VMware facts for kids
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Entrance to campus headquarters, Palo Alto, California
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| Subsidiary | |||
| Traded as | NYSE: VMW (2007–2023) | ||
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| Fate | Acquired by Broadcom | ||
| Founded | February 10, 1998 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
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| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Stanford Research Park Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Services | Virtualization software, SaaS, Cloud | ||
| Revenue |  US$13.4 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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 US$2.02 billion (2023) |
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| US$1.31 billion (2023) |
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| Total assets | US$31.2 billion (2023) |
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| Total equity | US$1.53 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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38,300 (2023) | ||
| Parent | Broadcom | ||
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| Footnotes / references Financials as of February 3, 2023[update] |
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VMware LLC is an American company that makes computer software. It is based in Palo Alto, California. VMware is famous for its work in cloud computing and virtualization.
Virtualization means making a "virtual" version of something, like a computer or a server. VMware was the first company to successfully create virtual versions of standard computer systems.
VMware's software lets you run different operating systems on one computer. For example, you could run Microsoft Windows and Linux at the same time. Their special software for big servers, called VMware ESXi, helps companies run many virtual computers on one powerful machine.
In November 2023, another company called Broadcom Inc. bought VMware. The deal was worth about US$69 billion.
Contents
History of VMware
How VMware Started
VMware was started in 1998 by five people: Diane Greene, Mendel Rosenblum, Scott Devine, Ellen Wang, and Edouard Bugnion. Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum were students at the University of California, Berkeley.
For its first year, VMware worked secretly. By the end of 1998, they had about 20 employees. The company officially launched in February 1999.
Their first product, VMware Workstation, came out in May 1999. This software allowed people to run multiple operating systems on one computer. In 2001, they started making software for big servers too.
In 2003, VMware added new features like VMware Virtual Center and vMotion. These features made it easier to manage and move virtual computers. In 2004, their software could support 64-bit computer systems.
Being Part of EMC
On January 9, 2004, a company called EMC (which is now Dell EMC) bought VMware for $625 million. Later, in August 2007, EMC sold some of VMware's shares to the public. This allowed more people to own a part of the company.
In July 2008, Diane Greene, who was the CEO and a co-founder, left VMware. Paul Maritz took over as the new CEO. In September 2008, Mendel Rosenblum, another co-founder, also left.
VMware also started working with other big tech companies. In September 2008, they teamed up with Cisco Systems. This led to new products that helped virtual networks work better.
In April 2011, VMware launched an open-source system called Cloud Foundry. This system helped developers create and run their own applications online.
In August 2012, Pat Gelsinger became the new CEO of VMware. Paul Maritz moved to a different role at EMC.
In March 2013, VMware created a separate company called Pivotal Software. Many of VMware's tools for app developers moved to this new company.
In May 2013, VMware launched its own IaaS service called vCloud Hybrid Service. This service allowed businesses to use VMware's cloud to extend their own computer systems. It was later renamed vCloud Air and then sold to another company.
Being Part of Dell
In January 2016, when Dell was planning to buy EMC, VMware made some changes. They reduced about 800 jobs. Some leaders also left the company.
However, VMware continued to release updates for its popular products like Workstation and Fusion. These updates helped the software work with newer operating systems like Windows 10.
In April 2017, VMware was ranked as one of the highest-paying companies in the United States. In the middle of 2017, VMware sold its vCloud Air service to a French company called OVH.
On January 13, 2021, CEO Pat Gelsinger left VMware to become the CEO of Intel. Zane Rowe became the temporary CEO.
In April 2021, Dell decided to separate from VMware. This meant VMware would become an independent company again. The separation was completed on November 1, 2021.
On May 12, 2021, Raghu Raghuram was announced as the new CEO of VMware. In May 2022, VMware also partnered with the Formula One racing team, McLaren Racing.
Broadcom Buys VMware
On May 26, 2022, Broadcom announced that it planned to buy VMware. The deal was for about $61 billion. Broadcom said that its software group would become part of VMware.
The deal took a long time to get approved by different countries. It finally closed on November 22, 2023. After the purchase, Broadcom changed VMware into four main parts. They also had to let go of over 2,800 employees.
In December 2023, VMware stopped selling products with a one-time payment. Instead, all their products are now sold as subscriptions. This means customers pay a regular fee to use the software.
In February 2024, a company called KKR bought a part of VMware from Broadcom. This part included products like Horizon and Workspace ONE.
VMware Products
VMware is best known for its special software called hypervisors. These are like a base layer that lets you run many virtual computers on one physical machine. VMware's first popular hypervisor was called GSX.
VMware's software creates a "virtual" computer for each guest operating system. This virtual computer has its own virtual video card, network card, and hard drives. This makes it easy to move virtual computers between different physical machines. You can even pause a virtual computer, move it, and then start it exactly where you left off!
VMware's products are very fast. They can run virtual computers at almost the same speed as if they were running directly on the hardware.
Software for Your Computer
- VMware Fusion: This software works on Apple Mac computers. It lets Mac users run other operating systems, like Windows, on their Mac.
- VMware Workstation: This was VMware's very first product, launched in 1999. It allows users to run many different operating systems on a single personal computer. The latest version, 17.0, came out in November 2022.
- VMware Workstation Player: This is a free version of VMware Workstation for personal use. It has most of the same features but is missing some advanced options like creating snapshots (save points) of virtual machines.
Software for Servers
- VMware ESXi: This is a powerful software for big company servers. It runs directly on the server hardware. This means it's very fast and efficient. It also works with VMware vCenter, which helps manage many servers at once.
Cloud Management Software
- VMware vRealize Suite: This is a set of tools to help manage cloud systems. It's designed for "hybrid clouds," which mix private company servers with public cloud services.
- VMware Cloud Foundation: This makes it easier to set up and run a private cloud system.
- VMware Horizon View: This product helps companies create "virtual desktops." This means employees can access their work computer from anywhere, on any device.
- vSphere+ and vSAN+: These services add cloud features to existing systems. They help with things like backing up data and protecting against ransomware.
Storage and Data Safety
VMware has two main products for storing data and keeping it safe:
- VMware vSAN: This is a special way to store data using software. It's built into VMware's ESXi hypervisor. It helps combine storage and computing power into one system.
- VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM): This tool helps companies recover their data quickly if there's a problem. It can automatically move virtual machines to a backup location.
Networking and Security Products
- VMware NSX: This product helps companies create "virtual networks." It allows them to manage network rules and security using software, making it more flexible and secure.
Other Products
- Workspace ONE: This allows people to access their work apps and data from their mobile devices.
- VIX (Virtual Infrastructure eXtension) API: This is a tool for programmers. It lets them write code to automatically manage virtual computers.
- Herald: This is a special way for mobile devices to communicate using Bluetooth. It helps devices find each other more reliably. The Herald code is open-source, meaning anyone can use and improve it.
See also
In Spanish: VMware para niños
- Comparison of platform virtualization software
- Hardware virtualization
- Hypervisor
- VMware VMFS
