VMware Should Seize the Data Center
I just read Mitchell Ashley’s Network World blog from last Friday. He cautions that feature limitations won’t slow Hyper-V in its march to the data center. He also predicts that VMware will be quick to point out feature deficiencies.
I agree with Mitchell that Microsoft is poised to make inroads despite having a lighter feature set. Yet I think VMware would be remiss to focus on Microsoft shortcomings. Instead they should get more aggressive from a vision and feature standpoint; articulating what they will do even better in the near future.
As I blogged yesterday, the new battlefield between Microsoft and VMware is taking shape. VMware needs to focus on accelerating its presence in the data center and not on trying to slow Microsoft down. The machine is coming with fewer features and a much lower price, obviously initially aimed at smaller deployments. VMware can win by making new features strategic to the data center and articulating even more for the days ahead.
Tackling I/O, virtualization security and other data center relevant issues will create more opportunity than a vain effort to slow Microsoft’s Server 2008 bundling and extension strategy.
Greg you have many points. This is a great post. This is an interesting time because in a matter of weeks, there will be basically only two choices in the game, VMWare and Microsoft.
I know that here at my shop, there’s definite buzz about virtualization and the consensus is that as of right now it’s a VMWare world but that it’s about to change. Of course I’m one of the few that think Microsoft will smash VMWare. Maybe we should start an office pool…
Comment by John Casaretto — July 1, 2008 @ 12:58 pm