Cisco to buy VMware?

By Tarry Singh at 20 January, 2009, 6:12 am


This is based on several analysts who have been whispering in my ears on what they may have heard in the board room and or across the hall. I have been getting this “white noise” for a few months now but these rumblings [in the shady circles of analysts and other bloggers and corporate friends] are getting bigger and bigger. I am seeing a massive search being carried out on IdeationCloud site [this blog] by many chieftains [ I will obviously not divulge the names of the firms where the searches originate], but it is enough for us to know one thing — something is happening!

We don’t know what these white noise really means there is however one signal out of this noise and it is that John Chambers has said:

- They do have cash (some 24+ Bn - I don’t know how much now, it is dwindling and they gotta act now!)
- They have gotta buy in 2009
- This will make big news and push Cisco’s dreams even stronger towards its Data Center march
- Virtualization will eventually need robust networking, Cisco can build it all in one box
- Cisco and VMware have been working together for quite a while, DNA matches better than it does at EMC [ Storage really wouldn't/shouldn't matter, as I always say, its just a bulk, I buy commodity storage eventually]

So is something going on under the hood? I think we will soon find out. While my good friend Allan did mention something at GigaOm, I sincerely don’t think gobbling EMC would be the smartest of decisions. EMC stands a better chance to sell VMware than keep owning it.

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Categories : 2009 | Acquisitions | Cloud | Computing | VMware | Virtualization

Comments
Blaine February 6, 2009

Makes sense. The new version of ESX which is in beta has the option to create virtual Cisco switches, instead of the plain generic type. Can even manage them like a real Cisco switch. Not as robust, obviously, as a real switch, but it’s a start.

Mike Laverick February 6, 2009

Rumours. Cisco to buy VMware, only if EMC is selling - and since VMware share price once nearly higher than EMC, I don’t think EMC will selling the golden goose that laying the golden egg any time soon. As the saying goes for every $1 sold of VMware, $3 is sold of EMC….

Tarry Singh February 6, 2009

Mike,

What if some firm wants to take the risk [by also acquiring all additional stockpile of EMCware], despite economic pain, to swallow EMC with VMW.

We are entering a crazy world now, and the golden goose might be the obsessive focus of many firms.

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