And asserts hypervisor independence following its tie to vSphere
Omnissa, which took over VMware’s end-user computing division, is expanding its reach from its conventional focus on overseeing endpoint devices to include server management as well.
In April, the firm discreetly launched a beta version of a Windows Server administration tool. They informed potential users that this tool enables them to set up and oversee any Windows Server starting from 2016, create comprehensive lists of all installed server roles and features, as well as deploy applications.
Omnissa senior VP for products Bharath Rangarajan told The Register the move into server management was requested by customers who like the company’s PC management tools and want to use them for more devices – including Apple Watches and Apple TVs.
Rangarajan said Omnissa is “working closely with Apple" to apply its management chops to the fruit company's consumer devices, as many frontline workers use Apple Watches to access corporate data or one-time passwords, and Apple TVs are increasingly prevalent in meeting rooms as they can run Zoom, a browser, or custom apps. (Apple management stalwart Jamf already offers similar services.)
Virtual reality gadgets such as Microsoft’s HoloLens and Apple’s Vision Pro are also aimed at.
So there are hypervisors besides VMware’s.
“We have built an architecture that can target any hypervisor,” Rangarajan told The Register, a major move away from VMware’s vSphere-only approach to its end-user compute portfolio.
“KVM is the most popular request we get,” Rangarajan said, adding that support for OpenStack and OpenShift are also on the agenda.
Customers want to run Omnissa’s wares on different hypervisors so they don’t get stuck vSphere silos, or because Broadcom’s massive price increases and licensing changes for VMware have given them a "higher urgency" reason to move.
Of course, since we find ourselves at the height of the AI buzz phase, Omnissa is developing a conversational chatbot designed to manage tasks like pinpointing every endpoint using a specific software version or enabling administrators to scour the organization’s knowledge repository for technical data. This assistant, dubbed "Omni," is scheduled to launch before the end of the year.
Rangarajan said Omnissa is also exploring how to blend device management, employee experience, and security. That’s not buzzword bingo – he outlined a scenario in which Omnissa’s management tools would collect data about a user’s device, consider the risks it faces, and then decide whether to provision apps to the local OS or in a virtual machine.
Progress is being made on the AI-enhanced work environments the firm hinted at previously, where this plan now includes automatic setup, maintenance, and protection.
The high-ranking VP mentioned that AI will assist Omnissa in pinpointing the modifications with the highest impact—such as highlighting which updates should take precedence during a change period.
Patching with extensive control is challenging," he stated. "Few companies manage to accomplish this. Our aim is to assist you in resolving issues rather than merely pointing out what’s wrong.
Omnissa is prepared to launch its latest offerings into the marketplace after spinning off from Broadcom in July 2024. The firm has developed its proprietary backend applications and is "99. 9 percent separated" from Broadcom, according to Rangarajan. Although Omnisssa has scaled back operations internationally—from serving 40 nations down to just 16—it has compensated by appointing additional channel partners to fill those voids. This move also allows them greater freedom to collaborate with consulting firms that might not have worked with VMware owing to overlapping services. For instance, companies representing competitors like certain firewall vendors could be excluded due to VMware's limited offering in this area.