Category Archives: Scale Computing

The Future of Virtualization: An Interview with SCALE Computing’s Jeff Ready

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Virtualization is going through one of the biggest shakeups in decades. With Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware causing disruption across the industry, many IT leaders are searching for stable, innovative alternatives. I recently sat down with Jeff Ready, President and CMO of SCALE Computing, to talk about the state of virtualization, SCALE’s explosive growth, and what’s next after their acquisition by Acumera.

VMware Fallout: From Stability to Chaos

For years, VMware was the default choice for enterprise virtualization. But as Jeff explained, Broadcom’s changes to VMware’s licensing and support model have left many mid-market organizations scrambling.

  • Support for VMware vSphere 7 is ending faster than some customers realized.

  • Many MSPs and resellers have been shut out of VMware’s partner program entirely.

  • Customers feel betrayed after decades of stability.

While large global enterprises remain VMware’s focus, small and midsized businesses are left seeking alternatives. For Jeff, this has been both a challenge and an opportunity:

“All of a sudden the world has opened up and companies like SCALE can now get their time in the sun with products like HyperCore.”

SCALE’s Growth and Sweet Spot

SCALE Computing’s HyperCore platform has thrived in this environment. According to Jeff, every quarter has set a new record for demand. Their sweet spot remains:

  • Mid-market IT teams (2–15 people)

  • Organizations with a few hundred to a few thousand employees

  • Edge environments like retail, manufacturing, and transportation

At the edge, simplicity and resilience matter most. Think gas stations running video surveillance, credit card transactions, and pump-top advertising — all without on-site IT staff. HyperCore’s automation and reliability shine in these environments.

Acumera Acquisition: Building the “Good VMware”

One of the biggest changes since our last conversation is SCALE’s acquisition by Acumera, backed by Oaktree Capital. But Jeff was quick to clarify:

  • This isn’t a Broadcom-style takeover. SCALE and Acumera were roughly the same size, and the combination is about growth and synergy, not consolidation.

  • Acumera brings managed networking and security with their AccuVigil platform.

  • Their Reliant product extends into massive container orchestration for brands with thousands of sites, like Taco Bell.

Together, these capabilities position SCALE to become what Jeff calls the “good VMware” — a full-stack platform serving customers that VMware has left behind.

New Features: Veeam, Fleet Manager, and Zero-Touch

Since we last spoke, HyperCore has added major functionality:

  • Veeam Integration: HyperCore is now a supported hypervisor for Veeam backups. Migrating from VMware is as simple as restoring from your Veeam backup.

  • Fleet Manager: A cloud-based portal for managing single servers or thousands of nodes from anywhere.

  • Zero-Touch Provisioning: Preconfigure networking, storage, and VM templates before the hardware even ships — cutting deployment times drastically.

  • App Deployment & Storefront: Push applications across sites with a few clicks, making HyperCore feel more like an AWS Marketplace experience.

Jeff emphasized that SCALE aims for intentional simplicity — not every nerd knob, but all the core features most organizations need.

Community and the Road Ahead

Beyond technology, Jeff stressed the importance of building a real community around SCALE. VMware’s once-legendary VMworld and VMUG communities have withered away, leaving a gap.

SCALE’s new annual conference, Platform, aims to fill that void:

  • A mix of SCALE sessions and vendor-neutral tracks on networking, security, and infrastructure.

  • Panels and open forums where users share knowledge (sometimes answering each other’s questions before SCALE’s engineers even jump in).

  • A goal of becoming the next great IT community event, not just a vendor conference.

And for the homelabbers? Jeff confirmed that a community-supported HyperCore edition is in the works. For now, it’s available to resellers and partners, but expanding access to individuals is a personal project of his.

Final Thoughts

In a world where VMware is pulling up the ladder, SCALE Computing is doubling down on the mid-market and edge — with an emphasis on simplicity, resilience, and community.

Jeff summed it up well:

“We want to be the good version of VMware. That means powerful technology, yes — but also real relationships, support, and a thriving community.”

The future of virtualization may look very different than it did just a few years ago, but companies like SCALE are proving that disruption creates space for innovation.