VMware’s launch of vSphere 5 shook the industry this week, and the sheer magnitude worries competitors. Giving importance to cloud computing and virtualization of small-to-medium sized businesses, the latest in vSphere technology becomes a milestone of information infrastructure.

This move makes it more apparent that VMware is not giving up its crown anytime soon. VMware’s journey is something that analysts at Wikibon have followed from its up-and-coming days, to today’s bloom. The recent Wikibon Peer Incite tackled these details, the value of VMware integration and the issues surrounding the new vSphere product including security, virtualization, storage, networking back up and of course, the cloud.

What was announced and what does it mean to you?

VMware’s vSphere 5 is built to eliminate scalability restraints and technical barriers. This latest technology will be amplified with the line-up that consists of VMware vShield 5,VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) 5 and VMware vCloud Director 1.5. The array targets the improvement of operational agility and drive better IT efficiency.

A good portion of the launch was focused on storage and the integration value that VMware brings to its users. Everyone at the Peer Incite meeting is in agreement that this announcement is good for the the storage industry. For starters, users will be directed to the correct storage for varied standards, and implementation at the integration level will be easier. VMware is bringing in an array of software offerings that will be game-changing for the market. Some other advantages include an improved interface for the storage appliance, higher performance, a fresh focus on SMB’s and impressive replication features.

For small customers’ IT segments, they would be benefiting from VMware making the low-end more cost effective. But, while the entrée of vSphere 5 created a big bang in the market, Wikibon Analyst David Floyer feels that there are two missing pieces in the announcement: security and the improvement of management to handle accelerating complexities.

Does this announcement bring new opportunities for virtualization?

VMware’s move open doors for many other services, particularly in the simplification of virtual environment to standardize infrastructures. Remember the time when organizations had to deploy physical servers involving a number of manpower and processes—these were greatly reduced by virtualization.  Our ServicesAngle editor Alex Williams looks at the world becoming more programmable, with services being a significant aspect of VMware’s long-term goals.

How and when should organizations migrate to this new VMware environment?

VMware’s upgraded technology offers more dependable infrastructure suite. The planned migration capabilities within the roster will aid customers in transitioning to this new environment. VMware bridges migration from software arrays to servers. Moreover, the latest version 5 allows faster integration, even for small organizations.

Is VMware security appropriate for mission critical applications?

Floyer noted that in terms of security, VMware has just taken a small step but there is a long road ahead. However, this factor should not be deducted from the benefits of the technology itself. The enhancements from VMware merely create more boundaries that need to be protected, especially with the non-existence of definitive form of security on the web.

What actions can users take to maximize the value of their VMware investment?

VMware’s announcement not only touched base with product features, but also confronted the challenge in intelligent management and how they lack in APIs that will enable connection between point A and B. For customers, the key takeaways include the ways of dealing with the complexities of the technology and finding the right people to make maximize existing investments.

In all, this comprehensive infrastructure suite that VMware offers is seemingly a strong force that could alter the course and direction of today’s computing and virtualization.