EMC is no longer just a storage company on its own.  It has expanded to become a federation of companies in the EMC family, including VMware and the newly launched Pivotal and ViPR initiatives.

As EMC President and COO David Goulden describes it, a federation is different from a conglomerate in the sense that it’s about interconnected businesses with better synergies and it’s not all about spinning off and making money.

But how was EMC able to transform itself to what it is now?

Sitting down with SiliconANGLE CEO and founder John Furrier and Wikibon Senior Chief Analyst Vellante at theCube, Goulden touched on a few lessons as to how the company became what it is today.

3 lessons from the EMC Federation

Always ready to transition

Goulden stated that because the industry moves very quickly, the company is always on its toes, ready to implement drastic changes in order for it to be able to give customers what they are looking for.  It’s not just about moving quickly, it’s also about staying ahead of the game, predicting what customers will need in the future.

He cited Pivotal as a perfect example of this.  It leveraged assets from both EMC and VMware to be able to produce something new and completely focused on Big Data and fast data apps.

It’s all about the customers

Nothing beats the feeling of earning customer praise, but to hear them say that what you’ve done is in line with what they plan for the future of their own companies?  That is priceless, and that is what drives EMC to improve its products and services.  It’s all about giving customers the choice.

Complexities are easily addressed

Goulden cites VMware as an example of how the EMC federation has flourished.  He stated that the company was able to grow VMware in a way that it can work well with EMC competitors while being able to attract or retain talents inside the company.

For more of Goulden’s discussion regarding EMC as a federation, check out the video below: