VMware expands its Integrated Hybrid Cloud Platform with new updates

Vmware has unveiled VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3, a latest release of its integrated hybrid cloud platform. VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3 introduced as integrated cloud management platform (CMP) capabilities that will provide customers with a simplified path to building a hybrid cloud based on consistent infrastructure and operations. The platform will deliver management and provisioning of compute, network, storage and application services at scale across hybrid cloud environments via integrations with VMware vRealize Automation, vRealize Operations and vRealize Log Insight. 

Expanding VMware Cloud Foundation to include cloud management functionality will provide enterprises with a hybrid cloud platform featuring a consistent operational model and the freedom to run traditional or cloud-native applications without re-writing them. Through VMware SDDC Manager, VMware Cloud Foundation will automate the deployment and configuration of vRealize Automation,vRealize Operations and vRealize Log Insight as part of the platform’s standardized architecture. This will help enterprises achieve faster time to value.

The integration of VMware Cloud Foundation and vRealize Automation will help customers to achieve greater business agility by automating application and infrastructure service delivery via self-service capabilities and Day 2 operational capabilities across a hybrid cloud. Customers will be able to model complete application and infrastructure stacks in the form of blueprints that include compute, storage, networking, and security resources along with all of the relationships that bind them together. The intelligent operations delivered by the combination of vRealize Operations and vRealize Log Insight will help enterprises to plan, manage and scale their hybrid cloud deployments with confidence.

Additionally, VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3 will introduce heterogeneous server support (different server models) within a single rack as well as the ability to select specific servers for each workload domain. This combination of new features will provide enterprises with increased flexibility by enabling them to tailor their environments specifically to the needs of their applications. Additionally, support for varied hardware will enable IT departments to achieve greater ROI on existing hardware.

VMware Cloud Foundation provides a complete set of software-defined services for compute, storage, network and security, and now cloud management. Its built-in, automated lifecycle management simplifies the administration of the software stack from initial deployment to patching and upgrading. VMware Cloud Foundation is available for on-prem deployment or consumed as a service in the public cloud via VMware Cloud™ on AWS, IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions, CenturyLink, Fujitsu K5, OVH and Rackspace Private Cloud powered by VMware.

VMware Cloud Foundation provides customers choice among a broad and growing ecosystem of compatible turnkey integrated systems, certified server options and public cloud services. This summer, several partners unveiled new services, solutions and systems powered by VMware Cloud Foundation including -

*  Dell EMC VxRack SDDC, the easy and fast way to stand up a VMware-based, rack scale software-defined data center environment, is now powered by the latest VMware technologies, including VMware Cloud Foundation, making it up to 80 percent more efficient at scale, providing more resources for applications with a single management cluster for the entire system -

* CenturyLink introduced CenturyLink DCC (Dedicated Cloud Compute) Foundation, a fully private service based on VMware Cloud Foundation and high-performance HPE ProLiant servers;

* Fujitsu will deliver VMware cloud solutions as a service on the Fujitsu Cloud Service-K5-powered by VMware Cloud Foundation in addition to Fujitsu Integrated System PRIMEFLEX for VMware Cloud Foundation for on-prem environments;

* Hitachi Vantara disclosed plans for a new Unified Compute Platform rack-scale (UCP RS) product based on VMware Cloud Foundation and,

*  Rackspace is delivering Rackspace Private Cloud powered by VMware, built on VMware Cloud Foundation, which helps customers reap the benefits of the software-defined data center in a solution that is delivered as a Service and fully managed by Rackspace

Additionally, VMware and Intel collaborated to deliver the capabilities of the Intel Xeon Scalable processors to VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3, and are working together to offer mutual enterprise customers a fast, easy and optimized way to build on-premises environments based on VMware Cloud Foundation. Intel Select Solutions for VMware Cloud Foundation will offer verified configurations from major OEMs for running VMware Cloud Foundation. Intel Select Solutions include Intel Xeon Scalable processors and other integrated Intel technologies to help customers achieve top performance, security, and reliability for traditional and containerized workloads and hybrid clouds. Intel Select Solutions for VMware Cloud Foundation will be available in the first half of 2018.

"VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3 will be a leap forward in delivering on our promise of providing customers with the simplest path to the hybrid cloud,” said John Gilmartin, vice president and general manager, Integrated Systems Business Unit, VMware. “Since introducing VMware Cloud Foundation in 2016, our customers have consistently purchased and deployed vRealize Automation alongside the platform for automated delivery of application and infrastructure services. It was a no-brainer for us to integrate VMware Cloud Foundation and the vRealize Suite to automate the deployment and configuration of cloud management services to accelerate customer time to market.”

VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3 is expected to be available by end of VMware’s fiscal year 2018 (Feb. 3, 2018). With VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3, VMware will introduce two new VMware Cloud Foundation SKUs featuring new cloud management capabilities.

Tags: VMware, Hybrid Cloud Platform, VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3, VMware Cloud Foundation, vRealize Automation, VMware cloud solutions, Hitachi Vantara, Rackspace Private Cloud, varindia, Intel Xeon Scalable processors