Collaboration Makes for Impactful Innovation

We bring together the brightest ideas, diverse perspectives and communities from across our ecosystem to co-create the future. Below are programs designed to ignite these possibilities.

VMware Academic Program

Collaborating with academic institutions and research centers globally to envision and explore the future of computing.

IT Academy

Enabling instructors to deliver authorized VMware courses and jump-start careers through online certification opportunities and hands-on labs.

Accelerated Co-innovation Engineering Program

Building customer-led solutions to accelerate the path of innovation for their business.

VMware Open Source

Partnering with the open source community to build technologies that work for everyone. 

VMware Flings

Flings are the fastest way for VMware engineers to test an idea directly with our customers. Explore and download hundreds of experimental free apps and tools. 

Zero-Carbon Committed Cloud Partner Initiative

Enabling VMware Cloud Partners to transition their data centers to run on 100% renewable energy.

Exploring the Future

Future-ready solutions require adventurous thinking, the willingness to examine problems from multiple angles, and the courage to explore untried alternatives.

Edge Computing

Bringing compute, data storage, and machine learning to the farthest reaches of today’s elastic enterprise network

Distributed Ledger Technology

Decentralizing finance data sharing and syncing, while preserving security and privacy

NextG

Transforming wireless systems from networking monoliths to distributed modern applications, throughout the entire edge-to-cloud continuum.

Multi-Cloud Grid

Evolving the Internet to a global shared platform that distributes compute, data and intelligence to when and where it’s needed.

Cryptographic Agility

Securing systems with architectures that enable nimble switching between encryption algorithms and mechanisms

Sustainability Innovation

Driving the decarbonization of digital infrastructure through our solutions and partner ecosystems

Cloud Runtimes and Service Mesh

Improving the ongoing deployment and resiliency of distributed applications

Federated Machine Learning

Overcoming data silos while strengthening privacy, security, and compliance

Nonprofit Digital Transformation

Offering pro-bono support to help NGOs digitize their businesses with VMware technology and services.

Continuous calibration – checking and modifying our assumptions based on feedback from customers, partners, and industry experts – is core to our approach to invention and innovation.
– Chris Wolf, VMware Chief Research & Innovation Officer, Office of the CTO

Step into the Future

Security Transformation at the Intersection: The Role of the Platform

By: Denis Moreau, Sr. Engineering Architect, Cybersecurity Directions, VMware Office of the CTO

Building a Consistent Multi-Cloud Application Platform

By: Martin Hosken, Chief Technologist for VMware Cloud Services

Mounting a Robust “Defense in Depth” Strategy Against Ransomware

By: Amanda Blevins, Chief Technologist VMware Office of the CTO

We are building a better future by integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) into everything we do.

Fostering a Culture of Perpetual Innovation

Our people, partners and customers provide us with a never-ending supply of ideas and inspiration. In turn, we developed programs across VMware to capture and direct that energy towards a more resilient, sustainable and digital future for all. Below are just some of those programs, along with our guiding principles.

Real-life innovation is a verb, not a noun. It’s a process that requires movement, power, and momentum. We practice it every day as part of “business as usual.” As we do, we find that it picks up speed and becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. This is how we generate solutions, stimulate progress, and become a force for good.

Taking “no” for an answer can sometimes stall the development of innovative solutions before they actually get off the ground. More often than not, the innovator’s journey is an uphill battle. The pushback forces the innovator to hone and refine their ideas. It also gives the innovator ammunition/justification to challenge our company’s conventions and demand more from us and others.

As we challenge each other, we find that identifying what won’t work can be like a sieve: whatever makes it through the holes is the stuff we want to keep. This helps us build a knowledge base we can apply to future ideas. This is often called “failing forward” and we believe it makes us smarter. 

In my experience, compartmentalized approaches, fiefdoms, and brain trusts are obstacles to innovation. While true collaboration can sometimes feel like a slower, more difficult path, it usually produces more refined, sophisticated solutions. This is why some of the most remarkable innovations are the product of a team effort. 

We strive to embody what listening to customers looks like. True listening helps us arrive at a deeper understanding of their needs and helps us identify opportunities to address them in optimal ways.

VMware has always been, and will always be, a thought leader. However, thought alone is only the first stop on the road to innovation. We must become action leaders—developing and launching innovation programs, far-reaching initiatives, and strong communication vehicles. This is how we help set the disruptive technology agenda for ourselves, and how we influence the entire industry.

We actively seek out and include people who bring diverse skills, backgrounds, perspectives, approaches, and ideas to the table. This is how great advances are made, how contributions are valued, and how innovation thrives.

Inclusive Innovation Programs

Failure is an Option: Borathon

Our quirky version of a hack-a-thon, brings innovators together from across VMware to bring creative ideas to life over an intense, two-day sprint.

The Power of Storytelling: Pitch-a-thon

Focused solely on the pitch, innovators learn and practice how to effectively articulate why their idea is worthy of investment to our technical leadership team.

Unlock Ingenuity: RADIO

Our annual internal Research and Development Innovation Offsite (RADIO) is about sharing new ideas, learning unique perspectives and building relationships. The result: Our engineering teams uncover and discuss technical challenges to solve together.

Incubate and Nurture: Vortex

We focus on early-stage research and validate with key technical hypotheses.

Serve & Learn: Good Gigs Projects

These pro-bono, passion-focused, employee-led partnership are aimed at accelerating the digital journey for non-profits. They build stronger communities and VMware leaders through service learning opportunities.

Accelerating Advanced Development: xLabs

A place where innovation meets execution. xLabs is a fast-track for entrepreneurial-minded employees to take their ideas from incubation to product roadmaps.

Invention is all about something new. A new idea, a new thing or a new use for an existing thing. Innovation isn’t really about newness at all – it’s about change and impact.
- Kit Colbert, VMware CTO

Finding the Joy of Innovating Everyday

VMware's innovation comes from a bottom-up approach keeping us at the forefront of technology. Listen to the stories of our people who find joy in innovating and solving hard problems everyday to be a force for good in the world.

Diversity is the Secret Ingredient

VMware remains committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture at VMware. We believe diversity drives innovation and market growth. Our 2020 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Report tells the stories of how we’ve embraced change as a catalyst for progress.

Innovate Here. Transform Everywhere.