VMware’s Pivotal acquisition to boost channel, say execs

VMware’s acquisition of Pivotal will be good for the channel, the company’s COO Sanjay Poonen has argued.

Speaking at VMworld 2019 in San Francisco, Poonen said VMware has no intention to scale it services capability. He suggested that Pivotal can best be scaled by exposing the assets and methodologies of Pivotal Labs to the channel. Poonen was keenest on global system integrators as partners in that role.

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger, meanwhile, has told the company’s channel that he thinks the company is only getting started in terms of what it offers the channel, and will be restless until it cements partner loyalty. VMware announced a new partner program in April 2019, but plenty of details have not yet been revealed. Gelsinger gave nothing away, but did a little more than a standard CEO “we love channel” spiel, telling a press conference that his private address to partners was designed to ensure they feel loved today and into the future.

Gelsinger also explained why VMware acquired Pivotal, given that it first acquired SpringSource (a big part of Pivotal’s offerings) in 2009, spun it out in 2012, and has praised the arm’s-length relationship between the two since.

The CEO said the confusing series of events can be attributed to VMware just being very busy doing things like creating its network virtualisation and security businesses. Gelsinger said VMware just didn’t have the bandwidth to run and grow application-centric business during those years.

But he said the company now has no qualms about doing so, and that early customer feedback about the new combination suggests the acquisition will be appreciated. And lucrative.