vSphere 7 with Kubernetes, the new generation of vSphere for containerized applications, is now generally available through the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 4.0 release. Organizations can literally go from zero to Kubernetes, by transforming their current hybrid cloud infrastructure to support containers and Kubernetes by using VCF 4.
IT teams can use vSphere’s vCenter Server tools and their existing skill sets to deliver modern services to the development teams supporting lines of business. Additionally, development teams can now get self-service access to the newly introduced VMware Cloud Foundation Services through Kubernetes and REST APIs. Learn more about the VMware Cloud Foundation Services on this blog by our CTO Kit Colbert.
vSphere 7 with Kubernetes removes barriers between the developer and IT teams with a unified platform for managing both virtual machines and containers in a single hybrid cloud infrastructure stack that is available in the datacenter, on the cloud or at the edge.
Access to modern developer services and tools
Development teams need access to modern tools and constructs using Kubernetes APIs, so they can rapidly build and enhance applications for your organization’s customers, partners and employees. VCF 4 with Tanzu delivers fully compliant and conformant Kubernetes for your development teams with the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid service.
Day 0 and Day 2 operations
Organizations that deploy modern applications are faced with Day 0 and Day 2 operations challenges related to networking, lifecycle and security of the infrastructure that supports containerized applications. Unfortunately, development and Dev-Ops teams too frequently end up performing the Day 0 and Day 2 operations, reducing their productivity. Modern applications are quite complex in nature, consisting of distributed virtual machines, containers and GPU resources to name a few. VCF 4.0 with Tanzu simplifies operations for containerized applications significantly, by enabling vSphere admins to use the familiar vCenter Server interface to manage containers, including specifying quota allocation, storage and networking policies, backup and high availability policies, and more.
Application Focused Management
Additionally, vSphere with Kubernetes through VCF provides IT admins the ability to create “namespaces.” Namespaces are groups of logically related application components that represent a single application. Developers and admins can then operate on the namespace instead of on all the individual components –saving time and reducing errors. For example, within vCenter, an admin could apply an access policy to a namespace and the policy would apply to everything within that namespace.
Multiple infrastructure stacks and siloed teams
Currently, organizations that use containers and Kubernetes frequently deploy multiple infrastructure stacks: hybrid cloud infrastructure like VCF to run existing applications, and public cloud infrastructure to run containers. These siloed infrastructure stacks are often managed by different teams due to the skillsets needed for the different stacks. VCF 4, powered by vSphere with Kubernetes, dramatically eases the process of deploying and operating containers and Kubernetes, and enables your teams to leverage their existing skillsets to support Kubernetes services for your applications. With VCF with Tanzu, organizations can operate existing and modern applications easily and consistently alongside all their existing virtual machine applications.
To learn more about how VMware’s vSphere 7 with Kubernetes and VCF deliver streamlined development and agile operations for your organization, please visit the VMware Cloud Foundation blog site.
Next Steps
Now is the time to transform your organization from zero to Kubernetes by deploying VMware Cloud Foundation 4 with Tanzu so your teams can build, run and manage containerized applications and virtual machines on a single unified platform.
We are excited about vSphere 7 and what it means for our customers and the future. Watch the vSphere 7 Launch Event replay, an event designed for vSphere Admins, hosted by theCUBE. We will continue posting new technical and product information about vSphere 7 and vSphere with Kubernetes Monday through Thursdays into May 2020. Join us by following the blog directly using the RSS feed, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Thank you, and stay safe!
