Architect of VMware’s multi-cloud strategy backs VergeIO, the infrastructure software for a VMware exit today and the container and AI workloads that come next

ANN ARBOR, Mich.: VergeIO, the developer of VergeOS, the private cloud operating system, today announced that Kit Colbert, former Chief Technology Officer of VMware, has invested in the company and joined its Board of Directors.

Colbert spent two decades at VMware. He joined in 2003 as technical lead for vMotion and Storage vMotion, then ran the Cloud-Native Apps business unit that became Tanzu and the Cloud Platform business unit. VMware named him Chief Technology Officer in September 2021, leading 2,400 engineers until Broadcom’s 2023 acquisition.

VergeOS is a private cloud operating system, or PCOS. A traditional virtualization stack runs a hypervisor from one vendor, a storage controller from a second, a software-defined network from a third, and a management plane from a fourth. VergeOS replaces all four with a single codebase in which virtualization, storage, networking, and tenancy are native functions. Competitors wrap separate products behind a single GUI and call it integration. VergeOS is integrated in the code itself. The architecture supports a VMware exit and lays the foundation for containers and AI.

The operational and financial impact is direct. VergeOS cuts combined capex and opex by up to 70%. Fewer teams run the environment, license costs no longer compound, and existing hardware lasts longer. Snapshots, replication, and tenant isolation are native, not bolted on. Ransomware is detected quickly, and recovery completes in minutes.

“Twenty years inside VMware taught me that the winner in private infrastructure is a tightly integrated product across compute, storage, networking, and management,” said Kit Colbert. “VergeIO built a private cloud operating system from the ground up, applying everything the industry has learned over the years. The product is production grade, and its compact architecture runs from the data center to the edge, spanning traditional workloads to the latest container-based and AI applications.”
Kit Colbert, Member, VergeIO Board of Directors

“Kit helped define the modern virtualization era,” said Greg Campbell, Founder and CTO of VergeIO and Lead Architect of VergeOS. “His seat on the board confirms what we have told customers for years. The way out of the hypervisor tax is not a cheaper hypervisor, it is a Private Cloud Operating System.”
Greg Campbell, Founder and CTO VergeIO

VergeOS is in production at many mid-market and enterprise customers like Topgolf.

“Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware put Topgolf in an awkward position, and an unsustainable cost trajectory. With the VMware platform and business model constantly pivoting, we chose to exit the entire VMware stack,” said Scott Forehand, Manager, Global Infrastructure at Topgolf. “VergeOS replaced VMware and Rubrik, and PowerEdge replaced VxRail across more than 100 venues, offices and data centers. Kit Colbert joining the VergeIO board further solidifies that Topgolf made the right decision to move forward with VergeIO. We picked the right architecture, and the right partner.”
Scott Forehand, Manager, Global Infrastructure, Topgolf

On June 11 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, VergeIO hosts the “Beyond the Hypervisor Swap” webinar. Kit Colbert joins Greg Campbell, a rare chance to hear two influential infrastructure software architects. Register at

ABOUT VERGEIO

VergeIO develops VergeOS, the private cloud operating system that runs virtualization, storage, networking, and tenancy as functions of one operating system, written from a single code base. Customers deploy VergeOS to replace legacy virtualization stacks, eliminate compounding licensing layers, and reduce the operational footprint of private infrastructure. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan and serves enterprise, government, and service-provider customers worldwide. For more information, visit verge.io.

Fonte: Business Wire