Google’s cloud-computing unit is expanding its partnership with software maker VMware Inc., as the Alphabet Inc. division seeks to catch up to rivals that have similar deals.

The deal will help VMware, which makes virtualization and networking tools, satisfy customers who want to move VMware-based workloads from their corporate servers to Google’s public cloud.

Google’s annualized sales for its cloud-computing business will be $8 billion this year, the company said last week during its earnings call. That figure includes internet-based computing and storage, as well as Google’s suite of productivity apps for word processing, spreadsheets and other office needs.

Following the deal, Google's customers will be able to bring all their existing VMware tools, policies, practices from a private cloud on premise to Google Cloud. They will also have access to Google’s artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics tools, as well as deploy their apps to all the regions where Google has data centers, beginning in the U.S.

VMware will also not directly sell the software integration with Google, unlike the dynamic in its partnership with Amazon, which VMware has described as its key cloud ally since its 2016 deal. Starting later this year, customers will be able to buy the product in Google’s cloud marketplace, and Google and CloudSimple will field any customer service inquiries should something go awry. VMware’s tie-in with Microsoft Azure, announced in April, is structured in a similar way.

Besides virtualization software, VMware customers will also be able to run networking tools through Google’s cloud.