Dive Brief:
- Google Cloud customers will be able to run VMware workloads later this year, the latest expansion to a partnership between the two cloud computing providers, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian announced Monday.
- Using Google Cloud VMware Solution from Santa Clara, California-based CloudSimple, customers will be able to run vSphere-based workloads in a hybrid deployment. These capabilities respond to customer demand, Kurian said.
- VMware running on Google Cloud Platform will let customers protect existing tools and training in a hybrid cloud environment, said Sanjay Poonen, COO, customer operations at VMware, in the announcement.
Dive Insight:
The partnership builds on existing partnerships between the two companies: Earlier this year, Google Cloud announced its integration for VMware NSX Service Mesh and a plug-in for VMware vRealize Automation.
In turn, Google Cloud's Anthos — an open-source platform — is the preferred infrastructure to manage hybrid applications on existing on-premises investments or in the public cloud in VMware vSphere.Google Cloud will offer customer support, working closely with CloudSimple as it looks to streamline product support experience.
VMware and Google's partnership is the latest move from Kurian, a former Oracle exec, aimed at adding flexibility to the platform and competing in the cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) market.
In February of this year, Google Cloud acquired enterprise data pipeline company Alooma, a move toward easier customer migrations to its platform.
IBM, also vying for a spot in the Amazon-dominated IaaS market, closed its acquisition of open-source company RedHat, a $34 billion sign of confidence in the potential of the hybrid cloud.
