VMworld Keynote Highlights AI Ensuring Better Security

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger hit all the high points of cutting-edge virtualization and networking technology during today's opening keynote address at the company's VMworld conference in Las Vegas. With an emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Gelsinger discussed innovations in networking and security, framing new announcements in the context of four "technology superpowers," which he categorized into the areas of cloud, mobile, AI/ML and Edge/AI. AI and ML were interwoven throughout the presentation, with Gelsinger declaring, "I really love the topic of AI," and hearkening back to a prior role where he worked on an AI chip in 1986, demonstrating the technology's age. "AI is today a 30-year overnight success," he said. One area in which AI is being put to use, an area that Gelsinger said was "most important to me personally," is security. VMware, he said, is totally rethinking the approach to security. "It's broken today," Gelsinger said, "the industry got it wrong." The industry, he said, has been trying to bolt on security products, in effect "chasing bad." The industry needs "much less security products" and "much more security." With that goal in mind, the company is providing "intrinsic security" to "ensure good" by building security into every core product, to lock the product down and ensure it behaves as it intended. "We're not chasing threats or adding on but rather dramatically reducing the attack surface," Gelsinger said. Continuing that theme, he made two major announcements concerning security, including Adaptive Micro-segmentation. He said micro-segmentation wasn't new but wasn't made practical until the advent of NSX, the VMware software-defined networking (SDN) network virtualization and security platform.