Finally, server virtualization is another way of satisfying "on demand" computing needs, and is line with what CA, IBM and HP have been pushing during the past year. If all you need to bring up a new server online is a big disk and virtualization software, then it makes things easier to reach that goal if your disk and virtualization vendor are one and the same.
Certainly, buying a document management vendor (Documentum) and a backup software vendor (Legato) are very relevant to EMC's storage business. But backup software is pretty much a one-time purchase: Once an enterprise figures out its backup strategy, they are just going through the motions and hopefully doing it on a regular basis, but not purchasing much in the way of new software. Same is true for document management: Once you have your system in place, you sit back and watch as the many minions create and store and hopefully retrieve their files from your system. With virtual servers, enterprises have the opportunity to build something new and create huge jumps in the demand for storage and equipment.
That's the good news. The bad news is that VMware doesn't quite work with EMC's gear yet. My friendly IT manager Sam Blumenstyk, in his SAN diary entry on VARBusiness' Web site, talks about this some more. Clearly, there is integration work to be done here.
http://www.varbusiness.com/sections/technology/tech.asp?ArticleID=44762
Meanwhile, back at the Redmond ranch, Microsoft is still in beta on the Virtual Server product:
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