VMware, Google Teaming Up To Go After Microsoft's Enterprise Cloud Customers

VMware and Google, latecomers to the public cloud market, are joining forces to take enterprise customers away from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft.

On Thursday, VMware and Google unveiled an agreement to integrate their respective clouds more closely. Sometime later this year, VMware vCloud Air customers will be able to buy four of Google's cloud services on a pay-as-you-go basis, without changing their licensing contracts.

The first wave of services include Google's cloud object storage, BigQuery (big data analytics), Cloud Datastore (NoSQL database) and Cloud DNS services.

While it's not an exclusive partnership, Google's cloud tie-up with VMware is the "first and only type of relationship you will see us form from a cloud perspective," Chris Rimer, head of partnerships for Google Cloud Platform, said in an interview.

With the cloud agreement, VMware and Google are expanding their relationship to a new front. Last March, the vendors showed off a jointly developed technology that lets Windows apps, data and desktops run on Chromebooks.

[Related: Amazon Web Services Takes Aim At Microsoft With New Cloud Email Service]

Mathew Lodge, vice president of cloud services at VMware, said having access to Google's services will fill an important need for VMware customers that are building enterprise apps on vCloud Air.

Lodge said VMware has a large number of mobile developers -- he wouldn't specify how many -- that are developing apps in its public cloud and need the kinds of services Google is providing.

"It's a very complementary relationship," said Lodge of Google, adding that VMware is planning to integrate more Google cloud services into vCloud Air over time.

The vendors are using Google's Cloud Interconnect technology to directly connect their respective clouds, which means all traffic will stay on a private and dedicated connection and not on the Internet, Lodge said.

VMware and Google are also "exploring extended management support" for Google Cloud Platform in VMware's vRealize Cloud Management Suite, the vendors said in a press release.

Tony Safoian, CEO of Los Angeles-based Google partner SADA Systems, said he thinks the VMware partnership will bring Google more of the enterprise cloud cachet -- and customers-- it's looking for.

"This definitely gives Google more credibility in the enterprise," Safoian said. "VMware knows exactly how to sell to customers in this space."

PUBLISHED JAN. 29, 2015