VMware is attacking that issue from multiple directions. One direction is Project Octopus, VMware's enterprise-grade answer to consumer-focused Dropbox, which has proliferated as a rogue cloud within enterprises as users seek a way to easily share documents and files between their devices.

Project Octopus is intended to give users the capability to securely share files and collaborate regardless of the devices they use, while giving IT the capability set and manage policies for data access and sharing, both across the organization and with external collaborators.

Another direction is Socialcast, a microblogging platform VMware acquired last year. Socialcast's technology allows VMware to embed activity streams, including communication, directly into apps like CRMs and ERPs.

"This really enables mobile devices to be a primary vehicle for participating," Soltero says.