Application modernization is heading the agenda around boardroom tables across the globe.

The stakes are high, with successful digitization drawing a clear line between market winners and losers. But the path to cloud is seldom clear. And playing it safe, many companies have chosen to leave the most important, mission-critical applications to last.

“Now they’re looking at their tier-one applications, which are oftentimes the lifeline of their businesses, and the infrastructure has not been modernized,” said Sumit Dhawan (pictured), president of VMware Inc.

Dhawan spoke with John Furrier, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during AWS re:Invent. They discussed how VMware’s partnership with Amazon Web Services Inc. helps companies run business in the cloud of their choice. (* Disclosure below.)

The digitization clock is ticking …

Companies know they must capitalize on the power of cloud for all of their applications; the pressure is on to modernize ASAP. VMware’s partnership with AWS makes this simpler through VMware’s fully modernized infrastructure as a service, optimized for tier-one applications, according to Dhawan.

“They can embrace the power of cloud, not just for new modern applications that they have built for running their new digital services, but also all of their tier-one enterprise applications — instantly modernize their infrastructure,” he said.

While AWS is the biggest cloud provider, it is not the only player in the market. And businesses are overwhelmingly refusing to be tied into exclusive contracts. Over 90% of respondents to a recent VMware survey said that they want the “freedom to be able to use the cloud of their choice,” Dhawan said.

VMware has listened to its users’ cloud wishes. The VMware Cloud on AWS allows vSphere workloads to be moved to any cloud selected, and Cross-Cloud services enables companies to build apps and run business in AWS with VMware. Plus, VMware’s Tanzu Application Platform and Carbon Black security solutions are now available in the AWS Marketplace.

This is a natural extension of the AWS and VMware partnership, according to Dhawan.

“Over time, the technology integration that started has led to strong commercial integrations, helping to make sure customers can get one commercial agreement and one support agreement with VMware and AWS together,” he said. “VMware is enabling our customers [to take] what we call the smartest path to cloud.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AWS re:Invent. (* Disclosure: VMware Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither VMware nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE