VMware Channel Chief Turns Focus to Europe (Here’s Why)
Dave O'Callaghan is preparing for a short-term road trip and a long-term cloud initiative update. As Senior VP of Global Channels and Alliances at VMware (VMW), O'Callaghan is heading to VMworld Europe (Oct.14-17, Barcelona) while keeping his longer-term vision on VMware Partner Exchange 2014 (Feb. 10-13, San Francisco).
So what is on O'Callaghan's agenda at VMworld Europe? In an email to The VAR Guy, he stated: "I will be attending Barcelona to present at the Partner Day and visit with partners and customers. I will be expanding the Value Channel messaging and vetting the strategy with all parties in preparation for our launch at PEX [Partner Exchange]. Very exciting times!"
Hmmm… O'Callaghan didn't leak any news in that statement (despite The VAR Guy's best attempts) but our resident blogger has a hunch VMware will cover the following partner themes at VMworld…
1. vCloud Hybrid Service: VMware's answer to Amazon Web Services and other public clouds is pretty simple to explain. If you're a customer or VAR, you can move virtualized applications — seamlessly — between on-premises data centers and the cloud.
2. Cloud Partner Credits: Let's assume you're a VAR. You typically recommend on-premises solutions but your customers want to work some workloads out to a VMware cloud services provider (CSP). The partner credits program ensures the VAR gets a piece of the action for assisting with that cloud win.
3. Software Defined Data Center: You've already virtualized the bulk of your customers' servers. But what about networking, storage and the overall converged data center? That's where SDDC enters the picture. Surely, O'Callaghan will provide updates.
4. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure: In recent days, Toshiba became the latest cloud services provder (VDI) to leverage VMware Horizon for hosted desktops. As customers struggle to manage Windows XP migrations and BYOD realities, VMware will position Horizon as an ideal solution to those migration and management challenges.
Thoughs topics, and more, will surely surface during partner gatherings at VMworld Europe. It's a safe bet O'Callaghan will stir much of the conversation — while formulating more notes and ideas for Partner Exchange 2014.