Cloud engagement targeted by VMware ISV plan

Last week saw VMware launch a new channel programme targeting ISVs. Michele Pepe explains

Amid speculation that its parent company may be merging with a current rival, VMware last week launched a new channel programme aimed at adding ISVs to its partner fold.

Under the initiative, dubbed the vCloud Air ISV Partner Program, ISVs will have access to tools and technical support to move their applications to VMware's cloud platform, vCloud Air.

Those ISVs, in turn, will be able to help end users embrace hybrid cloud and realise its financial and operational benefits.

"With [this programme], we're helping ISVs simplify the process of moving workloads to the cloud," claimed Ajay Patel, vice president of application services for vCloud Air at VMware.

"Our robust ISV ecosystem partners can continue to distinguish themselves by enabling customers to move workloads back and forth without modification, all while providing a platform that's secure, scaleable, and interoperable with customers' existing infrastructure."

In addition, ISVs participating in the programme will be able to certify their offerings as VMware Ready -- that is, guaranteed to work seamlessly in VMware's cloud environments -- and receive SaaS enablement services that allow them to streamline application provisioning, manage customer life cycles, monitor utilisation, and more.

The vCloud Air ISV programme has three levels of membership: Access, Elite, and Premier.

Meanwhile, in the past month or so, there's been plenty of buzz around EMC, the storage giant that owns 80 per cent of VMware. Allegedly, EMC has been in talks with industry powerhouses such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell to explore the possibility of initiating a technology mega-merger.

Other names that have arisen in association with EMC include Cisco and Oracle, but no concrete details have come to light.

In the meantime, Palo Alto, California-based VMware continues to strengthen its position in the virtualisation space and bolster its product portfolio. Earlier this month, the company teamed up with flash storage provider Tegile, certifying the latter's IntelliFlash storage arrays to work with VMware's Horizon View 6.0.

In August, VMware acquired CloudVolumes, a provider of real-time application delivery technology, and announced joint initiatives with Docker, Google, and Pivota.