The cloud and virtualization landscape is undergoing a transformation, with a growing focus on the adoption of private VMware Cloud infrastructures to meet evolving business needs.

The conversations at the recent VMware Explore event highlighted a growing focus on the strategic realignment of technology companies as they grapple with these changes. Companies are increasingly prioritizing cost efficiency, the adoption of private cloud infrastructures and the challenges posed by rapid cloud innovation, according to Sarbjeet Johal (pictured), founder of Stackpane and CUBE Collective analyst.

Sarbjeet Johal, founder of Stackpane and CUBE Collective analyst, talks with theCUBE about private VMware Cloud.

“When we say cloud, it’s public, it’s implied,” Johal said. “The premise is that you are not putting the CapEx, you are just using the OpEx, and you can do a lot more experimentation faster. You don’t have to wait for servers to come in. You’re not racking and stacking those servers.”

Johal spoke with theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellante at VMware Explore, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed VMware’s evolving strategy in cloud infrastructure, focusing on the shift toward private cloud, cost efficiency and developer engagement through its Tanzu platform.

How private VMware Cloud is driving cost efficiency and innovation

VMware is transforming into a new model, shedding some customers and partners while increasing competition with other vendors. Its focus on margins will lead to better profitability, even if total sales stagnate or decline, according to Johal.

“I think this new VMware … I see that as a totally new model, the new narrative. New VMware has picked more competition, whereas they’re shedding some customers and some partners at the same time,” Johal said. “They’re shrinking on one side and picking the competition on the other. Having said that, there are some pluses. Margins will be better … because the focus is on the margin right now and also market segmentations.”

VMware’s new leadership addresses customer demands, making significant changes to improve VMware Cloud Foundation migration, integration and management, according to Johal.

“VMware is a unique company, actually. There are a few others where the community makes the shots,” he said. “The community demands a lot of stuff. There’s a community which has different persona, practitioners, and there’s customers that are partners. Then, there’s [the] vendor itself.”

A critical aspect of VMware’s future lies in its ability to engage the developer community, particularly through its Tanzu portfolio, which is central to its container and developer strategy. However, VMware’s posture in the developer space has been a point of contention, Johal explained.

“I think they need to have this whole [Security Development Lifecycle program] covered, the DevOps side of things, the containers. Kubernetes have to be frictionless there,” he said. “The consumption of the Kubernetes stack, if you will, that has to be made more developer-friendly and API-driven. They’re not there yet … but when it comes to the economics of systems creation, then VMware, the likes of Dell, the likes of HP have a shot at that.”

The challenge for VMware is to compete with cloud giants, such as AWS, Microsoft and Google, which have well-established developer communities and offer a more seamless development experience. To succeed, VMware must improve its developer tools and refine its messaging to clearly articulate the value proposition of its platform in a way that resonates with both enterprise developers and independent software vendors, Johal concluded.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of VMware Explore:

Photo: SiliconANGLE