As the year winds down and the holiday decorations go up, thoughts turn to the new year, and the pundits sharpen their pencils (or more appropriately, power up their systems) and begin predicting what we can look forward to in the new year.
Of particular interest in the world of IT is VMWare’s future, considering that the popularity of cloud-based computing profoundly affects the company. Here’s a look at some predictions for 2016.
Here Comes Linux!
According to “And the Crystal Ball Says … 4 VMware Predictions for 2016”, next year will be the year that Linux FINALLY find its way to the virtual desktop.
According to the article, users are getting fed up with Windows’ way of doing things, Apple is too rich for many people’s blood, and Citrix has already done it, so it stands to reason that VMWare will throw its hat in the ring. It’s always easier to take the plunge after someone else does. It’s sort of like how no one wants to be the first person arrive at a party, lest they appear too eager.
As for Linux on the desktop, the vigil continues.
The Hybrid Cloud Will Help A Lot
VMWare is moving to a hybrid cloud, which is a step in the right direction for keeping up with the rise of the cloud and the decline of the data center. Unfortunately, this move by itself is not enough to keep VMWare relevant in the year to come, since it still relies on the idea that VMWare is the center of the computing world, which it most emphatically is not. The question remains, can VMWare be content to be just a small part of the overall IT picture? In any case, at least the hybridization is a start.
It Will Simplify. It Has To
The IT world grows more complex every day, and the average businessperson throws up their hands and craves simplicity. If you think about it, one of the attractive features of the cloud is its sheer simplicity. VMWare does simplicity well, and it can emphasize that as a selling point to an audience that grows tired of too many elaborate systems and processes. To survive in this shifting world of cloud computing and declining importance of data center, VMWare must ride the simplicity train. Fortunately, the company is smart enough that it already knows that, and can act on it.
Amazon AWS Will Continue To Be A Headache
Amazon Web Services is growing and showing itself to be far more profitable than initially expected. As a result, there is a trend among customers who made VMWare investments. Though they are not getting rid of those investments, these companies are shifting more of their workload to AWS. Anything that takes money out of your hands is bad, and although a diminished revenue stream is better than none at all, it still hurts and can result in an erosion of public confidence. Core VMWare vSphere growth is falling. This does not bode well.
Whatever the case, 2016 will prove to be a fascinating year for VMWare. Keep your eyes open.