This article is based on analysis originally published at searchvmware.techtarget.com, featuring commentary from VMware experts Brian Kirsch, Alastair Cooke, and Rob Bastiaansen.
VMware in 2020: The Year Kubernetes Takes Center Stage
2019 was a transformative year for VMware. The virtualization giant made several significant acquisitions, expanded into new markets, and unveiled ambitious initiatives to modernize its product portfolio. As 2020 begins, industry experts predict VMware will continue pushing aggressively into the container and Kubernetes space — while facing pressure not to leave legacy customers behind in the process.
The central challenge: integrating container and Kubernetes functionality natively into a product line built on virtual machines, without breaking the workflows that millions of vSphere administrators rely on every day. Three experts weigh in on what they hope — and expect — from VMware in 2020.
Brian Kirsch: Balancing Legacy Functionality with New Technology
Brian Kirsch is an IT architect and technical college instructor based in the Milwaukee area.
As VMware accelerates its move to the cloud, one of the most important things it can do in 2020 is resist the temptation to assume that all of its customers are at the same point in their cloud journey. The reality is that enterprises move at very different speeds. Some organizations are deep into cloud-native architectures; others are still running on-premises infrastructure with no immediate plans to change.
This tension isn’t new for VMware, but it becomes more acute as the company integrates Kubernetes natively into vSphere. While pushing container and Kubernetes support forward is strategically important, VMware must simultaneously continue to develop and support features for customers who cannot yet — or may never — adopt container technology.
In 2020, Kirsch argues, VMware’s success will depend not just on innovation at the leading edge, but on its ability to serve its entire customer base — from the cloud-native early adopter to the enterprise still running workloads on traditional VMs.
Alastair Cooke: Delivering on the Promise of Unified Monitoring and Management
Alastair Cooke is a freelance trainer and consultant specializing in server and desktop virtualization, based in New Zealand.
For Cooke, the single most important thing VMware can deliver in 2020 is a production-ready release of vSphere that allows administrators to manage both virtual machines and containers from a single, unified platform.
VMware has made a significant promise: that vSphere administrators will be able to monitor and manage VMs and containers using familiar vSphere tooling, while application and platform teams can simultaneously manage the same workloads using native Kubernetes tooling. If that dual-interface model works transparently, it would be a meaningful step forward for organizations trying to bridge traditional infrastructure operations with modern, container-based development workflows.
The open questions, however, are substantial. How will Kubernetes clusters appear and behave within the vSphere interface? Will Kubernetes-native tooling be able to deploy and manage VM-based components alongside containers? The degree of transparency across these two management planes will be critical to whether this initiative delivers real operational value or creates new layers of complexity.
Rob Bastiaansen: Kubernetes Is the Through Line for VMware’s 2020 Strategy
Rob Bastiaansen is a Netherlands-based VMware and Linux trainer and consultant who works with organizations worldwide.
Understanding what VMware will do in 2020 starts with reviewing what it did in 2018 and 2019. The company acquired Heptio (a Kubernetes-focused company) in 2018, then followed up in 2019 with the acquisitions of Pivotal and Bitnami — all moves aimed at positioning VMware as a serious player in containerized compute.
The most significant technical announcement of 2019 was Project Pacific, an initiative to build Kubernetes functionality directly into vSphere. If delivered as promised, Project Pacific would allow organizations to run traditional VMs and Kubernetes-managed containers side by side on the same hypervisor, with familiar management tooling available to both vSphere administrators and Kubernetes operators.
Bastiaansen also points to the broader VMware portfolio as increasingly Kubernetes-aware. Products like NSX-T (for network security) and vRealize Automation 8 (for infrastructure automation) already offer Kubernetes integration. The expectation is that in 2020 and beyond, Kubernetes will increasingly function as an underlying platform layer across more VMware products — not just as a feature, but as infrastructure.
Beyond containers, Bastiaansen expects VMware to continue expanding its footprint in the telecommunications sector. The company’s 2019 acquisitions and partnerships improved its position in that market, and new or updated network functions virtualization (NFV) products are likely in 2020.
Key Themes to Watch in 2020
- Project Pacific: Native Kubernetes integration into vSphere is the headline initiative. Watch for availability milestones and how the dual VM/container management model performs in practice.
- Tanzu portfolio: VMware’s Tanzu brand encompasses its Kubernetes and modern application strategy. Expect further product announcements and feature releases throughout the year.
- Legacy customer support: VMware’s ability to keep long-standing vSphere customers engaged while pushing cloud-native features will be a defining challenge.
- Telecommunications expansion: NFV and telco-specific products are expected to see updates as VMware deepens its presence in that vertical.
- Cross-portfolio Kubernetes adoption: Tools like NSX-T and vRealize Automation are already integrating Kubernetes; more products are expected to follow.
The Bottom Line
VMware enters 2020 with clear technical ambitions and a recent string of strategic acquisitions to back them up. The central test will be execution: can it deliver a unified VM-and-container management platform that works transparently for both infrastructure and application teams? And can it do so without fragmenting or neglecting the large installed base of customers still running traditional virtualized workloads?
The answers will become clearer as Project Pacific and the Tanzu portfolio move from preview into production — and as real-world administrators begin working with these tools at scale.