VMware Kubernetes Engine

2018: Start of service

In June, 2018 VMware expanded a portfolio of cloud services, having added to it the solution for containers. It is about the product VMware Kubernetes Engine within which the open Kubernetes platform for orchestration of container applications is offered in service quality (Kubernetes-as-a-Service).

VMware Kubernetes Engine is started in public clouds — originally in infrastructure of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Then connection of Microsoft Azure is planned. The companies will be able to start the programs on the Kubernetes platform from VMware.

VMware offered Kubernetes as service

According to the vice president of VMware for development of corporate cloud applicaions Bill Shelton, Kubernetes can be the difficult platform for business, and thanks to placement it in a cloud this problem is solved, and the companies can focus on the applications working in Kubernetes.

Having started VMware Kubernetes Engine, the company entered competitive struggle with such vendors as Microsoft and Google. The last, for example, offers Google Kubernetes Engine as a part of Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft opens access to Kubernetes by means of the solution Azure Container Service. Besides, partnership between Cisco and IBM, between Red Hat and IBM, etc. acts on the Kubernetes market.

VMware calculates that its product will be attractive due to use of different public clouds, in addition to AWS. Besides, as Bill Shelton notes, service supports management of several clusters at the same time competitors do not have that.

Two types of tools of VMware Smart Cluster which save the companies from operational loadings and need to form specialized teams are provided in VMware Kubernetes Engine as much as possible to use possibilities of Kubernetes.

The price of VMware Kubernetes Engine at the time of the announcement of service is not set. According to the producer, clients will pay only for the fact that they use.^[1]

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