VMware Explore 2023: Keynote Highlights

Explore enterprise applications and infrastructure, AI, tools for the remote workforce, machine learning, and more from VMware Explore 2023.

VMware made several announcements related to new cloud, edge and machine learning services on August 22 at VMware Explore held in Las Vegas. This includes services for accelerated ransomware recovery, a new format for their networking and security developer services product as a cloud-managed subscription and additions to their cloud infrastructure-as-a-service offerings.

Jump to:

VMware Tanzu platform expands with AI, increased Kubernetes support and more

VMware Tanzu, a modular platform for developing apps across clouds, will receive upgrades on August 22, including:

• Unification of common sets of services that were on both the VMware Tanzu and VMware Aria platforms to create the combined VMware Tanzu Intelligence Services.
• .NET Core support.
• A new developer portal with DIY Backstage and open source plugins. This portal is now in beta.
• The VMware Tanzu Application Engine, which orchestrates apps and runtime, including across different Kubernetes clusters and clouds. This application engine is also in beta.
• Extended lifecycle management for Azure Kubernetes Services and VMware’s other Kubernetes support services.
• VMware Tanzu Hub, an existing service for integrated solutions, will include generative artificial intelligence in the form of Intelligence Assist, a natural language chatbot.

Punima Padmanabhan, senior vice president of modern apps and the management business group at VMware, said CIOs want to increase the speed at which their teams can bring applications to market. At the same time, “Business priorities, business objectives can change within days,” Padmanabhan said during a press pre-brief. Therefore, there is demand for helping vendors integrate apps across the cloud and gain speed and agility. Services like those in the VMware Tanzu updates were made to do that.

SEE: How to streamline the IT mobile app development pipeline and get your apps into production faster (TechRepublic)

VMware Cloud Foundation gets a boost

The VMware Cloud portfolio is expanding with improved performance for VMware Cloud Foundation, new multicloud networking, security and developer services and expanded utility for its Ransomware Recovery-as-a-Service offerings.

The Ransomware Recovery-as-a-Service platform has been enhanced with the following:

• Concurrent Multi-VM Recovery Operations in parallel to decrease recovery time. (Available August 22.)
• Ability to run production workloads in the cloud. (Available in the third quarter of 2024.)
• Cybersecure storage service for integrating ransomware recovery into native vSAN storage; this is currently in Tech Preview.
• Expanded recovery solution to Google Cloud VMware Engine. (Available August 22.)

“Our latest VMware Cloud advancements further modernize cloud infrastructure and deliver a single cloud operating model that improves developer productivity and advances security,” said Krish Prasad, senior vice president and general manager, cloud infrastructure business group, VMware, in a press release.

In the second half of 2023, VMware Cloud customers can expect to see improved performance (10x tasks at the same time, 4x storage performance boost), faster upgrades (reduced upgrade time by 33%, accelerated AI workloads with 2X GPU capacity) and greater scale and security (increased workload domain by 60% and multi-cloud policy enforcement) in VMware Cloud.

NSX product becomes NSX+

VMware is expanding its NSX product with NSX+, a cloud-managed version of the same service, which will include Virtual Private Clouds.

VMware launches Edge Cloud Orchestrator

The VMware SASE Orchestrator service will now be known as VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator and have expanded capabilities for bringing together IT and OT. It optimizes edge cloud deployment through right-sizing infrastructure using pull-based orchestration for security and administrative updates, and using network programmability defined by APIs and code.

It was developed because IT and OT are increasingly converging in many industries, said Sanjay Uppal, senior vice president and general manager of the service provider and edge business unit, VMware, in a press pre-brief.

“You get all the security compliance, and you reduce risk. Of course, the other benefits are you can reduce your operational expenses and expenditure going forward as well,” said Uppal.

New edge capabilities announced at VMware Explore include:

• Novel VMware Edge orchestration capabilities for managing multiple edge services.
• A new retail edge industry solution, VMware Retail Edge.
• A VMware Edge managed connectivity service for private mobile networks. This will be available soon.

VMware’s edge stack, which incorporates the Edge Cloud Orchestrator, is used in manufacturing, retail, energy and healthcare.

Machine learning drives new DEX and remote work insights

VMware is adding generative AI to integrations for the Anywhere Workspace platform, a work platform for creating secure remote workplaces across different devices and locations. VMware has tasked generative AI and machine learning with running the platform’s Insights feature, available in Q3 2024, which detects anomalies on frontline devices or virtual desktop environments and reports those issues to the IT team.

More Playbook instructions have been added to the Anywhere Workspace platform so IT teams can create workflows within the platform for solving DEX problems. The new Playbook instructions will be available in beta in Q3 2024, followed by general availability in Q4 2024. Both the Insights and Playbooks features can be used for digital employee experience remediation.

App Volumes support expanded

Customers using virtual apps from VMware will be able to use enhanced features going forward. App Volumes support has been expanded to customers with persistent VMware Horizon environments; they will be able to use App Volumes to deliver apps to numerous persistent virtual desktops at once. As part of VMware’s plan to streamline as much of the process as possible, App Volumes is compatible with Citrix, Microsoft and Amazon virtual desktop and app deployments as well as VMware Horizon. App Volumes persistent virtual desktop infrastructure will be available in beta in Q3 2024 and generally in Q4 2024.”We are thrilled to unveil new advancements for our customers that expand data sources and insights, integrate with technology partners for improved security and unify app delivery strategy across all virtual desktops and apps,” said Shankar Iyer, senior vice president and general manager of end-user computing at VMware, in a press release.