We know that the alternative exists from companies (and respected competitiors) like HP and IBM to offer a “full stack” to customers.
We also know who we (Cisco/EMC) are – we are best-of-breed vendors – innovating faster, integrating with VMware further.
To understand what this means – look for VMware-integration (as opposed to “works with” interoperability) with HP and IBM and it’s a short. relatively minimal list. They are relatively slow with basics like SRM support, and generally non-existent with innovative products that significantly leverage deep VMware integration (think VN-link, PowerPath/VE, vCenter plugins, etc). The examples they do have tend to come from the things they “kinda” do (aka IBM reselling NetApp – but representing only single digit percentages of NetApp’s annual revenues).
If you ask the “all-in-one” vendors (just one example) for their plans for integration into the VMware networking stack, or a vStorage plugin, or demonstrating their vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI) stuff for EVA/HDS, ES/DS/XIV, well – it’s not there, and if you’re a storage vendor and don’t have VAAI demos now, you’re missing the next major wave of integration opportunity. Knowing what I know (we are in the midst of finalizing our joint 2 year engineering priorities now) about the degree of engineering focus here – that divergence, profound as it is even now, will tend only to get broader over time.
Look, that may sound harsh, but conversely they do what they do well, and historically a lot better than “best of breed”: they offer a single throat to choke engagement and support model.
So, if “integrated sales/service/support” is that’s something that “best of breed” vendors like EMC and Cisco haven’t done as well historically it meant that picking best of breed required customers to “home-brew” integration, and work with all sorts of support models. Many customers look at “best of breed” and say “look, this IT stuff has so many moving parts, I’ll give it to HP as a full stack, even though I may like the capabilities of EMC/Cisco”.
This is part of the Virtual Compute Environment announcement is a large-scale attempt to offer a new, third option – best-of-breed, but so integrated from a business standpoint that they look like one. We’ve been constructing it for the past year. Still have a ways to go, but it’s mature enough to be something that hasn’t existed in the IT landscape that I know of.
There’s a lot of detail on each of these elements (pre-sales, services and support).
If you like what you’re hearing and are a “warrior monk” level system/sales engineer type – with mad, mad skills on VMware, Cisco and EMC – and can present to a CIO one moment and then go crazy hands on in a Proof-of-concept the next – I really, really want to hear from you, no matter where you are in the world. Those of you who have reached out already, we’ll be talking soon.
Going forward, we will be expanding these integrated support teams in our RTP and Cork facilities, where we are also expanding our joint case re-creation labs.
This joint support model will be available for customer regardless of whether they buy from the Cisco/EMC and VMware coalition, from Vblock partners, or from the new joint venture designed to sell Vblocks as a service.
Think about the amount of work and “partner cooperation” to have people from each of the three companies to be able to access each other’s systems, and to take top people and cross-train them on technologies not from their “home” company… And think about what an improved support model that can represent.
If you thought VMware, EMC, and Cisco were a good choice yesterday – are we a better choice today, with integrated pre-sales, services, and support models?
I would love to hear from you if you’re one of those “warrior monk” types – they are precious.
I would love to hear from you on your thoughts on this new model!