VMworld 2020 – VMware focuses on the future of digital working

VMworld is a key calendar event with great speakers, exciting VMware product announcements and thought leadership about the future for virtualisation.

VMworld 2020, held from 29 September to 1 October, focused on the changing world.

We have had a lot of challenges to deal with this year. We have had to deal with Covid-19, with inequality, and with moving toward a new type of infrastructure for work. Perhaps the days of travelling hundreds of miles for work whether via trains, planes or automobiles is now not as important. Perhaps we should invest in digital technologies to improve how we work instead.

This year has had the effect of accelerating companies into the digital age, and perhaps this will in turn make us closer as a truly global community.

The VMworld 2020 tagline was Possible Together and the conference focused on digital innovation.

VMware has a strategy: They will deliver the digital foundation moving forward – empowering any app, on any cloud, on any device.This consists of five critical building blocks:

1. App modernisation
2. Multi-cloud
3. Digital workspace
4. Virtual cloud networking
5. Intrinsic security

1. App modernisation

App modernisation is all about how we move applications from monolithic apps to the containerised applications. Docker has become the go-to container engine, and as we move to the multi-cloud world we have to ensure that we have a consistent method of management. This leads us to Kubernetes and on to Tanzu, which allows you to run your app across any cloud.

VMware vSphere now has the ability to run native Kubernetes workloads/containers, and now with vSphere 7 U1, it’s even easier.

Moving forward, VMware is working closely with NVIDIA to create an available Artificial Intelligent solution that will be available for all – this is code-named Project Monterey.

2. Multi-cloud

Multi-cloud is the strategic platform for moving a company forward. Companies take the best of all the clouds, and by using VMware technologies they have a centralised view of these workloads. It was announced that VMware has more than 15 million workloads on VMware Cloud.

VMware cloud now runs on all the major public clouds.

VMware also has their Telco cloud and predicts that this could mean that 5G may make WiFi obsolete in the future​.

3. Digital workspace

Digital workspace has now taken hold as millions of people started working from home. Workspace ONE, SD-WAN and Carbon Black working together allows home users to work securely from any location, run any application and work on any device.

4. Virtual Cloud Networking

Virtual Cloud Networking is the software-defined networking that’s running the VMware Cloud. VMware’s NSX technology is now in use with over 17,000 customers worldwide. NSX is a complete networking solution delivered in software.

5. Intrinsic security

VMware is building security into the datacentre. This allows for security across "any app, any cloud, on any device". VMware provides Carbon Black as the product to allow this functionality.

All of the above products above will accelerate us to the future of digital working.

VMware is now focusing on vertical industry solutions and the healthcare, education, public sector, retail and financial services sectors.

I’ll be watching with interest to see how VMware innovates in the future.

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