Greater efficiency has also found its way to VMware, where Maritz said he was proud that the company can come out with a major new release of its highly complex flagship software once a year. The next major version of Vsphere is due later this year, he said.

"If that release comes out on schedule -- which every indication is that it will -- it will actually be the first major system software release that I've ever been associated with that has actually shipped on time," Maritz said.

The IDG News Service