Businesses wanting to run some of their corporate VMware workloads on Amazon Web Services cloud can now start doing so.
VMware Cloud on AWS, announced last October, is now available for purchase, at least from the Amazon’s cloud data centers in Oregon. The product will roll out across more AWS cloud computing facilities worldwide throughout this year and next, Terry Wise, vice president of worldwide alliances for AWS, tells Coins2Day.
The news comes on the first say of VMware’s annual VMworld technology conference in Las Vegas, where the company also will announce AppDefense, a new cybersecurity product to fortify its core virtual machines against security threats.
VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger will announce the news Monday. AWS CEO Andy Jassy is also expected to be on hand. Both execs outlined plans for this product last year.
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The advantage of the product is that the many large companies that already run VMware’s vSphere server virtualization software can now move some of those jobs to AWS infrastructure without having to futz with them. Being able to divvy up tasks between internal data centers running vSphere and AWS, also running vSphere, is what IT professionals refer to as a hybrid cloud, letting them be more flexible about their deployments.
But there is some nuance. VMware (VMW) customers cannot just transfer existing vSphere licenses to Amazon (AMZN) infrastructure but will get a discount on those new cloud licenses, says Mark Lohmeyer, vice president of products for VMware’s cloud business unit.
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“Even though many VMware shops using vSphere also use the newer NSX and VSAN stuff, not all of them do,” Lohmeyer says. When they move to VMware Cloud on AWS, he continues, they will be getting VSAN storage and NSX networking capabilities as well.
VMware will sell and handle the licensing of the product.