VMware is a virtualization and cloud computing software provider that offers a range of products for virtualizing computing environments and managing virtual machines. Founded in 1998, VMware pioneered the use of x86 virtualization and has become a leading provider of virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions.
Core Products
- VMware vSphere: A comprehensive virtualization platform that includes ESXi hypervisor and vCenter Server
- VMware ESXi: A type-1 hypervisor that runs directly on server hardware to create and manage virtual machines
- VMware vCenter: Centralized management platform for virtualized environments
- VMware Workstation: Desktop virtualization software for running multiple operating systems
- VMware Fusion: Virtualization software for macOS
- VMware NSX: Network virtualization and security platform
- VMware vSAN: Software-defined storage solution
Key Features
- Hardware Virtualization: Efficiently partitions physical servers into multiple isolated virtual machines
- Resource Management: Dynamic allocation and optimization of computing resources
- High Availability: Automatic restart of virtual machines in case of hardware failure
- Live Migration: Move running virtual machines between physical servers without downtime
- Security: Isolated virtual environments with security policies and controls
- Scalability: Scale virtual machines up or down based on demand
Benefits
- Cost Savings: Reduce hardware costs and data center space
- Efficiency: Higher utilization of computing resources
- Flexibility: Rapid deployment and management of virtual machines
- Disaster Recovery: Simplified backup and recovery processes
- Testing: Isolated environments for development and testing
- Consolidation: Combine multiple physical servers into fewer virtualized systems
Common Use Cases
- Server virtualization
- Desktop virtualization
- Cloud infrastructure
- Development and testing environments
- Disaster recovery
- Data center consolidation
- Network virtualization