This week’s launch of VMware’s (NYSE:VMW) new vCenter Operations software suite should ensure continued profit growth for the company, while creating a challenge for competing old-school systems management software firms like IBM (NYSE:IBM), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ), CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) and BMC Software (NASDAQ:BMC).

According to a Marketwire report, the vCenter Operations Management Suite helps facilitate IT service delivery by streamlining and automating virtual and cloud environment operations, and integrating numerous previously distinct functions into one platform.

Traditional systems management software companies are competing to be the supplier of systems management for the future enterprise data center, but VMware’s approach focuses on virtualization and anticipates a completely virtualized environment.

VMware is hoping win out over traditional vendors by using advanced analytics to simplify and automate management of virtual systems. vCenter Operations can help operations managers focus on important matters by sifting out trivial events and false alarms through profound statistical knowledge of normal operations.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) however, contends that its Systems Center 2012 makes it the world’s best manager of virtual resources because it already controls the physical devices on which they’re based, according to an InformationWeek report.

Spokesmen for Microsoft say System Center 2012, expected to launch mid-way through this year, will challenge other systems management to become the central management console, not only for Windows Server in the enterprise data center, but also for future workloads in the on-premises cloud and Windows Azure public cloud.

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