VMware, Inc. is an American company that specializes in cloud computing and virtualization. The company was founded in 1998 D. Greene and M. Rosenblum, two graduated students from the University of California. The first product created by the company was VMware Workstation, which was issued in 1999, the following ones, were VMware ESX Server and VMware GSX Server which were released in 2001. The next products to be mentioned were VMware Virtual Center vMotion & Virtual SMP technology (2003), along with 64-bit support in 2004. The interaction with other companies has contributed a lot to the development of the company itself. Thus, in 2003 the company was acquired by EMC (currently Dell EMC), and in 2008 it collaborated with Cisco Systems. As a result, a distributed virtual software switch, known as the Cisco Nexus 1000V was issued. In 2013 VMware’s IaaS service, vCloud Hybrid Service, was launched. Then, in 2016 the company released Fusion 8.5 and Workstation 12.5 that supported Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 and considered to be a free upgrade.
Products
The most popular products issued by VMware are hypervisors. The most renowned one is GSX. Still, nowadays, the products are divided into the following types: type 1 hypervisors (run on hardware) and type 2 hypervisors (hosted). Since the company offers a wide range of products, they relate to:
- Data center and cloud platform: VMware vSphere, VMware vSAN, VMware Continuent, VMware NSX, VMware NSX Gateway Firewall, VMware NSX Defender.
- Modern Applications: VMware Tanzu, VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid, VMware Tanzu App Platform.
- Infrastructure and Operations Management: VMware vCenter Server, VMware vRealize Automation, VMware Integrated OpenStack.
- Security Products: VMware Carbon Black, VMware vCloud Networking and Security.
- VMware Suites: VMware vCloud Suite, VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware Server SAN Suite.
- Desktop and End User Computing: VMware Horizon Client for iOS, VMware ThinApp, VMware Fusion Player, VMware AirWatch, VMware Workspace ONE.
- VMware Telecommunications Solutions: VMware Telco Cloud Operations, VMware Telco Cloud Platform.
- VMware Blockchain: VMware Blockchain
- VMware Free Software and Tools: VMware View Planner, VMware vCloud Usage Meter.
- VMware Data Collection: VMware Skyline, Customer Experience Improvement Program
Certifications
VMware is a well-known IT vendor, that offers numerous certifications for different specialists and in different tracks. Thus, for Operators, the vendor has designed the VMware Certified Technical Associate certifications (VCTA). These designations are considered to be entry-level tech accreditations and are intended for individuals who carry out operational tasks deputed by admins of virtualized environments. According to the Ziprecruiter website, the annual salary of the VCTA certified specialists ranges from $71,000 to $106,000.
For admins and engineers, VMware Certified Professional (VCP)certifications are available. Such candidates possess skills to set up, operate, and optimize VMware solutions. Having gained this certification, professionals can earn from $110,000 to $134 per annum, as stated on the Ziprecruiter website.
Those specialists who plan to apply for positions as admins, architects, and engineers should opt for the VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) designations. These designations are of the advanced levels and fall into two types: the first one refers to designing and building of the VMware Solutions (VCAP Design) and the second one relates to management and optimization of the VMWare solutions (VCAP Deployment). The salary of the VCAP certified professionals ranges from $91,000 to $143,000, as indicated on the Ziprecruiter platform.
The highest level of certifications is an expert one and is intended for architects. The owners of the VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDE) accreditation are able to design, build, and operate VMware systems and solutions. The certified experts are eligible for a salary of about $124,00-$178 per year, according to the Ziprecruiter website.
Also, the VMware certifications are divided into the following tracks:
- Data Center Virtualization: Such certifications assess your skills in designing, setting up, operating VMware vSphere environments in a real world environment. (VCTA-VMware Certified Technical Associate 2022, VCP-VMware Certified Professional 2022)
- Network Virtualization: These designations evaluate your skills in designing, applying, and operating a VMware NSX setting. (VCTA-VMware Certified Technical Associate 2022, VCAP-VMware Certified Advanced Professional 2022)
- Cloud Management and Automation: These accreditations prove your competence in installing, optimizing, and configuring VMware Realize for your cloud solution. (VCP-VMware Certified Professional 2022, VCAP- VMware Certified Advanced Professional 2022, VCDX-VMware Certified Design Expert 2022)
- End-User Computing: Such certifications testify that you are experienced enough in designing, setting up, operating Digital Workspace solutions by implementing VMware Desktop Management solutions and Workspace One solutions through the usage of VMware Horizon. (VCTA-VMware Certified Technical Associate 2022), (VCP-VMware Certified Professional 2022).
- Security: These certifications validate your solid understanding of VMware’s security solutions and your ability to demonstrate entry-level security skills to support VMware products, such as Workspace ONE, VMware Carbon Black Cloud, NSX-T Data Center.
- App Modernization: Such designations are intended for assessing your skills and knowledge of any specialist (administrator knowledge of the latest technologies or developer knowledge of specialized frameworks) validated by passing exams intended for specialists. Thus, you gain an opportunity to create an effective team with competent certified employees who are able to solve any given task quickly and in a short span of time. (VCTA-VMware Certified Technical Associate 2022, VCP-VMware Certified Professional 2022).