VMware Inc.'s executive vice president of research and development has quit the company and taken a job at Oracle Corp., VMware said Tuesday.

Richard Sarwal, a longtime Oracle veteran, did not stay at VMware long, having joined the company in December 2007. Stephen Herrod, chief technology officer at VMware, will begin overseeing research efforts effective immediately, according to the company.

VMware is the top virtualization vendor, with 76% market share in 2007, followed by IBM with around 10%, according to IDC.

Other vendors, including Microsoft, Oracle and Sun, have been pushing hard of late behind their own entries, creating an atmosphere of heightened competition despite VMware's significant lead.

Meanwhile, VMware recently fired its CEO and co-founder, Diane Greene, but Greene's husband and fellow co-founder, Mendel Rosenblum, remains there as chief scientist.

Oracle could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

source: Chris Kanaracus