There are storm clouds gathering over the dust-up between VMware and Amazon and the latter's recent decision to launch its Amazon Web Services Management Portal for vCenter, essentially taking on the role of remora to VMware's vCenter product.
At least that's the view of WMware's Chief Technology Officer Chris Wolf, who authored a piece ominously entitled "Don't Be Fooled By Import Tools Disguised as Hybrid Cloud Management."
Amazon's new initiative basically means AWS users can import virtual machines (VMs) into their Amazon infrastructure and perform certain management tasks from VMware vCenter from within the AWS interface. VMware's vCenter is popular software package that lets IT administrators and managers control virtual machines within their companies' data centers.
Properly utilized, the Amazon product could draw VMware users away from that company's cloud services and pull them into Amazon Web Services.
Amazon states the goal of its new, free software is to make AWS more accessible to IT managers and administrators.
"IT managers and administrators working within large organizations regularly tell us that they find the key AWS messages -- fast and easy self-service provisioning, exchange of CAPEX for OPEX, and the potential for cost savings -- to be attractive and compelling. They want to start moving into the future by experimenting with AWS, but they don't always have the time to learn a new set of tools and concepts," said Amazon's Jeff Barr in a blog post.
Amazon maintains users will find the cloud and VM capabilities offered by the new AWS Management Portal to be "comfortable" for acolytes of the VMware vCenter.
"I believe that IT managers will find this blend of centralized control and cloud power to be a potent mix," explained Barr.
In his analysis of the Amazon product, VMware's Wolf noted "administrators will find this tool useful for importing virtual machines into Amazon and conducting basic management tasks from VMware vCenter. However, if you want to move those workloads or simply run additional instances in a region with no AWS presence, an outsourcer, another cloud provider, or your own data center, you may find that the cost and complexity associated with migration or a new deployment is too much. The service stack would likely be bound to proprietary APIs, and all or most of the third-party management and operational software will have to be replaced."
Of course, VMware recently introduced its vCloud Hybrid Service, an enticement for clients to endow VMware's public cloud with their VMs. It is, after all, a competitive world.
