Explore VMware by Broadcom is continuing its pre-acquisition tradition of using its European conference to make public a handful of product updates.

This year the most topical piece of Euro-news from the Explore conference in Barcelona is probably the addition of generative AI to the VMware vDefend portfolio of security products previously known as NSX Security Solutions.

vDefend includes a Distributed Firewall (DFW) for micro-segmentation, a gateway firewall and a distributed Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS).

They're getting "Intelligent Assist," which we're told uses generative AI to provide a natural language interface that will deliver "explainability, actionable insights, and automated responses for high-priority alerts."

Apparently virtualization, network security, and security operation center teams will all get "contextual information about active threats and their impact," as well as advice about remediation that can be implemented "with just a few clicks."

vDefend will also ingest signatures from third party Intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS), or from ones data customers create, to help detect threats. Providers of security intelligence don't always find every threat, or get their assessments right. The chance to appraise more information is hard to criticize.

One more thing: The Register has heard whispers from well-informed sources that suggest "NSX Security Solutions" will not be the last product to be rebranded, and that users can expect labels like "VMware Virtual Networks" to replace names like "NSX" in the future.

Another update is designed to help the VMware Avi Load Balancer improve its ability to handle Kubernetes at scale.

The flagship VMware Cloud Foundation suite has gained a feature called "VMware Tanzu Data Services" that will integrate the private cloud suite with leading open source data services, starting with PostgreSQL, MySQL, RabbitMQ, and Valkey. VMware by Broadcom will also support those tools. VCF will gain powers to automate the lifecycle of data services across deployment, backups, clustering, security patching and updates.

Lucrative fun for friends

VMware has expanded some connections too.

The Google Cloud VMware Engine will become a target recovery environment for VCF workloads, a status only AWS previously enjoyed.

Members of the VMware user group (VMUG) also have a new offer to consider under the VMUG Advantage program: a 50 percent discount on VMware Certified Professional (VCP) and VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) certification exams. Success in either exam will grant the right to a free personal use VMware Cloud Foundation license for up to three years.

VMUG Advantage membership costs $210 a year and currently includes a 20 percent exam discount and non-commercial licenses that last a year and which The Register has often seen deployed to build home labs and some - ahem - slightly more formal non-production environments.

While this new offer is a classic vendor play to create a skilled pool of labor, it is also more generous than other VMUG deals. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/11/05/vmware_explore_europe/