VMware is buying SpringSource, an acquisition that promises to tighten the relationship between the virtual environment that cloud computing relies on and the applications that run in that environment.
SpringSource brings management tools to the virtual environment that enable close monitoring of application performance and availability. It also brings SpringSource’s dedication to open source.
The acquisition signals VMware’s desire to be more than just the provider of virtual environments and to position itself more as a cloud-management vendor.
The combination promises to enhance cloud computing’s major benefits – providing flexible resources quickly for ad hoc projects. With SpringSource’s expertise in rapid development of applications that are easy to run in a cloud, businesses can accelerate development of corporate projects.
During a conference announcing the pending deal, VMware’s CEO Paul Maritz said the combination of the companies’ expertise would give better insight into what applications are doing within a vSphere environment and support tighter management of them. He also set as development goals improved security and fraud detection.
This is an opportunity for VMware to back applications designed to tightly integrate directly with the hypervisor to give a better sense of what applications are doing on the virtual machines the hypervisor oversees.
This also gives VMware the chance to set security as a priority as software is written making cloud environments safer for businesses. If the company promotes secure Web application development that deals with the challenges of a cloud/virtual environment, it can help alleviate some of the hurdles businesses face when deciding how cloud computing can help their bottom line safely.
