A Closer Look at the First VMware Cloud Foundation Release Under Broadcom!

By Francisco Perez van der Oord, President and Founder of ITQ, and Jeffrey Kusters, CTO of ITQ?

Introduction?

We are writing this article to provide a detailed analysis of the first VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) release under Broadcom’s ownership. ITQ has been a top VMware partner for over a decade, maintaining close relationships with VMware’s business units. In recent months, much has been written about VMware’s acquisition by Broadcom. This article aims to examine the impact from a business perspective and provide insights into the technical roadmap for the coming months. The first part of this article is business-oriented, followed by a more technical section.?

Business Perspective by Francisco Perez van der Oord?

Broadcom’s Strategic Shift and Impact?

Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware has indeed brought about extraordinary times. IT professionals value clarity, and such a significant change introduces a period of uncertainty. Initially, the shift to a subscription-based model, ending perpetual licenses, was both surprising and necessary to align with modern software delivery practices. Reflecting on this transition, it’s clear that Broadcom has aimed to streamline operations and improve profitability by directly servicing the top 2,000 customers. However, this move has sidelined smaller partners and customers, leading to increased costs and reduced flexibility.?

?I have also learned, perhaps naively, that people enjoy focusing on the negative aspects of such transitions. The narratives are often dramatic and pessimistic. We have experienced considerable challenges: witnessing long-time VMware employees being laid off, seeing our business model as partners being disrupted, and customers left in uncertainty for extended periods. These changes did not earn any awards for elegance, but they may have been necessary to address deep-seated issues within VMware, which had become a behemoth. Partners, employees, and customers alike had been calling for changes.?

Positive Aspects of the Integration?

Many customers have desired a more integrated stack and vision for years. Broadcom’s efforts to unify VMware’s offerings into a single product have simplified installation, lifecycle management, and major upgrades. This integration resolves the previous complaints about the complexity and unpredictability of pricing, although it sacrifices some freedom of choice.

Broadcom is creating an alternative to public cloud, allowing deployment in private data centers, rented data centers, or through partners as a cloud service. It can even be run on hyperscalers, enabling sovereignty and private AI capabilities. More functions available in public clouds will become accessible in private clouds.?

Negative Aspects of the Integration?

Some customers who were fully invested in VMware with VCF now pay less, while others who only used part of the bundle face higher costs. This issue arises when customers only need specific parts of the integrated solution.?

A portion of our customers prefers the traditional Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) model over subscriptions. They invested in ELAs, which allowed perpetual usage of licenses, but this model has been phased out.?

Broadcom’s focus on direct engagement with the top 2,000-2,500 customers, while potentially beneficial for some, carries risks. Many customers have had negative experiences with Broadcom negotiations in the past. As partners, we often understood our customers’ needs better and ensured VMware made the right offer, leading to smoother implementations.?

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Technical Insights by Jeffrey Kusters?

Overview of VCF?

For those unfamiliar, VCF consists of products like vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and the Aria Suite. VCF integrates VMware’s compute, storage, and network virtualization products into a cohesive platform. This integration simplifies management and operational tasks, making it easier to deploy and maintain hybrid cloud environments. VCF delivers:?

VCF 5.2 Key Features?

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 5.2 delivers significant updates across three main areas: Modernize Infrastructure, Cloud Experience for Developers, and Security and Resilience. These enhancements aim to streamline operations, improve performance, and provide robust security.?

Modernize Infrastructure?

Broadcom’s approach to modernizing infrastructure with VCF 5.2 focuses on scalability, performance, and ease of management. This ensures that organizations can handle increasingly complex workloads with efficiency and resilience.?

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VCF Edge?

VCF 5.2’s enhancements for edge locations ensure consistent infrastructure and operations across data centers and edge environments. This consistency simplifies management and ensures that edge deployments meet the same rigorous standards as central data centers. By providing a scalable and flexible infrastructure, organizations can start small and scale as needed, supporting a wide range of use cases from small remote sites to large edge deployments.?

Centralized Management?

Features like centralized license management and enhanced image customization reduce administrative overhead and offer greater flexibility in deployment. This helps in optimizing resource use and streamlining operations across various environments, ensuring that businesses can adapt quickly to changing needs.?

HCX-Assisted vMotion?

This capability allows for seamless migration of workloads, supporting up to 1,000 concurrent migrations. This enhances operational flexibility and ensures business continuity by facilitating smooth transitions between environments without downtime.?

VCF Import?

One of the most significant additions in VCF 5.2 is the VCF Import feature, which allows for seamless integration of existing vSphere and vSAN environments into VCF. This supports the import of vSphere, vSAN, VMFS-FC, and NFS environments, enabling a unified management experience through SDDC Manager.?

Cloud Experience for Developers?

Broadcom’s focus on enhancing the cloud experience for developers is evident in VCF 5.2. The new features focus on automation, Kubernetes management, and simplified network configurations, boosting developer productivity and streamlining operations.?

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Independent TKG Service?

By decoupling Kubernetes updates from vSphere, VCF 5.2 offers greater agility and flexibility in Kubernetes management. This is crucial for modern development practices, allowing developers to quickly adapt to new features and updates without being tied to the vSphere lifecycle. This independence ensures that Kubernetes environments remain up-to-date with the latest advancements, enhancing both performance and security.?

Cloud Admin Launchpad?

This centralized interface simplifies the management of cloud resources, making it easier for administrators to oversee and control the environment. This streamlines operations and improves efficiency, allowing developers to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure management.?

Simplified Adoption of Virtual Networking?

The streamlined adoption of virtual networks reduces configuration errors and eases the transition from physical to virtual network environments. This simplification ensures that developers can deploy and manage applications with greater ease and reliability.?

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Security and Resilience?

Security and resilience are paramount in VCF 5.2. Broadcom’s investment in these areas ensures continuous operation and enhanced protection for sensitive workloads, showcasing their commitment to building a secure, resilient platform.?

ESXi Live Patching?

Non-disruptive patching of ESXi hosts ensures that security updates can be applied without downtime, maintaining continuous protection against vulnerabilities. This feature is essential for environments that require high availability and minimal interruptions.?

Dual DPU Support: This feature enhances network performance and resilience by providing redundancy and increasing network offload capacity. It ensures that the infrastructure can handle high traffic loads and recover quickly from failures, which is vital for maintaining robust operations.?

Ransomware Protection with vDefend?

Integration with SIEMs enhances threat detection and response, providing better protection against ransomware attacks. This capability ensures that sensitive data and critical applications are safeguarded against cyber threats.?

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Conclusion?

Broadcom’s approach to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 emphasizes focus, investment, and execution strength. This platform is tailored for customers needing a true private cloud solution, offering significant potential for confidential computing, Private AI, and running workloads not optimized for public cloud. While this may not meet every customer’s needs, for those requiring a robust private cloud environment, VCF 5.2 shows immense promise, and we are confident for the future.?

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Stay tuned for more updates on VCF and how it can transform your IT infrastructure.?

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