>> live from San Francisco, celebrating 10 years of high tech coverage. It's the Cube covering Veum World 2019 brought to you by the M Wear and its ecosystem partners. >> I am Stew Minimum and my co host, Justin Warren. And you're watching The Cube live from VM World 2019 here in Moscow North. Actually, the 10th year that we've had the cubit this event joining me on the program, I have Brad Anderson and Keith Norby, both with Netapp. Brad is an executive vice president, and Keith is director of strategic alliances. Gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us. >> Thank you. So, Brad, I've had >> the pleasure of working with the, um where since 2002 it's one of the highlights of my career in Tech has been watching that growth of virtual ization a company that, you know. It was about 100 people when I first started watching them. And that wave, a virtualization that had ripples throughout the industry, was really impressive. But >> I didn't actually >> get to come to this show until 2010 Asai said. Our 10th year of the show, you were one of the few that were at the inaugural event that it's the 16th year of it. So >> just give us a >> little bit of ah ah, look back in. You know what you've seen changing Netapp, of course. You know, long longtime partner of ah of Via Mers. >> Absolutely. He was like 3 4000 for it was at a hotel in San Diego. And there's probably about 1000 people there, but I don't think they were planning 1000. So is the longest kind of room. And we had people that were just kind of a mile down. And finally, uh uh, the comment was, Hey, could we knock down a wall and kind of get people a little bit closer? So, no, that was a long time ago. And in fact, it was Diane Mendel. I had an opportunity of Aquino, and I think there was another key note from IBM. >> Yeah, well, you know, I'm sorry they didn't invite you back on stage this morning, but, you know, >> a little big, bigger show today. >> A little bigger. I think we're somewhere the ballpark. 20 thousands. What? This show's been for about the last five years. Conversations very different today. As I made commentary were in the post VM era. Today, V EMS are no longer the center of the conversation. And you know, multi cloud is something that they put out there, which is the story I've been hearing from net out for many years software company, living in all of these cloud environment. So talk to us a little bit about how that relationship with VM wear and what we're not upsets in the ecosystem is >> changing. I mean, you know, Veum, where has never happened, then where has been a great partner for a long, long time? And, uh, and net have strategies Clearly hybrid multi cloud. When you think about private clouds today, VM where has a huge footprint in that space, So they continue be super important. We probably have a more expansive definition of hybrid to us. Hybrid is private cloud and public cloud in all kinds of combinations. And but we also so strongly believe the multi cloud and so we are. You know, we're driving very hard for the hybrid multi cloud, letting customers basically start anywhere they want to with any cloud provider on Prem in the cloud, and have that you know that control of data irrespective of and move at their own pace. >> Yes, sir. Vienna, Where has long been one of those places where everybody can meet? So you mentioned knocking down walls. VM. Where is one of the few companies that actually succeeded in doing that and having people be able to work with partners in other eras? There was often a lot of fighting between different vendors, or it's here. It's whatever you as a customer wants to do, we will be there to do that with you. And that's another one of those companies. All right, if you have some data, we will help you manage it, no matter where it is. So what tell it tells about something that what are you doing right now in this Is New World, where a stew mentions it's a post of'em world. So in this post of'em world, how do you manage your data in that post VM world? >> Well, it's it's it's Ah, it's managing first of all, I mean, we really strongly believe place, and so we're gonna manage, you know, you know the data and start where the customer starts. I mean, we're not advocating that they have to start in cloud. They have to be on prim. There's an orderly path because depending on the customer, they're all going to take a very different path. And and so what we want to do is give him control. Their data, irrespective of the path, allow them to move on that path. But we're seeing at Netapp that it's it's the but the data is beyond the data that's increasingly about applications. And so, you know, you heard a little bit about Ah Kubernetes. That's That's something we've strongly feel as well on providing a set of tools to provide choice where, you know, you know, independent the cloud, you know, same kubernetes service, same different tools, same tool set. Same service is on prim or in the cloud. >> Yeah, Ned has a strong cloud. President's summer things like cloud volumes. Some of the other acquisitions that you've made that help you with the cloud journey, like some of them have sufferings, are really strong, >> know very much so. And and we think we can provide Ah ah, the superior customer experience. But then, if the customer wants to use, you know, a variety interesting set of tools we support that as well. We are supporting the customer on his journey with the tools as they ah determined. >> So, Keith, tell us about some of the strategic partnerships that helped net up. To be able to partner with these different customers and to bring different vendors together to help themselves. Customer problems? >> Yeah, well takes a lot of them. Thio, meet the customer needs, as you saw today in the landscape folks that are on the solutions exchange floor. It takes not just a partnership between net up and VM wear, but net up in Vienna, where plus v m net up in Vienna, where plus ah ton of other folks, Cisco has an example longtime partner of ours and flex pot. Then you know the fact that we're doing memory accelerator flex pod takes, you know, something that has had a long tradition of the, um where excellence with Cisco and is now the order of magnitude faster than anything you want for APS that need scale, performance, all the service capabilities of on tap for things like Metro Cluster and beyond. >> So you remember back years ago it was you know, you know who has the most integrations and with the M wear. And you know, if you know all the A I and Viv balls and all of those pieces and netapp always, you know, was right at the top of the list. You know, working in those environments may be brought if you want to enter this. But, you know, today, how do you give us some examples That kind of that joint engineering work that goes on between Netapp and VM, where obviously there's bundle solutions like flex pod, that's, you know, the sphere plus netapp in there. But you know that engineering level, you know, where does rubber with road? >> Yeah, it's funny because I've been at every vehicle except to, And so I've been with you. In the sense I've seen the landscape of these innovations where Steve Haired and some others would talk about the movie previews of things like the aye aye and bossy providers all coming. And that was the big thing you'd focus on. Now it's less about that, and I think it's more about what Brad is kind of brought to net happened in the focus on simplicity. Now the funny part about simplicity is that to deliver simplicity, much like the engineering detail to deliver Tesla or an iPhone is extraordinary, so the work isn't less. In fact, the work is Maur and you pre configuring or pre what you were wearing as much as possible. The work we started to do over a year ago between George Curry in our CEO and Sanjay Poon got together. We started planning on some multi cloud plans, and, uh, that's where you see a lot of our persistence and cloud volumes on VMC. You see us having a view more vow, didn't design Aneta Page C. I for your Private Cloud VD I solutions. And these air meant to draw NSX a kn and when his net I've ever had in NSX immigration all said, Now we have had a sex and integrations to make that easier to bring on board. We have the realized integration so you could build a self serve portal catalog just like it talked about today, and the list goes on and on, so it's funny how it's less. The features are important. But what's more important is trying to make this a simple it's possible for you to consume and then for the folks that need things like scale of maps and service is or they need the same cloud volumes in this data fabric on any one of the hyper scale er's. We have really the only end in story on that, and that's what makes the via More plus net up thing worked really well. >> So how do you balance the flexibility of being able to solve multiple customer problems? And they all have different needs. How do you balance the simplicity with that? With that complexity? And it was mentioned by Pat, make a note as well that you've got this kind of tension between. I need to be able to do everything flexibly, but that can sometimes lead the complexity. So how do you change that? To become simple for customers to use? >> I mean, I think the biggest thing it Z it's a design input. I mean, if if you start out with just trying to make the technology all it can be with a end of you know, one particular cloud or one particular partner, then it becomes very difficult. As he tried to expand it to multiple partners and because it's about choice. We're kind of think about that right up front. And so if it's a design input, it puts, it puts, as he said, to put some burden on the technical team. But it is a much more powerful solution if we if you can pull it off, and that's been a big part, and I think it kind of starts with this mentality that you know, it's about choice, and we gotta make simplicity. And now part of the value proposition, rather than after for thought as it has, may be historically has been. What if >> we could talk a little bit about customers? Because, you know the message I hear this morning is you know, you talk multi cloud, a cloud native. There's a lot of change in the industry, you know, I'm participating in couple of career advice events because remember back 10 years ago, it was Oh, my gosh, if I'm a server admin, I need to learn to be virtualization than it was cloud. You know, architects, but way know that change in the industry is constant. So, you know, what are some of the key drivers when you're talking to customers in general and specifically when you talk about in engaging in part with the M where, >> Yeah, I mean, I I think it starts with people just recognizing. Even if people haven't moved the cloud today, that tends to be their primary strategy. In a recent survey, I think we found 98% of the customers, said Cloud is her strategy. However, 53% said still on Prem is their primary compute centers. So you know they're not there yet. And so But because that's their strategy, then you know we have to respect that. And so So, uh, you know, increasingly you're seeing at Netapp Waleed with clout, even though we know customers aren't quite ready there. But we align to that long term vision. But then our strange made up helping the modernize What they have currently on prim helping build private clouds for the same service is they have him public cloud, and then let them have the complete absolute choice. What public cloud or multiple public clouds they want and designed with with, you know, that full spectrum in mind, knowing they could start anywhere on that on that scale. >> Yeah, the customers ultimately are gonna dictate to the market What Israel and I think over time, Pios sort of vet who is right on this stuff. And so history's a great lesson teacher of all those things, you know, for me, it seems less less about how many different things you can offer. And as you see whether we're at Veum World or at Red Hat Summit were made obvious. Reinvent or, um, coup con every every every vector, turn of the customers. Prism on this will say something different. But I think in general, categorically, if you look at it, you could start to just, you know, glean what you think are the real requirements. And by the way, the rule carpets are not all technical. You know, I think what what gets lost on folks is that there is a lot of operational political factors, probably political factors, a lot more than what a lot of people think. You know, they're just talking about what the what The speed is to re factor APs or to migrate APS. Frankly, there's just a lot of politics that goes with that. There's a lot of just stuff to work through, >> and that's where I think simplicity is so important because of those non technical reason. Simplicity resonates across the board. >> But I would say you have to have simplicity with capabilities. >> I mean, just one of the things you talk about, right? If I modernize some application, well, the people that were using that application, they were probably complaining about that old one. But at least they do have to relearn >> that. Have that that new one. So we're gonna have some exciting announcements tomorrow. So I'm kind of check out tomorrow's stuff that will announce with VM, where with Netapp tomorrow We're here at the show floor will be showcasing some of those things. We can't give away too much of that today. But, you know, we think the future is bright and together with with Veum Or, you know, this partnership, I think, has a lot of upside. Like you said, we've had We've had a 17 year history with, you know, hundreds of thousands of customers together and installed base that goes back to like you said to be very beginning. Um, I remember back to the very beginning of the ecosystem. Net up was one of the strongest players in that market on dhe Since then, it's evolved beyond just NFS. >> Well, hopefully bread. We can get you on a keynote for in another 10 years. Waken Knock that wall down Exactly. Exactly. >> All right, great. Want to give you both the final word? You know, so so many big themes going on, you know, takeaways that you want people to have from the emerald 2019 bread >> I think the biggest takeaway is that just like the show today you didn't hear a whole lot about virtualization. It's moving to contain her eyes and and we had netapp view that, you know, we support all virtualized environments on from across the cloud, moving to supporting all containerized application environments on premises and cloud. And it's about choices in combinations of both, but keeping data control. >> Yeah, I'd say for me, it's it's really the power of the of of the better together, you know, to me, it's nobody's great apart. It takes really an ecosystem of players to kind of work together for the customer benefit and the one that we've demonstrated of'em. Where with that plus Veum, where has been a powerful one for well, well over 17 years and the person that putting in terms of joint customers that have a ton of loyalty to both of us, and they want us just to work it out. So you know, whether you're whether your allegiance on one side of the Cooper natty criminals battle or another or you're on one side of anyone's stores. Choice or another. I think customers want Netapp on via mortar work. It's out and come up with solutions that we've done that. And now what? We wait for the second act of this to come out. We'll start that tomorrow. Teeth and >> Brad, thank you so much if you couldn't tell by the sirens on the street. We are live here at San Francisco at Mosconi, north of lots more coverage. Three days wall to wall coverage for Justin Warren. I'm stew. Minimum is always thank you for watching the cue