Customers should be able to choose their systems based on performance, function, security, reliability, and cost.
This is according to VMware president and CEO Paul Maritz, giving the keynote address at the 2011 VMware Forum this week at Vodaworld, Midrand.
Maritz believes cloud computing is all about choice and letting customers run what they want, when they want, and where they want.
In line with this, he said VMware, a provider of virtualisation and cloud infrastructure solutions, has initiated Cloud Foundry, an open platform-as-a-service (PaaS) project, which supports multiple frameworks, cloud providers and application services all on a cloud-scale platform.
Cloud Foundry is also open source platform which allows developers choice of frameworks, application infrastructure services, and deployment clouds, he said.
“It brings a new level of portability, reducing lock-in by enabling developers to move applications between environments, between cloud providers, and data centres without modification to the application,” he explained.
Open demands
According to Maritz, so far over 25 000 developers have signed up for the Cloud Foundry initiative. This is an overwhelming number and it shows the need of open standards in the cloud, he noted.
This allows developers to build applications with their choice of high productivity frameworks and application services, he added.
“They can also choose their framework, cloud, and application services. Cloud Foundry also shortens the time it takes to take your application from concept, to code, to the cloud using an open platform-as-a-service.”
This, in turn, results in faster service delivery, which is crucial in today's world where technology is moving at a fast pace, he stressed.
Maritz said: “The cloud computing approach to the consumption of IT resources has undeniable benefits to business and society, and we are working hard to make it a reality through our work in open cloud standards.”
VMware believes adoption of open cloud standards is one of the keys to unlock the full and global potential of cloud computing.
Maritz also said IT is undergoing a transformation, as applications and infrastructure are changing, with organisations looking for a path to harness the promise of the cloud.
He also noted that today's application platforms have different requirements than those businesses relied upon in the past.
Post-PC era
Individuals no longer live in a world where creating documents is an essential activity, he said, adding that IT can no longer assume control over all employee devices. More and more of individuals are digesting information in much smaller chunks, he elaborated.
“We filter those streams, we recombine them, and we stream information back out again.”
VMware is gearing up for the transition to the post-PC era, he told the forum. “We will be introducing mobile-centric applications designed to help IT administrators deploy tablets and smartphones to employees in the near future.
“These will allow users to carry a single device for both personal and corporate usage. Employees want to use their personal smartphone for work and are pushing IT to support those devices,” he explained.
He said the VMware has a Mobile Virtual Platform (MVP), which is still at an experimental phase and this will provide corporate users with a secure virtual environment on smartphone devices.
With the MVP, Maritz explained, IT administrators will be able to load two operating systems onto a smartphone for employees to have one for personal use and the other controlled by an IT administrator.
According to Maritz, VMware will continue to expand its strategy for modern cloud application platforms, announcing a new product and partnership details to help enterprises address the specific demands of modern applications.
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