Quoting from the Internet News:
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“I believe VMware could represent a very serious challenge to Microsoft’s hegemony. VMware creates the ability to manage below the operating system, which turns the operating system into a commodity. Citrix wasn’t a threat. Netscape wasn’t a threat. These were replaceable technologies. VMware has an opportunity to become irreplaceable.”
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“It is unbelievable how much time Microsoft has allowed VMware to grow,” Bittman remarked. “I also believe if Microsoft does things right, they can eliminate the challenge,” Bittman said.
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Bittman said he believes VMware not only needs to quadruple the amount of virtualization licenses it sells this year, but that the virtualization vendor needs to “move very, very rapidly” in creating new features none of the competition — Microsoft, Xen, Virtual Iron and SWSoft — yet possess.
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“As a part of EMC, they cannot make any acquisition that they choose to make,” Bittman said. “They are running independently but [VMware President] Diane Green can’t decide today to merge with Opsware; while VMware might have aspirations to acquire or merge with Opsware or BladeLogic, so does EMC and they have different goals. I believe EMC should make the money on VMware now and invest it somewhere else — before VMware gets too big…
Read the whole article at source.
While Thomas Bittman, Vice President at Gartner, mention of Opsware and BladeLogic could be seen as just examples for VMware acquisition strategy, decision to call for these names doesn’t seem so casual: one month ago SYS-CON reported a rumor claiming VMware is looking to buy Opsware after its IPO, still expected this summer.