As much as I like virtualization, and systems management, and private cloud … most folks know that I am a backup guy, first and foremost. So, you should definitely look to some of the ESG peers for the other parts of the story, including a nice video from ESG’s Mr. Virtualization, Mark Bowker. In the meantime, here are my takeaways:
Wrap-up on Backup
This was my first VMworld, so I was impressed by what has apparently become the infrastructure event, based on the diversity on the show floor and reported attendee count. There were a lot of things that I wanted to see and people to talk to, but I wasn’t able to get to all of them.
Check out my blog post on “What I am looking for at VMworld 2012”
One of the most interesting product announcements at VMworld for me was the inclusion of backup within vSphere 5.1 – vSphere Data Protection (VDP). Built out of a EMC’s Avamar backup solution, but delivered as a free virtual appliance for backing up SMB environments, I think it will change the discussion that backup vendors have when selling into smaller environments. It will also likely have an effect on VMware’s partner ecosystem.
Read more about VDP on my blog : VMworld 2012 announces vSphere Data Protection (VDP)
It was interesting to hear VMware talking about the commoditization of the hypervisor (very different than the messaging of not that long ago) … and that the new battleground was around the management stack. Some slides even showed Microsoft Hyper-V and Citrix Zen in the same marketecture as ESX. I already felt that way, but was impressed to see VMware talking about it – and then was surprised to see the breadth of their vCloud map.
So, what does the future hold for data protection in a virtualized world?
Lots of change! Virtualization creates data/VM sprawl that is only exacerbated by private-cloud provisioning. This is causing lots of folks to re-evaluate their data protection strategy. To help IT Pro’s with that quest, here are some hopefully helpful aids:
Video : What IT Pros should look for in Virtualization Protection
ESG Brief : What to look for in Virtualization Protection
ESG Brief : Agent Best Practices for Host-based Backups
Video : VMworld 2012 ‘The Cube’ on virtualization protection
As always, thanks for reading.
[Cross-Posted on ESG’s Technical Optimist.com]