Cross-cloud, Multi-cloud, and Super-cloud: Where to?
VMware is at the forefront of hybrid infrastructure SaaS, with hopes to lead in cross-cloud services.
VMware Explore 2023 US just concluded, and it was an exciting event filled with insightful presentations and analyst perspectives. The below cloud models kept coming up:
Cross-cloud: This model manages workloads across multiple clouds through a single platform.
Super-cloud: Often used as a marketing term, it describes cross-cloud services.
Multi-cloud: This model involves hosting workloads across multiple clouds without inter-communication.
If you’re an associate cloud network developer, you might be enthusiastic about cross-cloud solutions, such as Alkira or Aviatrix. Google Cloud’s native cross-cloud interconnect service is also gaining attention. However, “hybrid infrastructure has won,” as stated by my colleague Keith Townsend, CTO Advisor.
Anyway, with the buzz around these cloud terms, focusing on mastering multiple public clouds while understanding hybrid infrastructure connections might be more beneficial than spreading too thin into private cloud networking.
VMware is at the forefront of hybrid infrastructure SaaS, with hopes to lead cross-cloud services. They have a robust cross-cloud portfolio for the following:
Networking & Security
Workspaces for remote access to corporate apps
Performance & Cost Cloud Management, etc.
In the TFDx session, VMware spoke a lot about their multi-cloud solutions; the NSX+ interests me the most.
Could Cloud Network Engineers become Platform Engineers too?
I loved the definition from my colleague Ned on what platform engineering is. And I quote “It is the practice of building and maintaining a platform that application teams can use to deploy their applications. It’s a set of services that are offered to those teams to deploy their apps in a consistent and reliable manner.”
Do you see the similarity with the “supercloud” or “cross-cloud” service, or portfolio of services offered by VMware for example?
Anyway, I see myself having no choice but to keep my ears down at a platform like VMware NSX+ when it’s available for the public cloud, or even be ready to pick up an alternative multi-cloud network SaaS platform like Aviatrix, to play with in my homelab if my workplace demands the knowledge.
Cross-Cloud IaC Deployment & DevOps
You can’t successfully talk cross-cloud services or Supercloud without IaC deployment and DevOps, especially when dealing with a massive market like public clouds.
VMware Aria cloud solution is still behind in the public cloud space. Especially with the likes of Hashicorp, and just recently, OpenTF companies like Env0 and Spacelift.
What comes to mind is, will VMware tap into the Terraform space by joining OpenTF, now that Terraform has a Python and Typescript CDK?
I guess we’ll find out after the Broadcom takeover is complete.
Private AI
VMware Tanzu Greenplum is VMware’s cross-cloud data warehouse platform that integrates with Cloudian. The new VMware Private AI foundation, in collaboration with Tanzu Greenplum makes innovating with Private AI easy.
Maybe even acquiring Cloudian will put VMware at the forefront of data warehousing in this AI phase. However, they may be a little bit late for that, as Cloudian has raised their Series E already. Meaning, the company either has plans to go public, or continue operations until VMware or other vendors pitch to acquire them.
Exciting developments are happening in the cross-cloud space, and I’m inclined to focus on learning multi-cloud technology, aided by a tool like Terraform.
For more insights, check out my favorite sessions from VMware US 2023 and TFDx.