As an infrastructure analytics expert, I‘ve kept a close eye on Turbonomic since its early days. What started as a small startup has grown into a powerhouse in intelligent workload automation. I‘d like to give you the full inside scoop so you can appreciate why this company matters.
Here‘s what I‘ll cover:
- The origins of Turbonomic‘s breakthrough technology
- How the patented Economic Scheduling Engine works
- Funding, explosive growth and eventual IBM acquisition
- Evolution of the product portfolio and pricing strategy
- Where Turbonomic fits in the competitive landscape
- My analysis of market position and future outlook
So grab a coffee and let‘s get started! This promises to be an exciting deep dive…
Meet the Visionaries Behind a Game-Changing Idea
Turbonomic was founded in 2009 by a team of virtualization experts who knew there had to be a better way to manage resource allocation. They got together and said: what if we could use an economic market approach to dynamically optimize workload placement?
I love the simplicity of that initial idea. And this team had the pedigree to pull it off:
- Shmuel Kliger – ex-VP Engineering at Akorri Networks
- Yuri Rabover – previously Principal Engineer at Akorri
- Yechiam Yemini – computer science professor at Columbia who had founded numerous startups
- Danilo Florissi – veteran of IBM research focused on distributed computing
- Shai Benjamin – experienced dev manager at Mercury Interactive
This mix of academic and enterprise talent was the perfect foundation…
Patented AI Engine Continuously Learns and adapts in Real-Time
At the revolutionary core of Turbonomic is its patented Economic Scheduling Engine…
Table: How The Economic Scheduling Engine Works
1. Pulls data continuously from apps, OS, network etc using APIs
2. Analyzes resource supply, application demand
3. Calculates the price of workload placement based on impact
4. Runs assured actions to optimize workload placement
5. Ensures compliance governance and constraints met
6. Uses ML to constantly learn and improve over timeBy modelling virtual resources as a market, the engine takes advantage of organic supply-and-demand forces to naturally smooth workload allocation…
This AI-powered engine delivers true intelligent automation by dynamically learning over time. No wonder it‘s been recognized as a breakthrough technology that "succeeds where many others fail!" Funding and Growth Timeline: From Underdog to Industry Leader
Bootstrapped until 2013, Turbonomic gained momentum fast once the VC dollars started flowing:
Table: Turbonomic Funding/Growth Timeline
Date Milestone/Metric
2013 - $12M Series A
2016 - $50M Series C
- Renamed from VMTurbo
- 100%+ YoY growth
2018 - $80M Series D
2019 - $70M Series E
- 2,000+ Customers
2021 - $1.5-$2B sale to IBM That‘s some meteoric rise! No surprise IBM coveted Turbonomic‘s proven technology as a cornerstone of its own hybrid cloud strategy…
## How Product Strategy Aligns to Customer Size and Sophistication
Turbonomic‘s good-better-best product packaging makes the solution accessible to organizations at all levels:
**Entry Tier**
* Per VM/container pricing
* Limited scope
* Essential automation features
**Mid Tier**
* Scaling price model
* Broader environment support
* Advanced capabilities
**Enterprise Tier**
* All-inclusive platform
* Global scale environment
* Additional analytics & governance
This clear product tiering helps customers adopt Turbonomic at the right level for their needs. Yet there‘s tons of built-in headroom to expand value over time.
As an analyst I‘ve found this an exceptionally customer-focused approach compared to alternatives in the market.
## Competitive Position: What Gives Turbonomic the Edge
Despite lots of players in the AIOps space, Turbonomic stands clearly ahead of alternatives. Just ask Gartner!
**Key Reasons Turbonomic Leads the Pack**
- Mature time-tested analytics engine
- Broadest workload support
- Multi-cloud and on-prem coverage
- Measured hard dollar savings
- High efficiency gains: 30-40%
And now with IBM bringing its enormous enterprise reach? This combo seems unstoppable!
I see Turbonomic enjoying a long reign at the top much like VMware has owned the virtualization market. Its technology becomes stickier the more embedded it gets!
Well I hope you enjoyed this insider‘s tour through Turbonomic‘s impressive history and meteoric rise! Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m happy to chat more about this game changing company!
