC’s commercial customers to scale solutions at a much faster pace on their current IT infrastructures by moving workload across the cloud.
In essence, the partnership hopes to create a solution both customer and client needs of Dell EMC by integrating cloud computing and IT infrastructures to create better data centres for on a global cloud scale platform.