Does management of VMware software require any exceptional skills from IT?
Palmieri: You will need skills to manage a virtualized environment. To architect a solution correctly is a limited skill set. Virtualization reaches into storage, servers and the networking infrastructure. It’s also a change in how we view the IT business and the way it is architected. Too many times I have seen a company send a guy to school and then feel it can put VMware into production. Even by VMware’s standards it’s not the way to do it. There has been no more disruptive technology to come out of the past 20 years than virtualization. It changes everything and reduces the costs. But when you are putting a maximum workload on the infrastructure, you had better know what you are doing. I recommend learning about the VMware Infrastructure methodology, and you will see how virtualization goes wider and deeper. How will Citrix’s acquisition of XenSource factor into the landscape? Palmieri: This is an answer to VMware’s acquisition of Propero Inc. [April 2007]. Citrix did a good job of
