In tandem with the start of its VMworld conference, VMware (VMW -0.2%) is introducing upgrades to its vSphere virtualization platform and vCloud cloud management suite. vSphere, which has ditched a DRAM-based license fee structure that gave rivals Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Citrix (NASDAQ:CTXS) an opening, now includes more advanced networking and data protection capabilities, and vCloud now promises the ability to provision "virtual data centers" featuring thousands of virtual servers.