In this episode of TFiR Let’s Talk, Swapnil Bhartiya sits down with Kit Colbert, CTO of VMware while at VMware Explore to discuss the evolution of the show and VMware. He goes on to share some of the key benefits and challenges of cross-cloud and addresses some of the concerns partners and customers have amid the Broadcom acquisition.

Key highlights from this video interview are:

• Colbert discusses the atmosphere they are experiencing at VMware Explore and the palpable sense of excitement after a few years away. He tells us that their Executive Summit is at capacity and they have had great engagements from executives and their customers. He goes on to discuss how well VMware’s cross-cloud vision has been received.
• People often just see VMware through the virtualization lens but Colbert explains that although vSphere is still a core part of what the company does, VMware is moving towards a broader focus on multi-cloud. He goes into detail about the evolution of industry architecture and how they are creating a new type of cloud, cross-cloud and how they are integrating the different elements to provide their solution.
• Edge means different things to different people, for instance, telcos have a very specific definition of edge yet within VMware edge is anywhere on a datacenter or cloud. Colbert discusses how in its smaller form factor, this could mean an IoT device but it will usually be a datacenter class service. He discusses the considerations of edge and the importance of being mindful of these considerations.
• VMware is working towards having a clear, open standard for multi-cloud services and a taxonomy to enable all the different services from different vendors to interact. Colbert explains their white paper which tries to define what multi-cloud service is while providing a taxonomy for those services and why it is so important to establish this framework.
• Each cloud has different best-of-breed capabilities, however, as Colbert explains, a single cloud can lock companies into that specific cloud. While this is a trade-off some companies are willing to have for others, it carries too many risks. Colbert discusses why those in situations like DoD feel like it poses too many risks being locked into a single cloud and how cross-cloud architecture could be the proposed solution.
• Web3 is a hot topic right now with a push towards creation and ownership via blockchain. This could mean ownership of data or something like an NFT. However, another strong theme is around decentralization and being able to find information and manage more in a more decentralized way. Colbert discusses the benefits of decentralization and how it will give creators more control.
• Colbert shares insights into a discussion they had on Web 3 and the enterprise. One of the points that was discussed was that while people want to take their social graph with them, the current gatekeepers provide a lot of support. He explains that consumer behavior will affect enterprises and they need to be cognizant of what is happening in the Web3 space.
• Colbert discusses that they are in the middle of some deep-dive sessions with Broadcom where they are trying to better understand VMware. But ultimately until the acquisition of VMware is concluded, it is better to take a wait and see approach and VMware will continue talking with partners and customers.

Connect with Kit Colbert (LinkedIn, Twitter)
Learn more about VMware (Twitter)

The summary of the show is written by Emily Nicholls.