Notes from the Consultant's Jungle

Our regular readers will understand that we do not routinely report on vendor-specific industry events, but because of the increasing presence of virtualization as a foundational component in enterprise IT architecture, this week’s VMWorld in San Francisco is hard to ignore.

In a press release, VMware revealed a roadmap that is focused on IT services in support of Business. ¬†As expected, there is a lot of focus on the Cloud in this strategy. ¬†Earlier posts in this forum highlight how foundational the Cloud has become in enterprise IT roadmaps. ¬†What is more interesting in this announcement is the focus on IT as a service. ¬†In this post, we are focusing only on the content of VMware’s press release because of its statements about product strategy. ¬†It is recognized that additional color and content apply from the conference more broadly.

Those familiar with our background will recognize that IT as a Service is very close to home for us. ¬†In the VMware press release, we find good “apple pie” content such as “IT as a Service is the transformation of IT to a more business-centric approach, focusing on outcomes such as operational efficiency, competitiveness and rapid response.¬† This means IT shifts from producing IT services to optimizing production and consumption of those services in ways consistent with business requirements.¬† This changes the role of IT from a cost center to a center of strategic value.” ¬†What though, is VMware’s role in this concept?

Well, certainly VM can be a fundamental infrastructure service, that much is for sure. ¬†Subsequent content in the press release returns to discussion of the Cloud. ¬†An interesting point is made about support for an “open ecosystem,” which is very important for an agile enterprise architecture strategy.

In our opinion, the overall message about virtualization and Cloud computing options being enablers for IT services and the projected impact on Business agility and efficiency are good points to drive home. ¬†The fact that VMware is a key player in Cloud computing is a given. ¬†It’s a bit of a stretch though, to say that VMware establishes a service oriented enterprise IT environment. ¬†It can be an important component, to be sure, but an enterprise IT service framework is created by IT strategists, Business management, and enterprise architects through planning and creation of a holistic IT Governance framework rather than selection of a provider for infrastructure components. ¬†The announcement though, is a very well crafted message that is appropriately worded for VMware’s audience and the Cloud community more broadly.