VMware Inc. and Amazon Web Services today announced the initial availability of VMware Cloud on AWS, a joint offering that enables customers to run VMware’s software-defined data center stack seamlessly both on-premises and on Amazon’s public cloud.
The new public, private, and hybrid cloud offering puts Palo Alto, Calif.-based VMware and Seattle-based AWS in head-to-competition with Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft and its Windows Server-Microsoft Azure hybrid cloud platform. First previewed last October, the system debuted at this year’s VMworld user and partner conference, which is currently taking place in Las Vegas.
VMware Cloud on AWS is delivered, sold, and supported by VMware as an on-demand, elastically-scalable cloud service designed to remove barriers to cloud migration and cloud portability, enhance IT efficiency, and create new opportunities for customers to leverage a hybrid cloud environment.
“VMware and AWS are empowering enterprise IT and operations teams to add value to their businesses through the combination of VMware enterprise capabilities and the breadth and depth of capabilities and scale of the AWS Cloud, providing them a platform for any application,” said VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger in a press statement. “VMware Cloud on AWS gives customers a seamlessly integrated hybrid cloud that delivers the same architecture, capabilities, and operational experience across both their vSphere-based on-premises environment and AWS.”
VMware Cloud on AWS runs on VMware’s Cloud Foundation software-defined data center platform, which incorporates its vSphere, vSAN, and NSX virtualization technologies. Key features include bi-directional workload portability between private and public clouds, the ability to scale host capacity up or down in minutes and launch an entire VMware software-defined datacenter in less than two hours, and support for containerized workloads and DevOps services such as Pivotal Cloud Foundry.
Furthermore, integration with VMware’s vCenter management solution enables technicians to administer private and public cloud applications with familiar tools and without having to purchase new or customized hardware, rewrite code, or modify their operating model.
The new offering also utilizes VMware vRealize Automation to streamline workload provisioning and deployment; vRealize Operations to deliver proactive performance management, capacity optimization, and unified visibility; and vRealize Business for Cloud to track and manage costs, accelerate planning, and drive business alignment.
Integration with additional VMware solutions, including VMware Site Recovery Manager, VMware vSphere Integrated Containers, and VMware Cloud Services, will arrive as well at an unspecified later date.
AWS will initially support the new service in its US West (Oregon) region and roll it out to additional regions worldwide in 2018.
At present, users pay on an hourly basis when hosts are active in their account. VMware plans to make one- and three-year subscription options available as well later. VMware’s Hybrid Loyalty Program will also offer discounts to customers with on-premises VMware vSphere, NSX, or vSAN licenses.
VMware Cloud on AWS turns both VMware, which is the market leader in virtualization, and Amazon Web Services, which is the market leader in public cloud computing, into instant leaders in the hybrid cloud computing marketplace.
“With the availability of VMware Cloud on AWS, for the first time customers can operate a consistent and seamless hybrid IT environment that combines the VMware software they love with the unmatched functionality, security, and operational expertise of the AWS Cloud,” said AWS CEO Andy Jassy in today’s press release. “The majority of the world’s enterprises have virtualized their data centers with VMware, and now these customers can easily move applications between their on-premises environments and AWS without having to purchase any new hardware, rewrite their applications, or modify their operations.”
VMworld concludes on Wednesday.
