VMware is now an independent company, having been spun out of the Dell EMC behemoth. We discuss this story and much more on this week’s Rundown.
Western Digital Growing but Supply Chain Creates Worries | 0:58
Western Digital reported last week that they had a big quarter. Their revenue was up 29%, which is double what the previous quarter revenue was. However, they reported that the growing issue with global supply chains is about to cause more problems. CEO David Goekler cited very strong demand as the driver for the increased revenues but also mentioned that the supply chain was beginning to hamper the ability to deliver on guidance numbers. The projection for the next quarter is around $4.8 billion in revenue.
Read More: Blocks and Files: Western Digital growth accelerates but supply chain issues look bad
Europol Sweeps Up Malware Crew | 4:43
The crackdown on malware crews continues. Europol announced last week that they have arrested 12 suspects they claim were part of a professional group that has been attacking targets and ransoming them sine 2019. The arrests in Ukraine and Switzerland sweep up members of the crews behind LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Dharma. Also of note is the report that some of the people caught were helping to launder money from targets that paid up to get their systems unlocked. This crew is reportedly responsible for shutting down Norwegian aluminum processor Hydro Norsk in 2019 for almost a week.
Read More: The Record: Europol detains suspects behind LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Dharma ransomware attacks
Intel Moves to Xe-HPC and Xe-HPG GPUs | 9:14
Intel announced late last week that they are going to be focusing on their latest generation of server GPUs as they try to capitalize on the hot market. The first generation of server GPUs, the Xe-HP, was never formally introduced in a commercial capacity. Based on comments from Raja Koduri, SVP and GM of Accelerated System and Graphics, it appears that Xe-HP was really a tech preview for the Ponte Vecchio line, now called Xe-HPC, and Arc, now known as Xe-HPG. The move to cancel the commercial plans for the existing line does seem curious, but reports say that it could be related to the latest releases from companies like AMD being second generation and forcing Intel to step up their timetable.
Read More: Anand Tech: Intel Cans Xe-HP Server GPU Products, Shifts Focus To Xe-HPC and Xe-HPG
Juniper Debuts Wi-Fi 6E APs | 12:56
During the Juniper Analyst and Investor event this week the networking giant moved into a new realm. The company’s Mist Systems access point lineup has been joined by two new entrants that provide support for the 6GHz spectrum. The AP34 and AP45 are tri-band access points with support for all three authorized wireless frequencies. The AP45 also includes support for Juniper’s virtual Bluetooth LE location technology for enhanced location tracking for the enterprise.
Dell Spins out VMware | 19:33
The biggest news of the the last few weeks by far is here. VMware is now an independent company, having been spun out of the Dell EMC behemoth. The news, which had been tipped several months ago, sees Dell Technologies selling off their 81% stake in the company. This means there was a special dividend paid of around $11.5 billion, or about $27.40 per share. This payout provided Dell with around $9 billion for their shares, which is being used by Michael Dell to pay down the significant debt incurred in the massive acquisition. The hope is that this cash infusion, coupled with the removal of VMware’s debt from Dell’s balance sheet, will allow the company to position their debt load as “investment grade” which will help to attract more capital to the company. Michael Dell also remains chairman of the board for VMware.
Read More: ARS Technica: Dell spins off $64 billion VMware as it battles debt hangover
The Week Ahead | 31:19
Cloud Field Day 12 is this week! November 3-5
Open Compute Summit is November 9-10
Supercomputing21 is November 14-19
The Gestalt IT Rundown is a live weekly look at the IT news of the week. It broadcasts live on Facebook every Wednesday at 12:30pm ET. To watch along, “Like” our Facebook page. Be sure to subscribe to Gestalt IT on YouTube for even more weekly video content.
