Software company VMware that provides cloud and virtualization software and services announced a strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) with an aim to build and deliver an integrated hybrid offering that will give customers the full software-defined data center (SDDC) experience. With this integration, customers will be able to run any application across vSphere-based private, public and hybrid cloud environments.
It will be delivered, sold and supported by VMware as an on-demand, elastically scalable service and customers will be able to leverage the global footprint and breadth of services from AWS. According to a report in ZDNet, VMware Cloud on AWS is currently in a beta phase and the two are projecting to commence the service in early 2017. Customers will be able to make use of the tools that include storage, databases and analytics.
Both the companies claim that the service will combine the capabilities of compute, storage and network virtualization products (vSphere, Virtual SAN and NSX) along with vCenter management, and optimize it to run on next-generation elastic, bare metal, AWS infrastructure. This will allow customers to deploy secure and enterprise-grade AWS cloud-based resources that are operationally consistent with vSphere-based clouds. This new service represents a significant investment in engineering, operations, support, and sales resources from both companies. It will run on next-generation, elastic, bare metal AWS infrastructure.
Pat Gelsinger, CEO, VMware said, “VMware Cloud on AWS offers our customers the best of both worlds. This new service will make it easier for customers to preserve their investment in existing applications and processes while taking advantage of the global footprint, advanced capabilities, and scale of the AWS public cloud.”
What customers will get out of this joint architected solution?
Hybrid Cloud Capabilities: Enterprise application performance, reliability, availability and security with the VMware technologies, all optimized to run on AWS, the public cloud provider.
Consistent with vSphere: With VMware Cloud on AWS, users’ private data center integrated with the AWS public cloud can be operated using the same vCenter UIs, APIs and CLIs. With vCenter Enhanced Linked Mode, user will have a single pane of glass for managing on-premises and VMware Cloud resources on AWS.
Operated and supported by VMware: The service will be operated, sold and supported by VMware.
Workload portability: Full VM compatibility and total workload portability between the datacenter and the AWS cloud. No complex and time consuming application re-platforming is required.
Subscription-based consumption: Customers will be able to purchase dedicated clusters that combine VMware software and AWS infrastructure, either on-demand or as a subscription service.
Andy Jassy, CEO, AWS stated, “Our customers continue to ask us to make it easier for them to run their existing data center investments alongside AWS. Most enterprises are already virtualized using VMware, and now with VMware Cloud on AWS, for the first time, it will be easy for customers to operate a consistent and seamless hybrid IT environment using their existing VMware tools on AWS, and without having to purchase custom hardware, rewrite their applications, or modify their operating model.”