VMware Cloud on AWS: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
Tags: aws, cloud, wmvare
Published: 2023-06-08 18:46:31

### Introduction to VMware Cloud on AWS
VMware Cloud on AWS is a pioneering cloud solution that provides the safest and fastest pathway for your VMware workloads. This integrated cloud service combines the robust infrastructure of Amazon Web Services (AWS) with the enterprise-grade capabilities of VMware, a global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure.

The solution accelerates cloud transformation by offering operational consistency and flexibility, helping you reduce costs while scaling to meet global business demands. It provides a platform to modernize workloads, increase innovation with cloud-native services, and embrace energy-efficient, sustainable solutions.

With VMware Cloud on AWS, you can leverage the scale, performance, and capacity of AWS's global infrastructure both on-premises and in the cloud to meet your business needs. It simplifies disaster recovery by using proven VMware technologies coupled with the speed of the AWS cloud, providing a stress-free way to protect your virtual machines.

Moreover, it allows businesses to simplify and accelerate the migration of mission-critical production workloads to the AWS Cloud without the need for conversion or re-architecting. It also offers a powerful platform to build next-generation applications, enabling enterprises to increase the value of their applications by leveraging over 200 AWS services to modernize existing applications or build new ones.

In essence, VMware Cloud on AWS is a fully managed service that brings together compute, network, and storage capabilities in a ready-to-run service, designed and supported by the very creators of the software, VMware, and the leading public cloud provider, AWS​.

### Benefits of VMware Cloud on AWS

VMware Cloud on AWS offers a seamless fusion of the best features from the VMware stack and the AWS cloud, bringing forth an array of substantial benefits.

**Expanded Functionality:** The collaboration of VMware and AWS results in a superior platform that provides more functionality than either a traditional VMware stack or a cloud solution alone. This solution integrates advanced components of the VMware stack, such as NSX, vSAN, and vSphere, with the most recent additions and the broad offerings of the AWS cloud. This gives users the advantage of always running the latest versions of VMware and having immediate access to a wealth of AWS cloud features. The maintenance, upgrading, and patching are all taken care of by VMware, ensuring users can focus on leveraging these functionalities for their business needs​.

**Easy Adoption:** VMware Cloud on AWS is designed for ease of adoption, particularly for those who have prior experience with VMware. The traditional management interface of vCenter is identical in both on-premise and cloud versions, thus retaining the familiar look and feel. This allows organizations to leverage their existing VMware expertise without having to acquire new skills, resulting in significant cost savings and faster service uptake​.

**Agile Scaling Capability:** In an era where remote work is becoming more prevalent, scalability is crucial. VMware Cloud on AWS is designed to scale effortlessly, bypassing the limitations of on-premise environments. This flexibility enables businesses to adapt quickly to changing needs without the need for major infrastructural changes or enhancements​.

**Transition from CAPEX to OPEX:** VMware Cloud on AWS allows businesses to shift from a capital expenditure (CAPEX) model to an operating expenditure (OPEX) model. This change eliminates long-term, expensive contracts for datacenters and DR locations, spreading costs over time. Furthermore, the responsibility for hardware, maintenance, and upgrades is transferred from the organization to the service provider. This shift not only results in cost savings but also enables more strategic financial planning within the organization​.

**Lower Costs:** While the upfront costs of VMware Cloud on AWS may appear higher, a holistic view of expenses reveals a different picture. When considering the total cost of ownership, including real estate, hardware, software maintenance, personnel, management, and travel costs associated with an on-premise solution, VMware Cloud on AWS often emerges as the more cost-effective solution. Additional savings can be realized from the hybrid loyalty program offered by VMware to customers who are already part of the VMware ecosystem​.

In summary, VMware Cloud on AWS offers comprehensive benefits that extend beyond simple cost savings, encompassing expanded functionality, ease of adoption, agile scaling, and an advantageous shift from CAPEX to OPEX. It is a solution designed to meet the evolving needs of modern businesses, providing a robust, efficient, and cost-effective platform for all their computing needs.

### Key Features of VMware Cloud on AWS

**Integrated Services:** VMware Cloud on AWS provides an integrated service that combines compute, network, and storage capabilities in a managed service, which is fully supported and ready-to-run. This service is the result of a collaboration between VMware, the creators of the software, and AWS, a leading public cloud provider​.

Versatile Use Cases: This service is designed with versatility in mind, catering to a variety of use cases. It can extend your data center, simplifying disaster recovery solutions, and aiding in the rapid migration and scaling to the cloud. It also provides the necessary tools and services to build next-generation applications​.

**Expanded Functionality:** The combination of VMware's stack and AWS's cloud features offers an expanded set of functionalities. This allows you to run the latest version of VMware and have access to the newest features, which are maintained, upgraded, and patched by VMware. It also gives you instant access to all of the AWS cloud features, resulting in improved performance​.

**Ease of Adoption:** For those familiar with VMware, adopting VMware Cloud on AWS is quite straightforward. The management interface of vCenter in the cloud is the same as it is on-premises, which allows for the preservation of existing VMware skills and a quicker ramp-up time when using the service​.

**Agile Scaling Capability:** VMware Cloud on AWS offers agile scaling capabilities, enabling organizations to quickly scale to meet their needs without the limitations of on-premises environments​.

**Transition from CAPEX to OPEX:** With VMware Cloud on AWS, organizations can transition from a capital expenditures (CAPEX) model to an operating expenditures (OPEX) model. This change provides freedom from long and expensive contracts for datacenters and disaster recovery locations, and spreads cost over time​.

**Cost-Efficiency:** Although VMware is considered a premium brand, the overall cost benefit ratio favors VMware Cloud on AWS when you consider all the individual expenses (real estate, hardware, software maintenance, headcount, management, travel costs) you would incur without it. VMware also offers a hybrid loyalty program with incentives and savings for customers who are already invested in the VMware ecosystem​.

### Steps to Get Started with VMware Cloud on AWS

**Understanding Your Needs:** The first step to get started with VMware Cloud on AWS is to have a clear understanding of your organizational needs and how VMware Cloud on AWS can meet those needs. This would involve understanding your current on-premises VMware infrastructure, the workloads you intend to move to the cloud, and the resources needed for these workloads.

**Planning and Designing:** The next step would be to plan and design your VMware Cloud on AWS deployment. This would involve selecting the right size and number of hosts for your SDDC, planning your network design, and deciding on your storage needs.

**Deploying Your SDDC:** Once you have a clear plan, you can then proceed to deploy your VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC. This would involve setting up an AWS account, setting up a connection between your on-premises network and VMware Cloud on AWS, and deploying your SDDC.

**Migrating Workloads:** After your SDDC has been deployed, you can then begin migrating your workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS. This would involve choosing the right migration strategy for your needs, whether it's live migration, bulk migration, or cold migration.

**Managing and Operating Your SDDC:** Once your workloads have been migrated, the next step is to manage and operate your SDDC. This would involve monitoring your SDDC, managing capacity, performing updates, and troubleshooting any issues that arise.

### Best Practices for Using VMware Cloud on AWS

When using VMware Cloud on AWS, it's crucial to:

**Plan for Capacity:** Ensure you have the necessary capacity in your AWS and VMware Cloud on AWS environments. This involves understanding the requirements of your workloads and planning for growth and scalability.

**Monitor and Optimize Performance:** Regular monitoring and performance optimization is key to ensuring that your applications run smoothly. VMware Cloud on AWS provides several tools for monitoring and managing performance.

**Security and Compliance:** Ensure your configurations meet the necessary security and compliance standards for your organization and industry. VMware Cloud on AWS provides a variety of security features that you can leverage.

**Disaster Recovery Planning:** Have a solid disaster recovery (DR) plan in place. VMware Cloud on AWS provides native DR capabilities that you can use to protect your workloads.

**Cost Optimization:** Regularly review and optimize your usage to control costs. This can involve rightsizing your instances, leveraging savings programs, and shutting down unused resources.

### Cost Management in VMware Cloud on AWS

The effective management of costs is a critical component in the successful operation of any cloud-based infrastructure. VMware Cloud on AWS provides a variety of tools and strategies to assist organizations in optimizing their cloud expenses while maximizing resource utilization.

VMware Cloud on AWS is a managed service that combines the capabilities of VMware and AWS, leading to potential cost savings and operational efficiencies​. It can help organizations reduce costs while scaling to meet global business demand, offering a path to modernize workloads and increase innovation with cloud-native services. The service is designed with features that enable seamless migration and scaling to the cloud without the need for conversion or re-architecting, which can lead to significant savings in time and resources.

There are several ways in which VMware Cloud on AWS can contribute to cost management:

**Expanded Functionality:** VMware Cloud on AWS offers a more extensive set of features compared to either VMware or AWS alone, with the combined functionality resulting in improved performance. This enhanced functionality can lead to cost savings by reducing the need for additional services or tools​.

**Ease of Adoption:** The interface and operation of VMware Cloud on AWS closely resemble traditional VMware environments, which can lead to cost savings by reducing the learning curve and the need for additional training or resources. This can also help organizations leverage their existing VMware skills and experience, further reducing costs​.

**Agile Scaling:** VMware Cloud on AWS is designed to scale rapidly, making it a valuable tool in scenarios where quick scaling is required, such as the shift to remote work seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This ability to scale without the limitations of on-premise environments can result in significant cost savings​.

**CAPEX to OPEX:** VMware Cloud on AWS allows organizations to shift from a Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) model to an Operating Expenditure (OPEX) model. This change can lead to cost savings by spreading costs over time and eliminating the need for large upfront investments in hardware, maintenance, and upgrades​.

**Lower Costs:** When considering the total cost of ownership, VMware Cloud on AWS can result in lower overall costs by reducing expenses related to real estate, hardware, software maintenance, and management. Furthermore, VMware offers a hybrid loyalty program, which provides incentives and savings for customers already invested in the VMware ecosystem​.

Cloud cost management practices, such as forecasting and planning, efficient usage of resources, and right-sizing of instances, are also crucial for VMware Cloud on AWS users. These practices can lead to decreased costs, predictable spending, better performance, and improved visibility into usage and architecture, ultimately contributing to cost optimization and good governance​.

It's worth noting that while VMware Cloud on AWS provides a robust platform for cost management, individual organizations will need to create a strategy that aligns with their specific business needs and objectives. Therefore, regular monitoring, analysis, and adjustment of cloud usage and costs remain essential to ensure optimal operation within the cloud environment.