So I’ve been to two VMware Virtualization Forums now (2008 in Boston, 2009 in DC). These are free events where they talk to you about implementing the various technologies they have to offer. I have also been to a couple of local VMware User Group (VMUG – very nice coffee cup that I seem to have lost). All of the breakout sessions, key notes, case studies, etc are all for big business, enterprise-level implementations. They are talking about hundreds or thousands of virtual machines from servers to desktops. Data centers that used to have 800 physical machines reduced to a mere 300 with virtualization technology. Hello green computing and lower implementation costs.
However, I represent the small and medium business (SMB) market. I’m one of them myself and I use VMware products. I use free versions and pay-for versions. The presentations that I see at all of these events are not for the small and medium businesses. They talk about using SANs, fibre channel networks, high availability/redundant data centers and more. Nothing that the small and medium business can relate to.
VMware has a lot of products that will work for SMBs. They could use a few lower-impact management tools. They even have nice introductory packages so smaller companies can get started using their products. What they don’t do is have conventions and user groups about them. They barely market to the SMB space at all. I guess they aren’t done plumbing the gold mine of the enterprise markets.
VMware, I challenge you to ramp up your support of the SMBs of the world. I’ll go to a convention, I might even help and sponsor an event. I’ll even set it up and just get some of your engineers and marketing people there. SMB can benefit from virtualization, too! (many of my clients do already)
