VMWARE EXPLORE — Software company NetApp is expanding its global alliance with VMware. The goal is to help reduce the cost, complexity and risk of migrating and modernizing enterprise-class workloads in multicloud environments.

Additionally, they can simplify daily operations for customers through new integrations between VMware and NetApp data management infrastructure. NetApp and VMware have supported 20,000 mutual customers over the past 20 years.

Monday’s news comes as VMware Explore (formerly VMworld) kicks off in San Francisco. Channel Futures is onsite and will have coverage throughout the week.

Complex Challenges

NetApp’s George Kurian

George Kurian is CEO of NetApp.

“Customers today are faced with complex challenges to optimize their current IT investments while laying a path forward to modernize and accelerate their business,” Kurian said. “Together, NetApp and VMware have helped thousands of customers solve their multicloud challenges by effectively managing their enterprise workloads in any environment. By delivering powerful new solutions that help companies optimize their virtual data centers, modernize their applications, and provide cost-efficient, enterprise-class data management services to VMware Cloud, we can meet customers anywhere they are on their cloud journey.”

NetApp is a consistent VMware strategic design partner for current and future VMware Cloud offerings, the company said. These include VMware vSphere, VMware Cloud Foundation and several VMware Cross-Cloud services. NetApp and VMware are helping customers to effectively manage, share and protect their hybrid and multicloud environments, the companies said. They do so by collaborating on customer-driven co-engineering to offer innovative solutions across an ever-changing technology landscape.

VMware’s Raghu Raghuram

Raghu Raghuram is CEO of VMware.

“At this stage it’s clear: Multicloud is the model we’re going to rely on for many years to come. It is the de facto operating model for the digital era, giving customers the freedom required to build, deploy, and manage applications in the way that best suits their business requirements,” Raghuram said. “Together, VMware and NetApp offer businesses the multicloud flexibility and choice they need to leverage the best innovations in any cloud environment.”