HotLink just announced SuperVISOR for VMware, a tool allowing VMware's vCenter management environment to not only manage VMware's virtual machine environment, but also manage Microsoft's Hyper-V, Citrix's XenServer and even KVM that is part of Red Hat's Enterprise Linux.
On the one hand this makes it possible for an organization's IT department to use just one set of management tools. On the other hand, HotLink can be seen as helping increase VMware's hold on its customer base and, potentially, bring new companies "into the fold."
HotLink SuperVISOR™ for VMware is a virtual integration and transformation platform that extends the robust management capabilities of VMware vCenter to all major enterprise hypervisors — including Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (KVM). Unlike overlay solutions that provide basic cross-platform features on top of native management toolsets, HotLink SuperVISOR for VMware abstracts the virtual infrastructure so you can support other hypervisors utilizing the underlying capabilities of VMware vCenter. No additional management dashboard is required!
Open standards are an industry-wide approach that is designed to reduce the hold vendor lock-in has on companies and allow interoperability, greater ease of migrating functions from one vendor's products to another's, and make the environment more manageable.
VMware, among others, has been long noted for developing interesting, powerful management tools that work with the company's own virtual machine software and don't do much to help manage other tools that are in the same data center. VMware is not alone in using this approach, however.
HotLink isn't really attempting to help VMware customers escape. No, it is just trying to help them bring more workloads and tools into VMware's "walled garden."
Note: HotLink views their announcement quite differently. They will provide me with their viewpoint and I will post it when it comes in.