There is no doubt that VMware's vSphere further pushes the envelope toward 100% infrastructure virtualization. However, the competition has also been developing their products and has done so at lower price points. This evaluation looks at the following:
- Market overview: toward 100 percent virtualization. Virtualization has been a key enabler of converged utility infrastructures.
- Key new features/improvements. VMware is seeking to elevate vSphere to the level of 'cloud operating system.'
- Pricing options and versions. As impressive as vSphere's features are, it is important to note that VMware remains an expensive option.
vSphere is billed as the operating system of both the data center and the cloud. Its feature set and improvements certainly position VMware to play this role in converged utility infrastructures. However, the price will be steep against alternatives that offer many similar features for free.
