VMware

Broadcom to Acquire Virtualization Pioneer VMware

Broadcom
Broadcom announced Thursday that it intends to acquire virtualization pioneer and multicloud leader VMware for $61 billion in a landmark technology transaction rivaled only in value by Dell's $67 billion acquisition of EMC in 2016 and Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard earlier this year.

The statement on Thursday confirms allegations that the two corporations were in purchase negotiations over the weekend.
According to the release, the boards of directors of both firms unanimously accepted the transaction. The purchase is scheduled to close in Broadcom's 2023 fiscal year, which runs from November 2022 to October 2023, pending regulatory, shareholder approvals, and other closing conditions.

As part of the agreement, Broadcom's software division would be absorbed into the VMware brand. Broadcom Software Group includes infrastructure and security software solutions for businesses.

VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram in a prepared statement said that "We stand for innovation and unwavering support of our customers and their most important business operations and now we are extending our commitment to exceptional service and innovation by becoming the new software platform for Broadcom. Combining our assets and talented team with Broadcom's existing enterprise software portfolio, all housed under the VMware brand, creates a remarkable enterprise software player.

Collectively, we will deliver even more choice, value and innovation to customers, enabling them to thrive in this increasingly complex multi-cloud era."

Broadcom, which already owns CA Technologies and security behemoth Symantec, is based on semiconductors. With inflation and recession worries likely dampening future IT hardware investment, Broadcom's purchase of VMware, with its extensive portfolio of digital solutions, might serve as a balm.

"VMware's platform and Broadcom's infrastructure software solutions address different but important enterprise needs, and the combined company will be able to serve them more effectively and securely."

Tom Krause, head of the Broadcom Software Group

The news of the prospective merger coincided with the publication of VMware and Broadcom's respective quarterly earnings results on Thursday. VMware announced overall revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, up 3% year on year, as well as $899 million in sales from SaaS and subscription solutions, up 21% year on year. Broadcom announced overall sales of $8.1 billion, an increase of 23% year on year.

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Leostream Enhances Security and Management of vSphere Hybrid Cloud Deployments

Business Wire | January 29, 2024

Leostream Corporation, the world's leading Remote Desktop Access Platform provider, today announced features to enhance security, management, and end-user productivity in vSphere-based hybrid cloud environments. The Leostream platform strengthens end-user computing (EUC) capabilities for vSphere users, including secure access to both on-premises and cloud environments, heterogeneous support, and reduced cloud costs. With the Leostream platform as the single pane of glass managing EUC environments, any hosted desktop environment, including individual virtual desktops, multi-user sessions, hosted physical workstations or desktops, and hosted applications, becomes simpler to manage, more secure, more flexible, and more cost-effective. Significant ways the Leostream platform expands vSphere’s capabilities include: Security The Leostream platform ensures data remains locked in the corporate network, and works across on-premises and cloud environments, providing even disparate infrastructures with the same levels of security and command over authorization, control, and access tracking. The Leostream platform supports multi-factor authentication and allows organizations to enforce strict access control rules, creating an EUC environment modeled on a zero-trust architecture. Multivendor/protocol support The Leostream platform was developed from the ground up for heterogeneous infrastructures and as the connection management layer of the EUC environment, the Leostream platform allows organizations to leverage vSphere today and other hypervisors or hyperconvergence platforms in the future as their needs evolve. The Leostream platform supports the industry’s broadest array of remote display protocols, including specialized protocols for mission-critical tasks. Consistent EUC experience The Leostream platform enables IT to make changes to the underlying environment while ensuring the end user experience is constant, and to incorporate AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or OpenStack private clouds into their environment without disruptions in end-user productivity. By integrating with corporate Identity Providers (IdPs) that employees are already familiar with, and providing employees with a single portal they use to sign in, the Leostream platform offers simplicity to users too. Connectivity The Leostream Gateway securely connects to on-prem and cloud resources without virtual private networks (VPNs), and eliminates the need to manage and maintain security groups. End users get the same seamless login and high-performance connection across hybrid environments including corporate resources located off the internet. Controlling cloud costs The Leostream Connection Broker implements automated rules that control capacity and power state in the cloud, allowing organizations to optimize their cloud usage and minimize costs, such as ensuring cloud instances aren’t left running when they are no longer needed. The Connection Broker also intelligently pools and shares resources across groups of users, so organizations can invest in fewer systems, reducing overall cost of ownership. “These features deliver a streamlined experience with vSphere and hybrid or multi-cloud resources so end users remain productive, and corporate data and applications remain secure,” said Leostream CEO Karen Gondoly. “At a time when there is uncertainty about the future of support for VMware’s end-user computing, it’s important to bring these options to the market to show that organizations can extend vSphere’s capabilities and simultaneously plan for the future without disruption to the workforce.” About Leostream Corporation Leostream Corporation, the global leader in Remote Desktop Access Platforms, offers comprehensive solutions that enable seamless work-from-anywhere environments for individuals across diverse industries, regardless of organization size or location. The core of the Leostream platform is its commitment to simplicity and insight. It is driven by a unified administrative console that streamlines the management of users, cloud desktops, and IT assets while providing real-time dashboards for informed decision-making. The company continually monitors the evolving remote desktop landscape, anticipating future trends and challenges. This purposeful, proactive approach keeps clients well-prepared for the dynamic changes in remote desktop technology.

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