VMworld 2021 – Imagine that!

It has been a while since I wrote my latest blog and a lot has happened over the last 16 months. With the birth of my second daughter in March 2020 and the pandemic happening, I lost track of time for my blogs. As I started at ITQ, the #1 Dutch IT-Consultancy firm focusing on the VMware Portfolio, I have put my focus on updating my skills within the VMware SDDC portfolio with vSAN, NSX-T and Cloud Foundation.

From October 5th till 7th, 2021 the world stood still for a moment to enjoy VMworld again. Unfortunately it was the second online-only edition as the pandemic is still there although signs are good for next events. The event started with the General session lead by the new CEO Raghu Raghuram. Well it was a tough job to step in the footsteps of Pat Gelsinger, who I consider as one of the greatest executives I have seen on stage. Well he stood his ground pretty well and supported by a great team he was able to clarify the vision and strategy of today’s VMware and it gives hope for the future of this great company. This vision and strategy is formed over the future of multi-cloud technology. As he said, multi-cloud is going to the model we’re going to use for the next 20 years.

VMware put the multi-cloud in full motion by announcing some (future) products to enable Cross-Cloud Services for all Apps.

I want to highlight the following projects and products:

Project Artic – Designed to be a first step to a multi-cloud and as-a-service model to your on-prem environment. Project Arctic makes vSphere cloud-aware and integrates cloud connectivity. [MCL2500]

Project Ensemble – Integrates and automates multi-cloud management with vRealize. This means that all the different VMware cloud management capabilities—self-service, elasticity, metering, and more—are in one place. You can access all the data, analytics, and workflows to easily manage your cloud deployments at scale. [MCL1301]

Project Capitola – Is a software-defined memory implementation that will aggregate tiers of different memory types such as DRAM, PMEM, NVMe and other future technologies in a cost-effective manner, to deliver a uniform consumption model that is transparent to applications. [MCL1453]

Project Monterey – One year after it’s announcement it’s time for an Early access program to start. It offloads NSX, VSAN and Infra management to Data processing units to deliver maximum performance, zero-trust security, and simplified operations. [MCL1833]

What’s with all other announcements?

With so many announcements I have to put an end somewhere. We will see in the next months and years the what will happen to the projects but I believe the move to the multi-cloud is set in motion. VMware will be in the middle to deliver Management, Insight, Control and Security measures to the different cloud platforms.

How did I experience VMworld 2021?

Although I prefer to be at VMworld in-person, I was happy to be able to view most sessions from the ITQ office in the Netherlands. This allowed me to discuss the announcements with my colleagues directly and replace the normal important networking part to relate all delivered information.

ITQ doesn’t like to hoard knowledge but share it, a big part of the team came together to record a few ITQonversations. This small talks between ITQ employees and sometimes accompanied by friends of the show, are ready to see at our ITQ YouTube channel. Please have a look and subscribe to our channel for all upcoming videos. Ofcourse special attention to my very own ITQonversation: A SDDC overview at VMworld 2021 – ITQonversations VMworld 2021 Day 3.