VMware Cloud Foundation

The main articles are:

• Storage system
• Virtualization. Classification and applications

VMware Cloud Foundation is a cloud infrastructure platform that can be flexibly deployed in a local environment or used as a service in the cloud to run traditional and native cloud container applications.

VMware Cloud Foundation helps IT accelerate its time to market by offering an integrated cloud infrastructure with a full suite of software-defined services for computing, storage, networking, and security.

2023: Adding a Vulnerability to the KEV Directory

CISA has added a critical vulnerability in the VMware Cloud Foundation to its catalog of known exploitable vulnerabilities (KEVs). This became known on March 11, 2023.

The CVE-2021-39144 RCE vulnerability (CVSS: 9.8 by VMware) was discovered in October 2022 in the XStream open source library used by the Cloud Foundation. It can be used by unauthorized hackers during simple attacks that do not require user interaction to remotely execute arbitrary code with root privileges. VMware fixed this flaw, and the PoC code for this bug was published on the day the updates were released.

CISA included the CVE-2021-39144 vulnerability in KEV after VMware confirmed that the bug was being exploited in real attacks. On March 6, 2023, Wallarm, an information security company, reported that the operation of the CVE-2021-39144 began just weeks after the release of security updates. The vulnerability has been exploited more than 40,000 times in the past 2 months. Active operation began on December 8, 2022 and continues to this day.

Wallarm noted that if the flaw is successfully exploited, the consequences can be catastrophic - cybercriminals can execute arbitrary code, steal data and gain control over the network infrastructure. CISA also ordered US federal agencies to protect their systems from attacks by March 31^[1].

2022: VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4 and 3.11 Updates

On February 22, 2022, it became known that the company VMware recently made available for download an update to the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) product package version 4.4, designed to create an upgrade. virtual data center It includes components,,, VMware vRealize Suite, and VMware vSphere Integrated Containers VMware Integrated OpenStack VMware Horizon NSX others working in an onpremise, or cloudy hybrid to infrastructure enterprise under the management of Manager. SDDC

Illustration: vmgu.ru

Changes in VCF 4.4:

• vRealize Suite Flexible Upgrades - Now the upgrade of the vRealize Suite products is fully managed by vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager. As soon as the next version of a product becomes available, it can be updated using Lifecycle Manager, while checking the compatibility of product versions in vRealize Suite. Therefore, Bill of Materials (BOM) now does not provide separate versions of vRealize Automation, vRealize Operations, vRealize Log Insight and Workspace One Access, which will be updated through Lifecycle Manager.
• Changes to Upgrade Prechecks - Now checks file system capacity, file permissions and passwords. This ensures a smoother upgrade process.
• SSH is disabled on ESXi hosts by default - this is a configuration that is applied according to security guidelines.
• The ability to log user activity - now all these logs save VMware Cloud Foundation API calls along with the user context. Logins and logouts are also logged to the SDDC Manager console.
• Support for 2-node vSphere clusters when using NFS, VMFS on FC, or vVols as primary cluster storage (this capability does not apply when using vSAN or when using Lifecycle Manager baselines for updates).
• Security Updates:
  • Patches of the Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution vulnerability (fixes for vulnerabilities CVE-2021-44228 and CVE-2021-45046, described in more detail in VMSA-2021-0028).
  • Security patches for Apache HTTP Server (namely CVE-2021-40438, see VMSA-2021-0020 for details).

• Optimize the efficiency of SDDC Manager in terms of processor and memory usage. Also, now the inventory in the console works better and objects (ESXi hosts, workload domains and others) open faster.
• The Multi-Instance Management Dashboard is no longer available in the SDDC Manager interface.
• BOM updates - Updated versions of the relevant products have been added to the package.

VMware Cloud Foundation 4.4 now includes the following VMware products and their versions

Illustration: vmgu.ru

Also, users of the previous branch of VMware Cloud Foundation 3.x received update 3.11.

Changes in VCF 3.11:

• Patches of the vulnerability Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution (fixes for vulnerabilities CVE-2021-44228 and CVE-2021-45046, described in more detail in VMSA-2021-0028).
• Security patches for Apache HTTP Server (namely CVE-2021-40438, described in more detail in VMSA-2021-0020).
• Changes to Upgrade Prechecks - Now checks file system capacity, file permissions and passwords.
• The skip-level upgrade utility CLI tool, which allows you to update directly to VCF 3.11, has now received several changes in terms of pre-checks, security checks and usability.
• VCF 3.11 now supports up to 1000 ESXi hosts per SDDC Manager.
• Bill of Materials Updates - The package now includes ESXi 6.7 EP23, vCenter Server 6.7 U3q, NSX-v 6.4.12, and NSX-T 3.0.3.1, vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager 2.1 Patch3, and VMware Horizon 7.10.3.^[2]

2021: VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2

On February 16, 2021, VMware announced the release of VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2.

VMware Cloud Foundation 4.2

According to the company, VCF 4.2 includes the following updates:

• vSAN HCI Mesh Support - VCF now supports HCI Mesh technology in vSAN clusters to leverage remote cluster capacity.
• NSX-T Federation support - You can now combine multiple workload domains into a single view using Global Manager.
• Static IP pools for NSX-T Host Overlay (TEP) networks - They can be used as an alternative to DHCP.
• Support for lockdown mode on ESXi hosts - they can be enabled for workload domains through vCenter.
• Miscellaneous: VCF 4.2 includes validating passwords, optimizing API performance, and improving ESXi error messages.
• The SDDC Manager interface includes a Release Versions page with updated VCF product capabilities, infrastructure, and support end dates.
• In the SDDC Manager interface and through the API, you can filter update bundles by target releases, so that it is more convenient to update only to the desired versions.
• Support for vRealize Automation for a cloud account. You can integrate SDDC Manager and workload domains with VMware Cloud Assembly as VCF cloud accounts.
• Support for service virtual machines using vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) images. This enables NSX-T Guest Introspection (GI) and NSX-T Service Insertion (SI) to be deployed to workload domains using vLCM.
• Updated the list of products and their versions included in the VCF infrastructure (from the main one - vRealize Suite 8.2, NSX-T 3.1 and the latest versions of vSphere and Horizon).

2020

In Russia, the consumption of VMware hybrid cloud in Q1 increased by 35%

{{quote 'Artem Geniev, architect of VMware business solutions, said in June 2020: "In Russia, the consumption of VMware hybrid cloud in Q1 increased by 35%. That suggests a good level of maturity. Fundamentally, the future of IT is multi-cloud and hybrid. Therefore, during a crisis, you can evaluate your IT strategies, fully assess the potential of cloud technologies in the context of a particular enterprise, and take advantage of the situation to create a reliable foundation for development during the recovery period. Cloud technologies enable faster access to innovative tools for advanced analytics, mobility management, and machine learning. When we talk about hybrid infrastructure, it is important to harmonize not only the operating model, but also to create a uniform infrastructure on which virtual capacity is deployed.

The VMware Cloud Foundation hybrid cloud platform allows you to balance the management of virtual machines and container orchestration between different service providers and your own infrastructure. The platform is based on a full stack of hyper-converged infrastructure technologies, that is, it is a complete virtualization of all data center subsystems and automation of all operations. Clouds in the hybrid model allow you to prioritize the provision of resources to critical applications to adequately respond to peak demand, but if there are critical applications that cannot work in the clouds, you can always migrate less critical applications and quickly free up resources in your own infrastructure. In such a situation, the pay-as-you-go model is convenient, because it allows you to equalize the flow of expenses and income. In general, the use of clouds allows you not to accumulate technical debt while maintaining liquidity and financial maneuverability of the business. "}}

VMware Cloud Foundation 4

March 31, 2020 it became known about the release of the next version of the set of solutions for the hybrid infrastructure VMware Cloud Foundation 4. It is a comprehensive one software solution that includes components,, VMware vRealize Suite,, and VMware vSphere Integrated Containers VMware Integrated OpenStack VMware Horizon NSX others operating in an integrated or cloudy hybrid enterprise infrastructure managed by SDDC Manager.

The VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid component has appeared in the VCF stack. In the VCF architecture, administrators can deploy and maintain applications in Kubernetes clusters using Kubernetes tools and the restful API.

At the same time, vSphere with Kubernetes technology (aka Project Pacific) will provide the following functionality:

• The Kubernetes-based vSphere Pod Service will allow nodes to be executed directly in the ESXi hypervisor. When an administrator deploys containers through the vSphere Pod Service, they receive the same level of security, isolation, and performance assurance as virtual machines.
• Registry Service allows developers to store and maintain Docker and OCI images on the Harbor platform.
• Network Service allows developers to manage Virtual Routers, Load Balancers, and Firewall Rules components.
• Storage Service allows developers to manage persistent disks for use with containers, Kubernetes clusters, and virtual machines.

Otherwise, VCF 4 acquires all the capabilities that the already listed releases of vSphere, vSAN, NSX-T and others provide.

Separately, we should note the very tight integration of vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) with the vSphere 7 platform. vLCM complements the infrastructure component lifecycle management virtualizations capabilities that SDDC Manager already has, but at a deeper level - namely, at the firmware management level for vSAN ReadyNodes (for example, HBA microcode updates).

Like all other updates to the vSphere line, the VCF 4.0 update is expected in April 2020.

2019

VMware vCloud Foundation 3.8.1. и VMware Cloud Foundation for Cloud Providers

On September 16, 2019, it became known that VMware announced the availability of the VMware Cloud Foundation for Cloud Providers platform for service providers and introduced an updated version of the VMware vCloud Foundation 3.8.1 platform.

The vCloud Foundation (VCF) is a comprehensive software solution that includes VMware vRealize Suite components, VMware vSphere Integrated Containers, VMware Integrated OpenStack, VMware Horizon, NSX, and others operating in an integrated, cloud, or hybrid enterprise infrastructure that is desirable to deploy all together, but can be omitted and omitted.

The presented VCF architecture for service providers (VCPP) is positioned by the developer as the main product for building dedicated cloud infrastructures for large customers (Dedicated Private Clouds). The solution combines the capabilities of VMware Software-Defined platforms (vSphere and other products) and solutions for migrating to the HCX virtual environment. The VCF cloud platform is available in three editions, depending on the editions of its products:

The VMware Cloud Foundation combines the SDDC portfolio (vSphere, NSX, vSAN) as well as SDDC Manager management tools to create a validated architecture on the service provider side and provide lifecycle management for all components so that cloud providers can upgrade the entire infrastructure in one click, VMware noted.

Onboarding users to the cloud VCPP providers helps produce VMware HCX, which provides the process of migrating an enterprise's physical resources to a cloud environment based on virtual machines in the cloud:

As noted in VMware, the VCF solution can work on top of a hybrid enterprise infrastructure - just another unifying element appears in the cloud of the service provider. For traditional hosting providers that provide Shared Hosting/Virtual Private Servers services, the VCF solution for VCPP will allow you to get large customers, while it is initially tailored for a dedicated infrastructure with many clients.

To start with VMware Cloud Foundation for Cloud Providers, partners will need to undergo special training within 1 week, VMware said.

vCloud Foundation release version 3.8.1. focused on the infrastructure of containerized applications running Kubernetes. Such an infrastructure is managed completely differently than a traditional platform for virtual machines, so the goal was to combine the PKS (Pivotal Container Service) and VCF workflows.

In this release, VCF 3.8.1 has the following features noted by the developer:

• Automate PKS deployment - You can automatically place a VMware Enterprise PKS load in the NSX-T workload domain.

VCF and PKS integration tools are built in such a way that cloud administrators do not need any special knowledge of Kubernetes to manage the integrated infrastructure of containers and virtual machines.

• Support for two-factor authentication - it is available for password-based APIs in the SDDC Manager console.
• Improved Phone Home capabilities - Enables the provider to organize phone home features for data in SDDC Manager with one click.
• Bill ON of materials BOM - includes vSphere 6.7 Update 3, vSAN 6.7 U3, updated Horizon, NSX-T, and vRealize.
• Security improvements and bug fixes.^[3]

Integration with HPE GreenLake and HPE Synergy

On August 26, 2019, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced an expanded partnership with VMware, in which customers will have access to VMware Cloud Foundation under the "as a service" model. With the integration of HPE GreenLake and HPE Synergy with the VMware Cloud Foundation, companies will enable their mutual customers to store all their applications and data locally while taking advantage of their cloud and build infrastructure.

The Partner Agreement provides customers with:

• Controlling the Cloud Economy: Managing VMware Cloud Foundation with HPE GreenLake enables enterprise IT departments to reallocate resources to meet changing business demands. Customers pay for what they use and plan bandwidth ahead to avoid over-provisioning and save on total cost of ownership.

• Speed and flexibility: Integrating HPE GreenLake and HPE Synergy with VMware Cloud Foundation helps companies accelerate ROI. HPE Synergy enables customers to create an optimal mix of resources, customize them to suit the needs of VMware Cloud Foundation workloads, and scale them if needed. In this way, IT professionals and developers will be able to create resources faster and thereby speed up the deployment of applications. With HPE GreenLake's workload accounting and management capabilities, the resources required for each workload can be prepared for use in minutes instead of months, reducing the deployment time of global IT projects by 65%.

• Monitor, secure, and optimize workloads - Customers can use HPE Right Mix Advisor to determine which workloads and applications are ideal for moving in and public cloud storing in, and private how to move them to achieve optimal cloud utilization. HPE Right Mix Advisor provides recommendations that allow customers to control IT operations, policies, and procedures, improve performance, and manage costs for each workload.

Cloud Foundation 3.7

On May 21, 2019, it became known that VMware has supplemented VMware Cloud solutions in accordance with a strategy aimed at creating a unified digital platform to support the process of digital transformation of customers and partners of the company.

The VMware Cloud Foundation is a hybrid cloud platform that extends the very concept of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) by unifying its core components: computing, storage and data transfer, security, and cloud management . Cloud Foundation is a solution that integrates the entire VMware software stack and ensures the compatibility of IT infrastructure components . It helps to modernize data centers; Quickly move applications and entire data centers to the cloud Enable on-demand infrastructure scaling for disaster recovery, global business expansion, or smoothing seasonal load peaks Deploy today's cloud applications to data center environments.

In addition, the updated version of Cloud Foundation 3.7 supports fully automated virtual personal computer (VDI) deployment using VMware Horizon 7 technology. Cloud Foundation dramatically accelerates virtualization with Horizon 7 technology, providing complete automation, including installing Horizon 7, configuring App Volumes application layer virtualization technologies, user environment management User Environment Manager, and Unified Access Gateway intelligent gateways. The Cloud Foundation platform helps you integrate a ready-to-use cloud infrastructure into a business application.

Cloud Foundation forms the foundation of cloud infrastructure and software-defined data centers for both local and multi-cloud networking environments. VMware announced the expansion of the global availability of services on the Cloud Foundation platform:

• Increase the number of regions where VMware Cloud on AWS will be available. Following the addition of AWS Canada (Centre), AWS EU (Paris) and AWS APJ (Singapore), the number of VMware Cloud on AWS availability regions worldwide reached thirteen. VMware and AWS continue their joint efforts to reach the most important regions of the world with this service by the end of the 2019 calendar year.
• More VMware Cloud on AWS partners: In less than a year since the launch of the partner program, more than 60 partners have joined it; more than 280 partners are VMware Cloud on AWS Solution Competitiveness certified.
• VMware Cloud Partner Growth: 35 VMware Cloud Provider partners have achieved Cloud Verified status. VMware Cloud Verified status is awarded to partners who are able to provide customers with a full range of services for deploying software-defined data centers, as well as offering their own services and support based on their data centers through the Cloud Foundation. The Cloud Verified logo is a guarantee for customers that the cloud provider offers the most complete list of VMware technologies and has all the necessary qualifications for their use; such a partner is able to ensure the unity of infrastructure management and operations between different cloud environments.

Dell EMC VxRail Hyperconverged System Exit with Cloud Foundation

On March 19, 2019, VMware announced a new version of the Cloud Foundation cloud platform that is integrated with Dell's EMC VxRail appliance. The latter has been redesigned from scratch for compatibility with VMware's hybrid cloud infrastructure. In this regard, SiliconANGLE browsers call this release VMware's entry into the market of hyper-converged equipment that combines computing, networking, and storage resources.

In March 2019, VMware entered the hyperconverged systems market

VMware itself also calls the new solution a full-fledged integrated platform, which is 60% faster than standard software installation on the same hardware. High performance is achieved through the development of new features, automation and product maintenance with Dell EMC over the life of the product, the press release said.

The presented solution will go on sale in April 2019. VMware did not disclose prices at the time of the announcement. Rick Villars, vice president of data center and cloud services market research at IDC, says there is a trend in which the cost of hyperconverged platforms is formed according to the principle of a cloud business model. 

Customers increasingly prefer to pay for the product as they consume it. The first step towards this is to create a standard product, the expert said, commenting on the Cloud Foundation's release on Dell EMC VxRail.

Dell EMC notes that the deep integration of VMware Cloud Foundation with VxRail provides customers with a "single, complete, automated, and fully on-premises solution." It will speed up development and simplify IT management, increase infrastructure flexibility, which will allow companies to quickly release new IaaS and PaaS services.^[4]

2018: VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5

On November 29, 2018, the company VMware introduced a version of the integrated platform for hybrid cloud VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5, designed to help customers simplify the deployment and use of cloudy environments. Advanced deployment capabilities, support Kubernetes , and updated management tools have been added to this release. infrastructure VMware Cloud Foundation accelerates the process of building an integrated hybrid cloud by providing a comprehensive set of services for computing, data storage networking, safety and cloud management. The platform allows enterprise to run securely applications in hybrid cloud environments.

VMware noted that in the era of multi-cloud environments, organizations choose either a hybrid cloud or a public cloud for migration . Both approaches address the growing number of applications and introduce increasingly popular technologies such as machine learning, clustering, and advanced analytics. Although each cloud model is unique, both are mutually complementary and can exist in parallel within the same organization. Both models solve the same task - to give enterprises and organizations the opportunity to create innovative services. VMware develops the capabilities of the hybrid cloud in all directions, from traditional data centers to cloud and peripheral.

"The VMware Cloud Foundation is the core of VMware's hybrid cloud strategy, and it is the easiest way to deploy and use the hybrid cloud. VMware provides reliable tools for building a comprehensive cloud infrastructure that will work even in the largest and most demanding hybrid cloud environments. The solution ensures consistent operation of the enterprise infrastructure, whichever model it is created - private cloud, public cloud or peripheral model. Our goal is to help customers close the widest range of needs and protect the investments they have already made. To do this, the VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5 platform has flexible means of integrating into the hybrid cloud strategy that is adopted in the enterprise. " John Gilmartin, VP and Head of Integrated Systems at VMware

VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5, according to the developer, provides even more options for deploying infrastructure, including on the basis of Kubernetes clusters. VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5 is even more flexible, confident in the face of ever-increasing workloads, and capable of supporting cloud technologies. The presented version of VMware Cloud Foundation has added module compatibility functions implemented through. HPE Synergy This makes it easier for customers to build private cloud infrastructure when managing their environments. SDDC In addition, the version supports integration with, VMware NSX-T which allows you to automate deployment lifecycle management ON virtualizations and networks, as well as support containerized applications and Kubernetes. VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5 is based on a wide range of features and integration capabilities that have appeared in VMware Cloud Foundation 3.0, including the choice of physical ones. network switches

The distinguishing features of VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5, noted by the developer:

• Increased flexibility:
  • VMware will test the latest version of VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC vSAN Ready nodes of the Dell EMC PowerEdge MX modular infrastructure with prospects for deeper integration in the future. PowerEdge MX is a Dell EMC kinetic infrastructure designed for software-defined data centers that includes customizable modules for computing, storage, and network transmission. The fully hyperconverged VMware Cloud Foundation provides support for all types of VMware vSAN Ready hosts.
  • Support module compatibility features with deep integration between VMware SDDC Manager and HPE Synergy Composer based on HPE OneView. Customers can dynamically build physical resources using the VMware Cloud Foundation user interface to meet the needs of applications running in workload domains, improving overall operational efficiency and automation.

• Variety of applications:
  • Integration with VMware NSX-T 2.3 simplifies the implementation of network and security tasks for Kubernetes, allowing you to support containerized and cloud-based application scenarios. It also includes support for VMware PKS, an enterprise-class solution based on Kubernetes.
  • Since version 3.0, the platform has implemented support for multi-site scenarios, including the use of stretched clusters, as well as fast and convenient redistribution of workloads between private and public clouds using NSX Hybrid Connect.

• Changes in VMware products:
  • VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5 supports the latest versions of VMware products, including vSphere 6.7 Update 1. This provides simple and efficient scalability, built-in protection for applications, infrastructure, data and access, and greater support for workloads such as and. artificial intelligence machine learning Integration with VMware NSX-T 2.3 allows you to work in containerized environments, as well as offering a simplified workflow and an updated search interface that helps administrators quickly find objects and events in the NSX-T system. In addition, version 3.5 introduces features VMware vRealize Automation 7.5 with advanced support for developer applications that are implemented through integration with VMware PKS to manage the Kubernetes cluster. 7.0 VMware vRealize Operations enables customers to implement a "self-managed" approach to monitoring and management data centers cloudy and environments.

In November 2018, it also became known that Dell EMC announced the testing of VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail. The combination of Dell EMC VxRail and VMware Cloud Foundation is expected to provide customers with an easy way to build a private cloud with rich enterprise capabilities, including multi-site and multi-cluster options, with fully automated deployment and lifecycle management across the structure.

According to the developer, VMware Cloud Foundation is the easiest path to a hybrid cloud because it allows you to build a unified, secure, and flexible cloud infrastructure that can be deployed locally or on a SaaS model from a public cloud via VMware Cloud on AWS, IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions, CenturyLink, Fujitsu, NTT Enterprise Cloud (ECL) based on VMware Cloud Foundation, OVH and RackspacePrivate Cloud based on VMware.

According to VMware, VMware Cloud Foundation 3.5 will be available for order by the end of the 2019 VMware fiscal year (February 1, 2019).

2017

Version 2.3 released

On December 14, 2017, VMware, Inc. introduced VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3.

The upgraded VMware Cloud Foundation with cloud management will provide enterprises with a hybrid cloud platform with a consistent operating model and the ability to run traditional and native cloud applications without the need to recycle them. With VMware SDDC Manager, VMware Cloud Foundation automates the installation and configuration of vRealize Automation, vRealize Operations, and vRealize Log Insight, which are part of a standardized platform architecture. This will help organizations accelerate the development and commissioning of solutions.

The integration of VMware Cloud Foundation and vRealize Automation enhances enterprise business adaptability by automating application delivery and infrastructure services. In a hybrid cloud, these capabilities are delivered through self-service and management and monitoring capabilities. Users will be able to model complete application and infrastructure stacks as visual diagrams that highlight the computing and storage resources involved, networks and security, and the relationships between them. vRealize Operations and vRealize Log Insight smart monitoring and diagnostics tools will help enterprises confidently plan, manage, and scale hybrid cloud deployments.

Innovation in VMware Cloud Foundation 2.3 - heterogeneous server support (i.e. servers of different configurations and models) within the same rack with the ability to select specific models for servicing a specific type of workloads. Technology features will help enterprises more efficiently customize their environments for specific application needs.

VMware Cloud Foundation offers a complete set of software-defined services for computing, storage, networks and security, services for managing the cloud. Built-in automated lifecycle management simplifies the administration of the software stack from initial deployment to patch installation and upgrade. VMware Cloud Foundation can be implemented locally or used as a service through, VMware Cloud on AWS IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions,, CenturyLink Fujitsu K5, OVH and Rackspace Private Cloud powered by VMware.

Partner offers

On August 30, 2017, VMware announced the expansion of the Cloud Foundation platform with built-in lifecycle management automation tools that will help customers avoid unnecessary infrastructure development and upgrade costs. They can also select compatible public cloud services, turnkey integrated systems, and certified servers from options offered by the VMware Cloud Foundation ecosystem.

What was announced as part of VMworld 2017:

• Cloud Services - VMware partners offer Cloud Foundation-based services: CenturyLink DCC (Dedicated Cloud Compute) Foundation private clouds from CenturyLink and Rackspace Private Cloud powered by VMware from Rackspace, as well as a solution from Fujitsu.
• Integrated systems - among the solutions announced by VMware partners are an updated version of Dell EMC VxRack (SDDC software-defined data center), as well as regular releases HDS UCP of -RS, Fujitsu Primeflex and QCT QxStack.
• Certified Servers - VMware has introduced an expanded list of Cloud Foundation-certified servers of choice from Cisco, HDS, Fujistu and Lenovo.

The latest enhancements to our VMware Cloud Foundation-based dedicated cloud computing service Dedicated Cloud Compute (DCC) draw on our many years of experience in delivering private cloud services, "said David Shakochis, vice president of hybrid IT management at CenturyLink. - Application of a software-defined data center - an approach that provides flexible provision of corporate applications connected to our global network of 32 international hosting locations. With this service, companies can deploy new workloads and innovations faster in an easily scalable and well-protected environment based on VMware technologies.

2016: Announcement of the first SDDC from VMware

On August 29, 2016, VMware introduced its first software-defined data center (SDDC). A solution called VMware Cloud Foundation that combines virtualization, storage, and computing technologies can be used to quickly deploy multi-cloud infrastructures.

The integrated VMware Cloud Foundation product includes the vSphere server virtualization platform, software-defined VSAN storage technology and NSX network solution, writes CRN, citing VMsare Senior Product Marketing Director Alberto Farronato.

VMware introduced its first software-defined data center, the VMware Cloud Foundation platform

VMware Cloud Foundation is a unified SDDC platform for hybrid clouds, he said. It uses the VMware SDDC Manager tool to automate the deployment and maintenance of software-defined data centers, providing the platform with versatility for all applications in private and public clouds.

VMware Cloud Foundation can be run locally or as a service. This is the world's first solution offered in the form of a service for the construction of fully software-defined data centers, Farronato noted.

VMware will work with a number of IT companies to develop off-the-shelf systems that enable customers and partners to build their own private clouds based on the VMware Cloud Foundation. VMware partners include Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco, and Arista.

In addition, VMware cooperates with IBM in the cloud services market: in six months of collaboration, more than 500 companies launched VMware virtual machines in the IBM Cloud infrastructure, and the number of cloud sales consultants trained to work with VMware at IBM reached 4,000. In the third quarter of 2016, VMware Cloud Foundation will receive support for IBM Cloud.^[5]

Notes