VMware CEO’s 5 Boldest Remarks At VMworld 2021

‘We are a force to be reckoned with,’ says VMware’s CEO Raghu Raghuram at VMworld 2021 today.

Raghu Raghuram: ‘We Are A Force To Be Reckoned With’

Eighteen years after first joining VMware, Raghu Raghuram stepped on stage as CEO of the company to deliver his keynote address at VMworld 2021.

“VMworld is always my favorite event of the year. I love this VMware community and this opportunity to come together,” Raghuram said in his opening remarks to thousands of virtual attendees who tuned in to the first day of VMworld 2021 on Tuesday.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based virtualization and hybrid cloud software star unleashed a slew of new products, services and channel partner incentives at this year’s VMworld, which was conducted virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

Raghuram took over the leadership reins from former CEO Pat Gelsinger earlier this year with his keynote focusing heavily on how VMware is going to become the multi-cloud kingpin in the years to come.

“At this stage, it’s clear: multi-cloud is going to be the model we’re going to use for the next 20 years,” said Raghuram.

CRN breaks down five of Raghuram’s boldest remarks during his keynote presentation at VMworld 2021 today that investors, channel partners, employees and customers should know.

‘Multi-Cloud Is At The Center Of Gravity For Everything That We Do’

Raghuram was bullish about his pursuit as CEO to take VMware into its “next chapter” of becoming the multi-cloud world leader in the years to come.

“Today, multi-cloud forces you to make some tough choices and tradeoffs. Do you optimized for developer autonomy and choice, or do you prioritize DevSecOps who want to deploy code with consistency? If you’re an IT Ops, do you prioritize flexibility and running enterprise applications in different clouds? Or do you focus on retaining full control of your environment and your spend?” said Raghuram. “Our approach to VMware is to break through these tough choices. We believe every business should have freedom and control in their multi-cloud business: developer autonomy and DevSecOps efficiency; enterprise apps on any cloud and full control and cost savings; anywhere access for employees and world class security. This is the power of ‘and’ that we are uniquely positioned to deliver. This is the next chapter for VMware.”

“Going forward, multi-cloud is at the center of gravity for everything that we do,” said VMware’s CEO. “It is in our DNA. We take constraints and we turn them into a flexible asset.”

‘The Power’ Of ‘Enterprise Sovereignty’

One significant new launch at VMworld today, is the company’s new Cross-Cloud services, which is a group of integrated VMware services providing customers the ability to build, run and secure applications across any cloud.

“What is Cross-Cloud all about at the end of the day? It’s about giving you the power to make your own decisions and control your destiny. I call this ‘enterprise sovereignty’. What do I mean by that? Just as data sovereignty is about controlling your data, enterprise sovereignty speaks at a higher level about preserving your freedom of choice, both now and in the future,” said Raghuram. “That’s our commitment to you. At VMware, we are moving business forward in the multi-cloud era.”

“There are three key advantages you get with VMware Cross-Cloud services. First: go faster. With Cross-Cloud services, you can accelerate your cloud journey. Second: spend less—you get big gains and cost efficiency. And third, be free. With Cross-Cloud services, you get maximum flexibility and choice across any cloud,” said Raghuram.

Raghuram said there’s five core building blocks to VMware’s new Cross-Cloud services: building and deploying cloud native applications; cloud infrastructure for operating and running enterprise apps; cloud management for monitoring and managing the performance and cost of your apps across different clouds; security and networking; and digital workspace to empower the distributed workforce along with edge solutions.

“Many of you are relying on these solutions every day. We are taking the products that you know and trust and then expanding their capabilities for a multi-cloud world,” said Raghuram.

Innovation Roadmap Includes ‘vSphere As-A-Service’

In terms of VMware’s innovation roadmap ahead in becoming the world leader in multi-cloud computing, Raghuram shed some like on upcoming projects including Project Arctic.

“For cloud infrastructure, we are announcing Project Arctic. This is basically vSphere as-a-service, and it will streamline your journey to the cloud,” said Raghuram.

VMware’s CEO also talked about Project Ensemble. Designed as a unified control plane for VMware Cloud, Project Ensemble will further improve operations by delivering a unified view across vRealize Cloud Management services.

“Project Ensemble gives you a whole new level of control over application cost, performance, security and automation,” he said.

Lastly, around workspace and edge computing, Raghuram touted VMware’s launch today of its new Edge Compute Stack offering.

“The VMware Edge Compute Stack is purpose built so you can deploy edge native applications at the far edge,” said Raghuram. “Each of the these innovations will work across the major clouds.”

Dell ‘Will Be Key’ In VMware’s ‘New Chapter’

VMware is set to become an independent company for the first time since 2004 as it will be spun-out of Dell Technologies next month. Raghuram told Dell Technologies’ Vice Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke that the Dell and VMware strategic partnership over the past several years has been unparallel in the IT industry.

“Looking at our partnership, it’s been the best in the industry, as far as I can remember, for the last several years,” said VMware’s CEO.

Regardless of the upcoming spin-off, Raghuram said VMware’s next chapter will still heavily involve Dell.

“We are in a new chapter for VMware. And this chapter is going to lead us to tremendous growth. Our mission is very simple: it is to be the trusted software foundation to accelerate our customers innovation. And our partnership with Dell Technologies will be key to delivering this innovation for our customers,” said Raghuram.

Raghuram also said he was “super excited” about the two companies new jointly engineered solution Dell Technologies Apex Cloud Services with VMware Cloud.

Team VMware: ‘We Are A Force To Be Reckoned With’

Raghuram ascended to his leadership role at VMware after nearly two decades of being one of the company’s top engineers and technology innovators, having first joined the company in 2003 overseeing VMware’s ESX and vSphere. Over his tenure, Raghuram helped grow its core virtualization business, drove VMware’s software-defined data center strategy, constructed and guided VMware’s cloud computing business and SaaS transformation efforts, and played a pivotal role in the company’s M&A strategy.

So it was a special moment at VMworld when Raghuram took some time to specifically addressed VMware’s employees, or as he calls them, “Team VMware”.

“We are a force to be reckoned with,” said Raghuram. “I spent the last 18 years working with this community. You are the operators and the app developers behind the scenes making it all work. You keep the most important businesses in the world running flawlessly 24 by seven. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that collectively, you keep the global economy humming.”