The Great VMworld Debate
Last year, I attended VMworld in Las Vegas and it was pretty much awesome. There were 12,000 to 14,000 people there, as I recall -- more than double what Microsoft just pulled in for Tech-Ed. It was also an industry show, where Citrix and Microsoft pitched their wares right alongside VMware.
Maybe it was too much of an industry event. And maybe it was Microsoft's in-your-face Hyper-V marketing that took place right under VMware's nose. In either case, VMware is looking to turn its show into one that promotes VMware, not competitors.
After VMware changed the terms of exhibitor agreements so that companies like Microsoft and Citrix are limited to tiny booths (making them seem like bit players), the blogosphere went into an uproar. Maybe VMware deserves the heat. But as one VMware official points out, when Microsoft has a show, it restricts what direct competitors can do, as well.
Is VMware getting too big for its britches, or is what's good for Microsoft good for VMware, as well? Answers readily accepted at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 03, 2009