This blog explores the latest innovations in VMware vSphere, focusing on its impact on digital infrastructure transformation. It covers the integration of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and highlights new features in vSphere 8 update 3.

Digital Transformation starts by focusing on technology, processes, and the architecture used to manage people and workflows. In the session "10 Amazing vSphere Foundation Benefits to Optimize Your IT Infrastructure [VCFB1649LV]," the discussion centers around the challenges of siloed architecture—a recurring theme at VMware Explore—and addresses related issues like regulations, data privacy, and deployment strategies. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) offers a solution with a unified platform designed for modern architecture needs. Previously, this was a bundled offering, but VMware has now consolidated it into a single product with VCF 9, integrating vSAN, NSX, and vSphere.

The vSphere hypervisor is central to both VCF and VMware vSphere Foundation, VMware's two primary offerings. These offerings include the core components of vSphere Enterprise Plus, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid service, VCF Operations Advanced, VCF Operations for Logs, and vSAN Enterprise. Opting for VCF unlocks additional use cases such as automation, VCF Operations for Networks, HCX, and Data Services, aligning more with a private cloud model.

The presenter also discussed vSphere 8 Update 3, released a few months ago. This update enhances operational efficiency through lifecycle management, boosts workload performance with hardware accelerators, accelerates innovation by enabling self-service access and application focus, and strengthens security.

​​Live Patching for ESXi: This feature allows you to update your host without incurring downtime. While not all patches are eligible for live patching, those that are released quarterly. This enables rapid updates and access to new features, enhancing reliability. Additionally, it allows for the application of security patches within a two-day security SLA.

Dual DPU Support: Dual DPU support can be configured in an Active-Active setup to offload network services to the Data Processing Unit (DPU), providing performance benefits. It can also be configured as Active-Passive for failover scenarios.

vSphere IaaS Control Plane with TKG as a Supervisor Service: This feature allows the supervisor to provision Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), with the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) service for container provisioning and the VM service for virtual machine provisioning. It provides tailored interfaces for different user personas—Developers, DevOps, and IT Admins. Admins benefit from the Local Consumption Interface (LCI), which offers a user-friendly UI, while developers focus on application development without concerning themselves with the underlying infrastructure.

Independent TKG Service: The TKG service is now integrated into the supervisor and can be upgraded independently. This facilitates quicker alignment with upstream Kubernetes, offers more flexibility in update timing, and streamlines environment management, allowing for faster deployment of new features and security patches.

Local Consumption Interface (LCI) and Cloud Consumption Interface (CCI): The LCI provides a new UI for admins to create and provision services efficiently, generating YAML code to make services portable and shareable by platform engineers. This interface helps admins work within a familiar environment while allowing developers to access IaaS resources in a user-friendly manner. The CCI, available only with vSphere Cloud Foundation, requires VCF Automation and vSphere and offers features like application cataloging and automated IaaS provisioning.

Kubernetes Autoscaling and Stretched Cluster Support: This feature provides autoscaling capabilities for Kubernetes worker nodes, allowing for the automatic scaling down of underutilized nodes and scaling up as demand increases.

vGPU Heterogeneous Profiles: Building on the vSphere 7.0 support for physical GPUs, this feature allows for the virtualization of GPU resources and the assignment of vGPU profiles like NVIDIA, which previously required uniform profile sizes. Now, different vGPU profiles with varying memory footprints can be mixed and matched, allowing for greater flexibility. Additionally, NVIDIA's media engines are supported, enabling workload sharing across GPU Media Engines, and increasing return on investment.

Modern Identity Federation Support: vSphere now supports identity federation with services like PingFederate, Active Directory Federation Services, Okta Identity, and Microsoft Entra ID.

Unified Console Experience: This feature consolidates various aspects of operations management—initial deployment, upgrades, day-to-day operations, license management, global inventory, lifecycle management, and capacity management—into a single console for simplified management. It also integrates information from Skyline and vSphere to enhance troubleshooting and security compliance.

As we look at these groundbreaking innovations in VMware vSphere, it's clear that VMware is committed to driving digital transformation across industries by simplifying complex infrastructures and enhancing operational efficiency. With these new features, vSphere continues to evolve into a comprehensive platform that supports diverse workloads, streamlines management and enhances security and compliance.

The innovations showcased at VMware Explore 2024 highlight how VMware is adapting to the needs of modern enterprises, enabling them to deploy and manage their digital infrastructure with greater flexibility and scalability. By focusing on integrating services like Kubernetes, expanding support for hybrid cloud environments, and enhancing performance with features like live patching and dual DPU support, VMware is setting a new standard for cloud infrastructure management.
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Whether you are an IT admin, developer, or DevOps professional, the latest updates in vSphere offer something for everyone, making it easier to manage resources, deploy applications, and optimize workloads. As businesses continue to navigate the complexities of digital transformation, VMware’s advancements provide the tools necessary to stay competitive and innovate faster.

In this blog, I will recap the VMware Explore 2024 opening day general session which discusses the Shift to Private Cloud, Breaking Down IT Silos, and VMware Cloud Foundation Features.
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The general session kicked off with a keynote from Broadcom’s President & CEO Hok Tan. He shared how they are listening to customers and the feedback they are getting is that customers want VMware products to work better together. He says that the previous VMware CEOs and Board of Directors have pushed us towards the public cloud, which has caused us to suffer from the three Cs: Cost, Complexity, and Compliance. He argues that the public cloud is more expensive, more complex, and less compliant than an on-premises data center. He cites that 8 out of 10 CIOs are now bringing their workloads back to on-premises. The future of the enterprise is private. Private cloud, private AI, and powered by your own private data. The public cloud will only be used for elastic demand and burstable workloads.

He then discusses the challenges of the traditional three-tier architecture that we have been dealing with for years. He points out how these silos of compute, storage, and networking create complexity, inefficiency, and security risks. He contrasts this with the VMware Cloud Foundation approach, which integrates the three tiers into a single software-defined data center stack. VMware has also developed a comprehensive portfolio of services around this platform to enable customers to build their own private cloud. These services include containerization, security, edge, automation, disaster recovery, data, and now private AI. He compares this to having AWS on-premises.

Hok Tan concluded his keynote by reminding us of the three promises Broadcom made when they bought VMware: to simplify VMware, invest in innovation, and enhance the partner ecosystem. They reduced from 8,000 skews to 4 core offerings. However, I think they still have a lot to do to fulfill these promises.

Broadcom's Vice President of Products for VMware Cloud Foundation, Paul Turner, took the stage next. He echoed Hok Tan's point about silos and explained how they create extreme complexities. He gave examples of how life cycle management, route cause analysis, optimization, and security are all complicated by the three-tier environment.

He argued that to stay competitive and deliver applications securely and quickly, we need to break the IT silos and enable agile IT. He cited some statistics that show how the siloed IT model increases costs significantly. For example, day-to-day operations cost 42% more, physical server footprints cost 40% more, overall infrastructure costs 30% more, and costs per vm are 34% higher. He attributed these costs to the lack of commonality between the silos, such as single-sign-on, unified tagging, life cycle management, and common altering. He presented VMware Cloud Foundation as the solution to these problems, as it integrates compute, storage, network, automation, and operations into a single platform.
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He then delved into the three layers of the VMware Cloud Foundation platform and their benefits. The first layer is Automation and Operations, which provides central management of private cloud resources, such as capacity, life cycle, security, and compliance. The second layer is Modern Developer Interface, which enables agile application delivery through service catalogs, containerization, and AI and ML support. The third layer is Advanced Services, which offers additional features such as advanced firewalls and load balancing.

He also talked about the various deployment options that customers can choose from, thanks to the wide network of partners that support VMware Cloud Foundation. Customers can opt for different OEMs like Dell or HPE, or different public clouds like AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. Customers who prefer a managed service model can leverage the 300-plus partners who offer such services. Moreover, there are over 14,000 partners like CDW who can assist customers with the design, implementation, and adoption of the VCF platform and its ecosystem.

He introduced the new features of VMware Cloud Foundation 9, which include a new VCF operations console that simplifies the management of events, logs, and diagnostics. This enables faster troubleshooting and ensures continuous uptime. It also integrates with Skyline to provide fleet management, policy governance, and license management across the platform. Additionally, it offers more agility for areas such as multi-tenancy, workflow orchestration, and IaaS integration with Kubernetes, which are now part of the unified VCF platform.
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He concluded with an overview of the Advanced Services and the rich portfolio of services available under this category. These services can run on the VCF foundation and cover service domains such as Advanced Security, Data Services, Disaster Recovery, Container Operations, Edge Services, Load Balancing, Workload Automation, and Private AI.

As VMware Explore 2024 concludes its opening day, we are left with a clear vision of the future shaped by VMware's innovative solutions. The shift towards a private cloud-centric approach, the breaking down of IT silos, and the robust features of VMware Cloud Foundation 9 promise to redefine the landscape of cloud computing. With a simplified product offering, a commitment to innovation, and an enhanced partner ecosystem, VMware is poised to lead enterprises into a new era of efficiency, security, and agility. The journey towards a more unified and streamlined IT infrastructure is just beginning, and VMware is at the forefront, guiding the way with expertise and foresight. We look forward to seeing how these developments will unfold and the transformative impact they will have on businesses worldwide.

Having attended and blogged about VMware events since 2014, I couldn't be more thrilled to once again dive into a journey of innovation, networking, and professional growth. With VMware Explore 2024 on the horizon, early-bird registration is now open! Join us from August 26th to 29th at The Venetian Convention and Expo Center in Las Vegas for an extraordinary experience poised to unlock the future of technology.

VMware Explore isn't just another tech conference; it's a convergence of minds, a showcase of the latest advancements, and a platform to gain insights that can shape the future of your business. Here's why you shouldn't miss it:
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1. Uncomplicate Your Cloud: In today's complex digital landscape, navigating the cloud can be a daunting task. But fear not! At VMware Explore 2024, VMware is here to demystify the cloud and help you unleash its full potential. Dive deep into their Cloud Infrastructure track and learn best practices, tips, and tricks for optimizing your cloud strategy and simplifying your operations.
2. Accelerate Your Next Move: Whether you're looking to advance your career, expand your skill set, or propel your business forward, VMware Explore 2024 is your catalyst for success. Explore the learning tracks, including Software-Defined Edge, Networking, Security & Load Balancing, Modern Applications, and Innovation, and discover the tools, technologies, and strategies you need to accelerate your next move.
3. Connect and Explore: Step into The Hub, the beating heart of VMware Explore 2024! Whether you're looking to relax, recharge, network, or learn, The Hub has you covered. Join VMware to connect with fellow attendees, explore unique content across the communities, and immerse yourself in an interactive, centralized location you won't want to miss.
4. Hands-On Labs: Ready to roll up your sleeves and dive deep into the world of VMware? VMware expert-led workshops, interactive labs, and production-quality VMware TestDrive demos await! Get hands-on experience with the full VMware by Broadcom portfolio of products and connect with subject matter experts who will be on hand to answer questions and provide deep dives into innovative solutions.
5. Certificate Exams: Take your career to new heights with VMware certifications! As a full event pass holder, you'll have the opportunity to purchase VMware Certified Professional (VCP) and VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) certification exam vouchers at a 50 percent discount. 
6. The Expo: Discover the latest products and solutions from sponsors and exhibitors at The Expo. Be sure to visit the VMware by Broadcom booth, where you can learn about the newest offerings, attend in-booth theater presentations, and get your questions answered by product specialists. With a plethora of exhibits to explore, The Expo promises to be a hotspot for innovation and inspiration.

Ready to unlock the future of technology? Don't wait until it's too late! Secure your spot at VMware Explore 2024 with early-bird registration and enjoy exclusive perks, including priority access to sessions, special discounts on registration fees, and early access to event resources and networking opportunities. Early-bird pricing of just $1,995 is available until June 11th, so act fast to take advantage of this incredible offer.