VMware enhances Virtual Cloud Network

VMware has unveiled Virtual Cloud Network innovations that help will customers create a network that better supports current and future business initiatives. With advancements across the VMware networking and security portfolio, the company said its customers will be able to more effectively manage the rapid shift to remote work, deliver traditional and modern applications faster and more securely, and reduce the cost and complexity of connecting and protecting the distributed enterprise.

Sanjay Poonen, COO, VMware, introduces VMware as a trusted digital foundation.

According to VMware, businesses today, and the IT and application development teams supporting them, are racing to adapt to a new normal. Application architectures are more modern and cloud-native; on-premises data centres are extending to include multicloud and edge compute environments; and the work environment is no longer a single campus or branch, but rather anywhere an employee can connect to the Internet. This new reality introduces complexity that the network that has served us for the past 20 years cannot address.

“Customers tell us they want the same level of automation they have in the public cloud across their entire environment. But while they can automate some parts of their network, other parts such as firewalls and load balancers still require manual tickets for provisioning. That’s why partial automation is an oxymoron; it’s a half-built bridge that does nothing to get customers to where they want to be,” said Rajiv Ramaswami, COO, products and cloud services, VMware.

“The VMware Virtual Cloud Network delivers the automation and economics of the public cloud across every element of the network and spanning the entire distributed enterprise at a time when agility and cost matter more than ever.”

At VMworld 2020, VMware delivered solutions and services to help its customers survive and thrive in what it calls "the most turbulent market in generations".

The company announced that it will deliver new Virtual Cloud Network innovations across three areas:

- Automation that enables the public cloud experience;

VMware will add more cloud automation and scale, uptime and resiliency, machine learning-based predictive analytics, and intelligence to the virtual cloud network. The updates will enable better planning for virtual and physical networks, improved network uptime and resiliency, faster troubleshooting, and proactive identification of potential network problems based on intent, and more effectiveness in achieving service level agreements.

- Modern application connectivity and security services; and

Organisations looking to improve productivity, agility, and customer experience are embracing a container-based, microservices architecture and standardising on Kubernetes for container management. VMware is extending the Virtual Cloud Network to connect and protect such environments.

- Solutions that re-imagine what’s possible in network security.

VMware will deliver firewall performance and programmable intelligence to the Virtual Cloud Network by enabling VMware NSX to run on leading SmartNICs (intelligent network interface cards). This includes advanced security for bare metal and highly-sensitive workloads such as databases which are hard to protect today. Additionally, it enables “air gapping” of infrastructure, separating applications and hypervisors from the security controls on the SmartNIC.

VMware’s Virtual Cloud Network is the only complete Layer 2-7 virtual networking solution. It delivers and distributes all networking services in software over a diverse set of underlay transport including broadband, 4G/LTE, MPLS, dedicated Internet access, and 5G. VMware has more than 18,000 virtual cloud network customers, including 91 of the Fortune 100; is ranked No. 1 in SD-WAN as reported by leading analysts; connects more than 280,000 branches, with the largest single customer SD-WAN deployment exceeding 18,000 sites; offers the industry’s only 20 Tbps firewall; and has replaced more than 7,000 hardware load balancers.

VMware software powers complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernisation, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device.