VMware looks to SMBs to extend reach

VMware is looking to make it easier and cheaper for small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) to virtualise.

At its annual conference in San Francisco today, the virtualisation giant announced a new partnership with Intel, which will see it distribute the vSphere 4 suite with its products via channel resellers, to make it easier and cheaper for SMBs to virtualise.

Any company with fewer than 20 physical servers can use vSphere 4 for under $166 per processor using the Essentials edition, while Essentials Plus will cost $499.

The announcement came alongside another targeted at SMBs. Chief executive Paul Maritz also unveiled VMware Go, a free web-based tool for installing and configuring the ESXi hypervisor.

IDC analyst Jean Bozman suggested VMware was making a wise move, as SMB is a very big segment. She told IT PRO that individual firms may not have as many computers, but there were a lot of such companies out there, and it's a big area for growth.

That said, don't expect VMware to lose its enterprise focus. Asked about the swing to SMBs, Maritz told a press conference: "We want your business, it's as simple as that."

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