Modernizing Your Infrastructure: A Practical Framework for VKS on VMware Cloud Foundation

The shift toward VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) on VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) represents a significant architectural evolution. While the benefits—cost optimization, consolidated management, and improved operational efficiency—are well-documented, the transition itself requires careful planning and implementation by domain experts.

Success in modernization is rarely about the technology alone; it is about the precision of the implementation. At VCF Professional Services, our approach focuses on reducing the inherent risks of replatforming by applying proven methodologies and specialized toolsets. We are introducing a structured service framework designed to help organizations navigate this transition with architectural integrity.

Phased Methodology for Platform Evolution

Modernization efforts often stall when technical execution is decoupled from business logic. Our services are categorized into three distinct but connected phases to ensure a stable, scalable transition.

1. Assess, Plan, and Pilot

This phase is about establishing clarity and alignment. Working with your key stakeholders, we develop a modernization strategy and define clear success criteria to guide your transition to Kubernetes on VCF. To establish a technical baseline, our experts will map your existing Kubernetes estate across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments while simultaneously evaluating and documenting current Kubernetes toolchains and architectural patterns to understand your specific requirements. A critical phase of the planning involves a deep dive to map application dependencies to ensure service continuity during the move. The goal is to define what “good” looks like for both your business and technical stakeholders and prove it early through a VKS pilot. This reduces uncertainty and builds organizational confidence before full-scale deployment.

2. Build and Integrate

Once the strategy is set, we move to execution. Our experts implement VKS within your existing VCF environment. To prepare the platform, we establish connectivity through load balancers, DNS records, and public IP addresses. We then deploy core services including ingress controllers, secure identity management, scalable persistent storage, and any necessary service meshes. Additionally, our team integrates specialized Kubernetes toolchains and components into the stack, aligning the platform with your specific operational requirements and development workflows. Crucially, this phase ensures the platform is fully operationalized for Day 2—focusing on lifecycle management and scalability—so customers aren’t just getting a runtime, but a production-ready foundation.

3. Replatform

This is where business value is realized. In this final phase, we help rationalize the application portfolio and execute wave-based, sprint-driven migration plans. This step shifts the focus from infrastructure to application value, successfully re-platforming workloads onto VKS. To mitigate the risks associated with “big bang” deployments, we utilize a sprint-based migration strategy.

Technical Consultation

The ultimate goal of any infrastructure modernization project is a sustainable, production-ready environment. By leveraging specialized domain experience, organizations can avoid common architectural pitfalls and accelerate the time-to-value for their containerized workloads. If you’re looking to take advantage of Kubernetes on VCF and want to leverage the experience and expertise of our Professional Services team, reach out to your Broadcom Account Director. We can discuss the specific technical requirements of your environment and how our team can support your objectives.