VMware, Inc., the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced a new program to help independent software vendors (ISVs) move their applications to VMware vCloud Air, the platform for cloud services delivered by VMware.

The vCloud Air ISV Partner Program offers technical assistance and guidance to help ISVs provide a flexible and scalable offering, enabling customers to realize operational and economic benefits of the hybrid cloud. Members of the VMware Technology Alliance Partner Program can collaborate with VMware to create and validate the interoperability of their products with VMware solutions to drive transformative business outcomes for customers.

"With the VMware vCloud Air ISV Partner Program, we are helping ISVs simplify the process of moving workloads to the cloud," said Ajay Patel, vice president, Application Services, vCloud Air, VMware. "Our robust ISV ecosystem partners can continue to distinguish themselves by enabling customers to move workloads back and forth without modification, all while providing a platform that is secure, scalable and interoperable with customers' existing infrastructure."

ISVs who participate in the vCloud Air ISV Partner Program will also be able to attain VMware Ready status, with a VMware Ready - vCloud Air certification. This certification indicates that the solution has undergone technical validation within the vCloud Air environment, and is supported on vCloud Air.

Additionally, the vCloud Air ISV Partner Program will also help ISVs transition to software as a service (SaaS) models with a broad array of SaaS enablement services that allow ISVs to quickly on-board tenants, streamline application provisioning, monitor utilization, customize tenant experiences and manage customer lifecycles. VMware is also offering a free consultation session for up to 75 ISVs on how to transform business strategies to support software as a service. Interested ISVs can visit www.vmware.com/go/isvjourney to learn more about this opportunity.

The vCloud Air ISV Partner Program offers three levels to match investments with rewards, including Access, Elite and Premier levels. Partner solutions are featured in the vCloud Air Marketplace of the VMware Solution Exchange, VMware's online virtualization and cloud solutions marketplace.