Virtualisation software provider VMware has announced a new suite of software that it says will help customers create a "software-defined data centre".

The vCloud Suite comprises the latest versions of its vSphere virtualisation platform, its vCloud Director automation and virtual machine management system and its new vCloud Networking and Security system.

The latter includes network virtualisation based on VMware’s VXLAN protocol, that allows customers to assign network capacity to ‘clusters’ of virtualised computing resources, improving utilisation and simplifying management, the company claims.

It falls short of the full "software-defined networking" functionality offered by Nicira, which VMware is in the process of acquiring for $1.3 billion.

The vCloud brand was previously aimed at service providers building public cloud services, but the vCloud Suite is aimed at end-user organisations creating their own internal ‘cloud’ infrastructure.

VMware also announced "advisory, transformation and education services" to help customers achieve the promised organisational benefits of adopting cloud technology.

This includes the creation of the Cloud Ops forum, a group of suppliers that includes Capgemini, Dell, Infosys and Canopy – the cloud-focused joint venture between VMware, Atos and French IT services provider Atos. These suppliers will "collaborate on further defintion" of cloud-focused operating model for IT.