VMware may be rolling its non-core technology, much of which was acquired and is related to building platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings, over to an as-yet unnamed EMC subsidiary, freeing up the company to focus on its core virtualization and cloud management software.
The move, first reported by GigaOM, would result in VMware moving its Cloud Foundry, GemStone, SpringSource and other technology to an EMC subsidiary, leaving VMware to focus on its much more profitable vSphere and other virtualization and cloud management technology.
VMware, which in April of 2011 launched Cloud Foundry, has been in the process of turning Cloud Foundry into an open-source project that can be used by developers to build applications that can work across different clouds to allow choice and prevent vendor lock-in.
[Related: VMware's Cloud Foundry Core Program: 'Preserving Choice Of Clouds']
This is not the first time speculation about a possible PaaS spinoff by VMware has appeared. VMware in July denied plans to spin off Cloud Foundry into a separate business. However, speculation at the time by VMware partners was that the plan was put on hold due to EMC's replacing of VMware President and CEO Paul Maritz with Pat Gelsinger.
According to GigaOM, the spinoff, which could be launched as soon as next week, would also include the Spring Framework, an enterprise Java programming model that VMware picked up in its August 2009 acquisition of SpringSource.
It would also include GemStone, an in-memory database based on VMware's 2010 acquisition of GemStone Systems.
Maritz, whose role at EMC has not been clearly announced, would likely be involved in the new EMC subsidiary, GigaOM reported.
Spokespeople from both EMC and VMware declined to respond to requests for further information, citing policies to not comment on speculation and rumors.
PUBLISHED NOV. 27, 2012
