At Explore, VMware Flexes Some Private Cloud Muscle

VMware released its latest version of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), its software platform that combines compute, storage, networking, and management services. The virtualization and cloud computing software provider, now part of Broadcom, will showcase the latest version of its platform, VCF 9, at this week’s VMware Explore 2024 conference in Las Vegas.

A cornerstone of VCF 9 is its unified approach to cloud management. By integrating compute, network, storage, and automation into a single, cohesive system, the platform reduces the need for multiple management consoles. Now, cloud administrators have a single sign-on (SSO) for the entire VCF stack, which supports different tenants and users with varying levels of multifactor authentication (MFA). This streamlines admin operations and provides a centralized place for running complex private and hybrid cloud environments.

“The current cloud strategy is causing some challenges for businesses. On one hand, they have to stitch together compute or storage, networking and security and make it work like a single platform. This increases the cost and decreases agility, not only for IT but also for application developers. On the other hand, with new artificial intelligence (AI) applications, there are tremendous data privacy, sovereignty, and security concerns around intellectual property. Those are the two main reasons our customers are looking for a new approach to the cloud. That’s why our focus is to build a unified platform,” said Prashanth Shenoy, vice president of cloud platform, infrastructure, and solutions marketing at VMware.  

VCF 9 addresses a broad range of use cases, particularly private cloud deployment. Businesses will benefit from the new installer feature in VCF 9, which simplifies private cloud setup. The installer automatically checks cloud environments, and if it finds any issues, such as missing configurations or incompatible hardware/software, it provides recommendations on how to fix them. It also reduces the manual effort required to integrate with existing VCF environments, including NSX, VMware’s network virtualization and security platform.

“With VCF 9, there is a dramatically greater level of integration, whereas before, we may have had three, four, even five separate products. Now, they’re all being integrated so that the user experience is much more seamless. Therefore, we’ll now refer to this integrated experience as VCF automation and VCF operations,” said Mark Chuang, head of VCF product marketing at Broadcom.

VCF 9 provides software development and IT operations (DevOps) teams with a modern, self-service interface that supports different types of applications, such as AI, Kubernetes, and virtual machines (VMs). For example, VCF 9 has built-in tenant management, which helps allocate and manage resources according to set policies. The platform also supports popular tools like Nvidia NGC and Hugging Face, making it easier for developers to work in familiar environments.

Furthermore, VMware is enhancing its platform to meet the growing demand for AI. Last year, VMware launched the Private AI Foundation with Nvidia, offering organizations a complete set of tools for running AI-powered applications hosted on private cloud environments built using VCF. VMware is expanding its partnerships, including support for Intel’s Gaudi 2 AI accelerators and AI workloads. Additionally, the company is launching new AI services, such as data indexing and an AI agent builder, to help organizations better manage their AI models and data.

According to Chris Wolf, Broadcom's global head of AI and advanced services, organizations are choosing VMware/Broadcom private AI solutions because of the control and flexibility they offer. These solutions allow companies to run AI models close to where their data is generated and consumed, ensuring that sensitive information remains secure and within their control. This is particularly critical for organizations with legacy systems that can’t easily be moved to the public cloud.

“We see it as an essential market category where organizations can gain the benefits of AI without sacrificing the privacy or control of their data, in essence, allowing them to run AI models anywhere data is created, processed, or consumed. We’ve seen tremendous interest and demand from customers, and we’ve been onboarding many customers since the Private AI Foundation with Nvidia became generally available,” said Wolf.

Additional VMware Announcements

At VMware Explore 2024, the company also released a catalog of VCF advanced services, including private AI, disaster recovery, load balancing, edge orchestration, and more. The catalog includes ready-to-deploy solutions aimed at helping companies innovate within private cloud environments, offering tools and technologies similar to those in public clouds. Broadcom has vetted these solutions, and they can be used independently or with the help of certified VMware partners.

Additionally, VMware is making substantial investments to support organizations in their transition to private cloud. It has designed a framework that evaluates operations, processes, and technology using a private cloud maturity index score, which helps organizations understand where they stand currently and what steps they need to take. To further support this process, organizations can join a new Jumpstart Program that offers workshops on creating a customized plan for private cloud deployment. A new VCF certification program also equips professionals with up-to-date skills for managing private clouds.

“We want our customers to move away from a product and component way of deploying to a platform approach. Every VCF customer will have access to free instructor-led learning and training. It’s self-service, it’s on demand, and it’s unlimited. So, they can get hands-on experience on how to deploy,” said Shenoy.

VMware continues to enhance VCF with several upcoming features. These include improvements in security/data protection and advanced memory tiering using nonvolatile memory express (NVMe), a protocol for accessing data stored on high-speed storage devices like solid-state drives (SSDs). It’s a much faster, more efficient way for computers to read and write data, which enhances data processing speed for AI and real-time analytics. This will benefit companies with data-intensive apps in finance, healthcare, and other industries. 

Zeus Kerravala is the founder and principal analyst with ZK Research.

Read his other Network Computing articles here.