VMware Deepens Hybrid Cloud Focus With vRealize Update

VMware has fettled with its vRealize suite, its automated cloud management platform that helps firms control their hybrid cloud environments.

The ‘major update’ includes features to help system admins deal with software-defined data centres (SDDC) and cloud operations.

It comes after Dell EMC earlier this month strengthened its partnership with Microsoft with the launch of a platform (Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack) that makes it easier to deploy a hybrid cloud based on Azure Stack.

Updated Suite

Dell of course owns VMware, and among the new additions for the suite is VMware vRealize Operations 6.6, VMware vRealize Automation 7.3, vRealize Business for Cloud 7.3, vRealize Log Insight 4.5 and vRealize Network Insight 3.4.

These, say VMware, combine to “provide enterprise customers with advanced intelligent operations and automated IT capabilities to more easily stand up and operate a VMware-based cloud.”

And VMware has also bolstered support for containers and configuration management solutions to ease moving applications from dev-test to production.

“VMware is committed to supporting our customers’ digital transformation initiatives by helping them to modernise their data centres as well as integrate their public clouds,” said Ajay Singh, general manager of VMware’s cloud management business unit.

“These latest updates to our vRealize platform will help customers get more out of their hybrid cloud investments today, and put them on a path for cross-cloud management of applications and infrastructure regardless of where the workload is running,” he said.

VMware believes these new additions will help system admins better plan, manage and scale SDDC and multi-cloud environments, with ‘intelligent operations’ thrown in for good measure.

For example, new intelligence has been added to workload placement decisions; and vRealize Operations 6.6 will deliver native vSAN management and monitoring, no longer requiring a separate download and installation of a management pack.

Hybrid Cloud

New insights can be gained via a tab in vRealize Operations 6.6. which should help admins work out the complete costs of AWS and Microsoft Azure instances alongside VMware-based private cloud costs.

vRealize Automation 7.3 and VMware vRealize Network Insight 3.4 are now available. However VMware vRealize Operations 6.6, VMware vRealize Business for Cloud 7.3, VMware vRealize Log Insight 4.5 are expected to become available sometime before August this year.

Dell CEO Michael Dell is a well-known believer in the hybrid cloud. Last year he declared that “everyone is on a journey to hybrid cloud”, while also asserting that the combination of Dell and EMC would enable digital transformation better than anyone else in the market.

Quiz: How much do you know about the cloud?