VMware Expands VMware Ready™ Program to Data Protection Partners

VMware Ready Data Protection Solutions Will Extend VMware vSphere™ 4 to Deliver Seamless Datacenter Operations and Recovery Processes for Customers Using Data Protection Solutions from VMware Partners

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 27, 2009 — VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop through the datacenter and to the cloud, today announced the expansion of its VMware Ready™ program to partners that provide data protection solutions for VMware vSphere™ 4. VMware vSphere™ 4, which is now generally available, helps customers transform IT into a dynamic, flexible service while dramatically lowering costs. 
As part of the VMware Ready™ Data Protection program, participating partners will get full access to a rich set of functionality and integration interfaces to make their solutions “VMware Ready™ Optimized” for VMware vSphere™ 4, as well as receive best practices and use of the VMware Ready™ Optimized logo. VMware Ready™ Optimized solutions will accelerate implementation of qualified data protection solutions to help customers reduce IT expenses as they move toward cloud computing.

The VMware Ready Data Protection program enables partners to integrate new and existing solutions with VMware vSphere 4 using certain VMware vStorage APIs and integration technologies that simplify protection of virtualized workloads. The program adds qualification criteria for data protection products to help validate that partner solutions have passed VMware-specified integration or interoperability criteria and are technically ready for optimal use with VMware vSphere 4. Key data protection vendors are expected to validate their products for VMware vSphere 4 including CA, CommVault, EMC, Symantec and Vizioncore.

The VMware vStorage APIs for Data Protection included in VMware vSphere 4 are the enabling framework for data protection partners to develop integrated solutions for centralized virtual machine backup. This enables customers to perform rapid backup without disrupting applications or the end user experience. VMware will continue to support existing implementations of the previous generation of its data protection framework (called VMware Consolidated Backup) as well as a non-disruptive upgrade to the new VMware vStorage APIs for Data Protection.

“Customers have told us that business continuity, disaster recovery, and especially data protection are top of mind, particularly  as we look to the future where IT decision makers are continually asked to do more with less,” said Parag Patel, vice president, alliances, VMware. “VMware Ready Optimized data protection solutions will be validated for production datacenter use, helping to lay the foundation for cloud computing and assure customers that their mission-critical data is protected through a validated end-to-end solution.”

As part of the program, VMware will recommend solutions for essential data protection processes such as backup and restore that are VMware Ready Optimized–meaning these solutions adhere to more stringent integration guidelines and pass a technical validation. Partner products passing this qualification will be allowed to use the VMware Ready Optimized logo, where “Optimized” signifies that the qualifying products provide optimized levels of integration, functionality, or performance. Qualified partners in the program will have access to VMware technologies to develop and deliver solutions that interoperate with and are optimized for VMware vSphere 4. VMware Ready Optimized data protection solutions will also be featured as “VMware Ready” in the VMware Partner Product Catalog.

For more information on the VMware Ready Program, please visit http://www.vmware.com/partners/vmware-ready/index.html.

To read what leading data protection vendors are saying about the VMware Ready Program, please visit:  http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/vmw-ready-dp-partner.html

About VMware

VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter—bringing cloud computing to businesses of all sizes.  Customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2008 revenues of $1.9 billion  , more than 130,000 customers and more than 24,000 partners, VMware is one of the fastest growing public software companies. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is majority-owned by EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC).  For more information, visit www.vmware.com.

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VMware, VMware Ready and VMware vSphere are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this press release which are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relate, but are not limited, to, expectations for customer utilization and adoption of our virtualization products.  Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) the duration and deepening of negative economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in consumer or information technology spending; (iii) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures, industry consolidation, entry of new competitors into the virtualization market, and new product and marketing initiatives by our competitors; (iv) our customers’ ability to develop, and to transition to, new products, (v) the uncertainty of customer acceptance of emerging technology initiatives; and (vi) rapid technological and market changes in virtualization software; (vii) changes to product development timelines.  These forward looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect as well as other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. VMware disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.