Shifting to the multi-cloud: VMware has adapted to work-from-anywhere model

VMware, which makes virtualisation software, is increasingly delivering the software in a model that will suit the new normal, where both employees and customers are getting used to functioning in a work-from-anywhere system.
 
A lot of the company’s offerings were earlier delivered in a traditional on-premise, perpetual licensing model. But now the firm is shifting to a subscription SaaS world, says VMware India Managing Director and Vice-president Pradeep Nair.
 
“We brought virtualisation as a technology to the industry. That happened really quickly. And then we expanded, to do the same thing with storage and network. And then we said we will bring in our layer of management tools on top. Essentially, from being about virtualisation, we became the data centre, an on-premise, private cloud. And now, we’re at this third phase in our evolution. Now we’re going to see how we can move into what we call this world of building modern apps on multi-cloud,” Nair said.

 

Virtualisation software creates a virtual machine that acts like a real computer. This helps companies cut information technology costs by saving on server and storage space.
 
VMware has also been investing in cybersecurity and expanding its capability in new software development. In 2019, it bought Pivotal Software, which makes tools for software developers working on cloud services, for $2.7 billion. The same year, it also bought Carbon Black, which has a cloud security platform that uses big data and behavioural analytics to protect against cyber attacks, for about $2 billion.
 
With the pandemic changing the way enterprises work, VMware has adapted to the change. Whether internally or externally, it has worked on making a complete shift from in-person work.

 
“We’ve been able to get the customer and employees up and productive. We actually timed this. When somebody joins VMware today — from the moment they power on the laptop, to the time that they have access to all of their applications that they need to do their job, it takes them 18 to 20 minutes. So, you can automate all of these things,” says Nair.
 
For customers, too, it has worked to provide a smooth, automated experience, VMware says.
 
Another area that the firm has worked on is building culture. Nair says VMware hired a lot of people in India all through last year, and most of them have neither been to the company’s office nor met its management team.

 
“So, how do you build culture? And how do you build common codes around a lot of what was driven by what you used to do face to face? It is not just that we're here to do a job. One of the things that is very attractive for people that come to VMware is that you can work on things that you are passionate about outside of work, and we will actually financially support you to make that happen,” says Nair.
 
Going forward, he says the company is looking at three key areas: helping customers transition to a multi-cloud world, helping governments modernise, and helping customers in the new normal where they can work from anywhere.

 
“So, you know how you deal with customers — become more intimate, more immediate, much more involved with what customers are doing. You really don’t get paid unless customers consume your services, and we are very focused on making sure that they are able to get good outcomes from the technology that they have acquired. So, modern applications in a multi-cloud world, delivered anywhere,” says Nair.