While VMware has always done well in the area of virtual server provisioning, offering small, medium and large businesses alike a way to access some of the best in VPS and other server-side technology, they have never been particularly interested in the idea of supporting the use of any other hypervisors but their own. However, as the market expands and more and more companies get into the virtual server game, it is becoming apparent that VMware cannot afford to ignore other hypervisors that compete with it, most notably Microsoft’s Hyper-V.
As a result, the company has now created what are known as “flings,” plug-ins that offer basic management tools for hypervisors that are not produced by VMware. The company has been clear to define them as tools that they believe should be “played with and explored,” meaning that they may not have entirely changed their tune when it comes to their position on other hypervisors. Still, the creation of these flings is seen as a positive step, a sign that VMware understands that while it has a great market presence in the area of virtual server provisioning, it is not and will never be the only hypervisor provider out there and must do what it can to adapt rather than ignore. Given that the market will always bear some level of fragmentation, this is likely a smart move by the company, as closing their eyes to other hypervisors and support on the market could mean falling behind the curve or being unable to support the next generation of virtual and cloud computing.
Though it’s hardly a long-term relationship, VMware has at least decided that a fling with other hypervisors is in its own best interests.
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