VMware Enables Users to Easily Test-Drive Cloud Computing through the VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace (VAM) and VMware vCloud™ Service Provider Free Trials
More Than 1,000 Virtual Appliances, Hundreds of Service Providers, and Hundreds of Thousands of Users Connect through the VMware VAM
PALO ALTO, Calif., Apr.21, 2009 — VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter, today announced new services within the VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace (VAM) to help businesses explore cloud computing offerings based on VMware software. The new services include a beta release of VMware VAM App on Demand, which enables businesses to evaluate software in the cloud, as well as free trials of VMware vCloud partner offerings.
“The VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace is by far the largest library of applications and operating systems for virtual environments and clouds today,” said Dan Chu, vice president, emerging products and markets, VMware. “With the expanded offerings of the VMware VAM, VMware is making it easier than ever to try applications and services in the cloud from a wide range of ISVs, developers and service providers. By offering try-before-you-buy services in the VMware VAM, users can experience the benefits of the cloud without risk or up-front costs.”
The VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace: Expanded Capabilities from the Largest Library of Applications for Virtual Environments and the Cloud
Virtual appliances are applications that are packaged along with metadata using the standard Open Virtualization Format (OVF) and managed as a single virtualized unit, making them optimal for the cloud. The VMware VAM is the premier location for finding ISV and developer-generated virtual appliances with more than 1,000 virtual appliances available. The VMware VAM includes new features for ISVs and developers to manage and track information and customer leads about their appliances, community resources such as reviews, whitepapers, and blog postings, and listings for VMware vCloud service providers for running virtual appliances.
“IBM is helping companies of all sizes address the challenge of managing huge volumes of data by helping them implement an Information Agenda to quickly transform data into a strategic asset, and, in turn, unlock its full value to make smarter business decisions," said Boris Bialek, program director for IBM Data Management. “VMware's virtual appliance model simplifies this approach by delivering InfoSphere Warehouse, DB2 and Informix database software ready to work in cloud environments, and making it easier than ever for new clients to put this powerful software to work for their businesses."
Cloudera, which delivers enterprise-level support to users of Apache Hadoop, commented on how the VMware VAM speeds time to market.
"Manually configuring systems like Hadoop for the cloud can be a real challenge,” Amr Awadallah, chief technical officer, Cloudera. "But leveraging VMware's virtualization technology makes it easy. We use VMware to provide a pre-configured environment with Cloudera's Distribution for Hadoop for all of our online training programs, and thanks to the VMware VAM, we're seeing a rush of new users getting started with just one click.”
VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace App on Demand Beta: Making It Easy to Try Applications in the Cloud
Software vendors and developers use the VMware VAM as a cloud-based service to publish their software. The newest functionality of the VMware VAM is App on Demand, which enables users to run a trial version of an application in the cloud with just a simple login.
VAM App on Demand significantly simplifies the evaluation of an application for users, by allowing them to select an application, and deploy the application in the cloud, without incurring hardware and set up costs. This includes complex infrastructure software like security, storage, and traffic management solutions, as well as business applications and application middleware stacks. VAM App on Demand is currently in beta and will pilot with various virtual appliances that can be run in the cloud.
VMware vCloud Partner Free Trials: Making It Easy to Try Services in the Cloud
VMware vCloud partners, including Hosting.com, iTricity, Tata Communications and Terremark are offering free trials for end customers to experience the simplicity and power of running applications on VMware Infrastructure 3 and VMware vSphere™ 4. (See press release, “VMware Unveils the Industry’s First Operating System for Building the Internal Cloud— VMware vSphere 4.”)
“Our promotional evaluation offer of VMware-enabled Infrastructure as a Service is targeted largely for users located in Asia, and is hosted in India”, said Abid Qadiri, vice president, of Data Center Services for Tata Communications, Ltd. “This offer makes it very easy to explore the VMware VAM for pre-built virtual applications or to take advantage of this cloud-based service for other business application needs.”
A directory of vCloud service providers can be found at: http://www.vmware.com/go/vcloud-partners.
Visit the VMware VAM
Join customers, software vendors and cloud service providers at VMware VAM: http://www.vmware.com/appliances/.
About VMware
VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter—bringing cloud computing to businesses of all sizes. Customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2008 revenues of $1.9 billion , more than 130,000 customers and more than 22,000 partners, VMware is one of the fastest growing public software companies. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is majority-owned by EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC). For more information, visit www.vmware.com.
VMware and VMware vCloud are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.