See how VMware Cloud Foundation closes a big gap in data center automation. It steps in as a unique solution and automates steps which almost always are done manually in data centers today, despite the broad range of available tools.
In a previous series of blog articles I explored how VMware Cloud Foundation and the VMware vRealize Suite are the basis for the best in class private cloud. Now let us dive deeper on the relationship between the two solutions, and how they complement each other.
Current state in typical environments
All customers I worked with over the years use tools to operate their environment or to automate the delivery of IT services. VMware vRealize Suite significantly improves how you operate your environment, and how you automate the delivery of IT Services. However, setting up and maintaining this environment is still mostly manual work. In a software-defined data center (SDDC) from VMware this means handling the hardware, vSphere and vCenter for compute virtualization, vSAN for storage virtualization, and NSX for network virtualization. All this has to be designed, set-up and maintained by specialists.
VMware Cloud Foundation is changing the game
This is where VMware Cloud Foundation steps in as a natively integrated system. Its SDDC Manager automates most of the work people do manually otherwise to build and maintain the infrastructure.
In other words: VMware Cloud Foundation provides SDDC resources, and VMware vRealize Suite delivers these SDDC resources as services. Both solutions together turn qualified hardware into an automated private cloud.
When you look at the actual tasks the SDDC Manager of VMware Cloud Foundation automates you see how the gap is closed. SDDC Manager automates all the blue steps in the diagram below. These are imaging and configuration of the hardware, installation and lifecycle management of the SDDC software components vSphere, vSAN, and NSX. As well as set up and maintenance of workload domains (vCenter Server, ESXi clusters, vSAN, and NSX resources). Usually, these tasks are manual. VMware Validated Designs help automating some of these steps, but only VMware Cloud Foundation delivers the full automation experience for providing SDDC resources via a natively-integrated platform.
VMware vRealize Automation acts on virtual networking, virtual machines and related services and automates very different activities. These are shown in the green boxes. The operational aspects from cost analysis, to capacity planning, troubleshooting and workload balancing cover the complete system and are handled by the other components of the VMware vRealize Suite.
The value of full automation
When you close the automation gap with VMware Cloud Foundation’s SDDC Manager you get a lot of value back. All the tasks VMware Cloud Foundation automates are under the hood of your data center. Your line of business or customers do not see any of them. However, they do care about the IT services you deliver. Some of the benefits of automating infrastructure with SDDC Manager are:
- Lower your risks when you automate error-prone manual work on the infrastructure.
- Build and maintain your software-defined data center infrastructure easier and faster.
- Free up resources to work on IT service delivery improvements.
- IT staff have more time to drive their career by building their cloud automation skills (this free eBook will help)
Complement your VMware vRealize Suite driven IT Service automation and operation with VMware Cloud Foundation to have the best in class private cloud. Our customer feedback on this has been very positive as we help IT deliver more business value faster.
For more information:
- Check out the product page for Cloud Foundation
- Follow us on Twitter: @vmwCF
- Stay in touch by following our Cloud Foundation Blog
