VMware Reveals 2014 Innovation Awards Winners 

VMware, Inc. today announced the winners of its second annual Innovation Awards during its annual conference - VMworld. After reviewing customer applicant submissions calling out the use of VMware solutions against strict criteria, a panel of experts from Computerworld and VMware selected five winning organizations -- California Natural Resources Agency, Indiana University, Ministry of Education, Malaysia, SPAWAR/U.S. Navy Medicine and TIAA-CREF IT Production Services.

"The 2014 VMware Innovation Awards recognize companies that have implemented new technologies to increase collaboration and drive business innovation during the past year," said Robin Matlock, chief marketing officer, VMware. "We are incredibly excited that these organizations have embraced new business transformation technologies that are enabling them to serve their customers and partners better, faster and more efficiently than before."

The awards recognize customers that have driven business innovation through the adoption of hybrid cloud, software-defined data center, end-user computing, and workforce transformation strategies. Additionally, the awards recognize an organization whose exceptional project was impacted by active participation in the VMware User Group (VMUG) community. In the following categories, these five companies demonstrated increased efficiency and improved business processes amidst tough challenges:

• California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA): Leveraging the Software-Defined Data Center - Transformed to a cloud-based shared services IT service provider and consolidated 30 disparate organizations' IT infrastructure into a single robust private cloud-based shared services environment.
• Indiana University (IU): VMUG Impact - The IU Intelligent Infrastructure (IUII) is IU's private cloud which has grown its server management from 300 to 2,200 and from 100 TB to 1 PB without increasing staff in the infrastructure teams. In addition, the IUII has been a critical component in implementing IU's Cyber Risk Mitigation Policy.
• Ministry of Education, Malaysia: Transforming IT by Defying Convention - The Ministry of Education, Malaysia implemented a national program to bring digital learning to 1,250 rural and inland schools across Malaysia with virtual desktops. The private cloud deployment gives students, teachers and administrators access to high-quality computing and digital education resources, in some cases for the very first time.
• SPAWAR/U.S. Navy Medicine: End-User Computing in the Mobile-Cloud Era - The U.S. Navy Medicine and a sub set of Marine Expeditionary Forces have deployed a fully mobile clinical desktop solution that enables Navy medical and selected Marine Corp providers and staff to access and update Sailors/Marines and eligible civilians and retirees electronic medical records (EMR) from any enabled device in any location. The solution increases efficiency and improves workflow for the providers enabling them provide the quality care that our service members expect and deserve.
• TIAA-CREF IT Production Services: Driving Business Innovation with Hybrid Cloud - Built the Carnegie Compute Cloud (C3) to reduce expense, stimulate innovation, increase speed and quality of delivery and make it easy to do business with TIAA-CREF.