VMware Acquires Professional Services Firm To Boost Cloud Migration, DevOps Expertise

VMware has acquired MomentumSI, a professional services firm that's focused on public cloud migrations, OpenStack and rapid software development, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based vendor confirmed to CRN Tuesday.

MomentumSI, founded in 1997 and based in Austin, Texas, has deep expertise in moving customers' on-premise computing to VMware-based public clouds, as well as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and the Google Cloud Platform, according to its website.

Its customers include eBay, Pfizer, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Exxon and other enterprises and independent software vendors.

A VMware spokesperson told CRN the acquisition took place in October. VMware is integrating the MomentumSI team into its professional services organization, where it will help customers deploy hybrid clouds, the spokesperson said.

The VMware spokesperson did not respond to a follow up question about the size of the deal or how many of MomentumSI's roughly 80 employees will be joining the company.

Several MomentumSI employees already have updated their LinkedIn profiles to their new positions at VMware, including CEO Jeff Schneider, who is now senior director of professional services for the Americas region at VMware.

Schneider, a well-known figure in the technology industry who wrote the first book on enterprise Java in 1996, is now in charge of VMware's DevOps, Open Cloud and Continuous Delivery consulting practices, according to his LinkedIn profile.

MomentumSI also has a practice around DevOps, the term that describes how development and IT teams are working closely to speed deployment of new software in the cloud. For customers that need it, MomentumSI can also rewrite their apps to run on private and public clouds.

While this is a relatively small deal for VMware, sources told CRN it's an important "acqui-hire" that brings the kind of technological expertise the vendor needs to tell a better hybrid cloud story to customers.

DevOps, open source and continuous integration are the lingua franca of developers in the public cloud today. When VMware launched its vCloud Air public cloud last year, it targeted enterprises with VMware private clouds.

By adding developer-focused technologies like those MomentumSI brings to bear, VMware is hoping to make its vCloud Air service more attractive and bring it closer to where the action is in the cloud market, sources said.

"There is a dearth of talent out there that understand the blueprint for how to do this," said one VMware partner.

This story was updated 11/18/2014 at 4:11 PST to add VMware's confirmation of the MomentumSI acquisition

PUBLISHED NOV. 18, 2014