Rimini Street tops 100 VMware deals, offering new security focus

Rimini Street has surpassed 100 contracts for VMware support, providing clients with both technical assistance and additional hypervisor security measures.

The company's service, Rimini Support for VMware, has been adopted by organisations internationally seeking alternatives to new licensing costs and additional support offerings. Clients choosing Rimini Street benefit from technical advice, cost savings opportunities and access to Rimini Protect for enhanced security.

Client motivations

Several organisations were already working with Rimini Street for other enterprise support agreements, facilitating their decision to broaden that scope to VMware. Among them is Lwart Soluções Ambientais, a Brazilian provider of renewable energy services. Jefferson Andriotti, Head of IT and Supply at Lwart Soluções Ambientais, said:

"We were already Rimini Street customers for support of our SAP applications, so the transition to include VMware felt natural. Faced with two choices: either pay Broadcom's new licensing costs or engage Rimini Street for support for VMware, we chose the path that made sense. Our IT team was already familiar with Rimini Street, and we could seamlessly transition our VMware support with the same expectations of exceptional service."

Organisations with existing Rimini Support contracts for Oracle, SAP, Salesforce and other products can integrate VMware support as an extension of their arrangements. This can result in operational efficiencies and further lowering of IT operating expenses.

Business objectives

Rodney Kenyon, Senior Vice President of Rimini Support solutions, spoke on the challenges VMware customers are facing regarding licensing changes and their effect on future planning. Kenyon commented:

"We recognise VMware perpetual licensees are facing uncertainty about their path forward. At Rimini Street, we empower our VMware clients to remain secure, receive exceptional support service and gain time to explore all viable options with the confidence that their VMware investments will run smoothly for years to come."

Concerns about increasing operational costs and changes to licensing models have prompted a number of clients to seek alternatives, with Rimini Street positioning its support as a means for organisations to maintain and optimise their VMware environments.

Security features

The company has sought to address security risks associated with virtualised environments by bundling Rimini Protect Advanced Hypervisor Security for VMware customers. This system operates as an active, real-time threat prevention solution against risks such as malware and ransomware targeting hypervisors.

Gabe Dimeglio, Chief Information Security Officer, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Rimini Protect and Rimini Watch solutions, outlined the role of security in the offering. Dimeglio said:

"Waking up to news of a zero-day vulnerability being exploited is never enjoyable, as it forces security teams to immediately focus on mitigation efforts. Rimini Protect Advanced Hypervisor Security is the industry's first purpose-built hypervisor security solution that effectively neutralises threats before they become an issue. It's protection without any downtime or impact on business operations, or reliance on vendor patches. It's one of the many reasons why VMware licensees are selecting Rimini Street as their preferred solution to support and protect their critical systems."

The proactive security focus has been cited by clients as a factor in their ongoing partnership with the firm. Dana Howard, IT Operations and Security Manager at US-based Bluebird Fibre, said:

"As a Rimini Street client, we appreciate the proactive approach to security and the comprehensive protection offered by Rimini Protect Advanced Hypervisor Security for our VMware hypervisor environment. The Rimini Street security team has been incredible and true experts in their field, and their support has made our VMWare journey seamless and impactful. I'm excited about what we'll accomplish in the future!"

The company has indicated it will continue to support clients with VMware perpetual licences as they evaluate the best strategies for their virtualisation infrastructure moving forward.