Why Choose a VMware Cloud? 

If you have been in the hosting industry for some time, you most likely had to upgrade your hosting package or resize your server at some point. As your business grows, so do the resources needed to run that business. Over the years, someone has most likely recommended a private cloud solution to you. You probably asked yourself why you would need a more expensive private solution like VMware cloud when you have a powerful VPS server or Dedicated server that is perfectly capable of handling your existing traffic.

Who Uses VMware and Why? - WPSiteSync

VMware is a partner of many renowned hosting companies. Google has a partnership with VMware through the Google Cloud VMware Engine solution, enabling you to quickly and efficiently migrate your VMware workloads. AWS is offering Managed VMware Cloud, which allows you to run your applications through a mix of public, private, and Hybrid Cloud environments. Here at Liquid Web, we also partnered with VMware to bring you our Private Cloud Powered by VMware and NetApp product. 

Most serious hosting providers offer a VMware cloud service. Why? Because VMware cloud is one of the best cloud solutions for enterprise use. This is the demographic group that uses the VMware product the most. With VMware cloud, you can allocate resources on-demand and have complete security control saving both time and money. You also have access to many tools developed by VMware to make your life easier. These tools include VMware vSphere and Hypervisor used for virtualization. Cloud Servers can be either public, private, Hybrid, or in some cases, multi-cloud. Let’s investigate the differences between them.

Private, Public, Hybrid, and Multi-Cloud

VMware Private Cloud is a product that Liquid web offers and is the perfect solution for anyone considering moving away from on-premises infrastructure to a cloud environment. This type of private cloud server deployment is a model in which infrastructure and resources are used only by you. You can allocate resources, spin up new instances, and reconfigure pretty much everything on demand!

The VMware Public cloud is another solid solution when you want resources available on-demand but do not want to expand your physical infrastructure. In this scenario, the hosting company manages the public cloud. It has multiple users on it, which is the main difference compared to private clouds. This type of cloud is often used if you have large storage needs. The data stored on the public cloud can be accessed from pretty much everywhere.

Complex Cloud Solutions

A Hybrid Cloud is one of the newest models in the industry. It is primarily used when a mix of applications and containers run on virtual machines in a combination of data centers and clouds. This is where the VMware cloud foundation comes into play. It enables users to run a consistent infrastructure no matter where you deploy the workload.

Multi-cloud is used when you run a complicated setup using multiple VMware public and private clouds, along with numerous containers. VMware offers multiple operations to make cloud management easier.

• CloudHealth by Vmware
• CloudHealth Secure State
• vRealize Automation 
• vRealize Network Insight

Now that we know the differences between these types of cloud solutions let’s review each type's pros and cons to determine which would best suit your business.

VMware Private Cloud

A VMware private cloud can be either managed by your hosting company or deployed on servers within your own company. If managed by a hosting provider, they will take care of hardware and other potential support issues for you. If you manage your own servers, then hardware, setup, and maintenance is entirely up to you.

When Maintained by a Hosting Provider

Pros

Networking, hardware setup, software setup, updates, and potential support issues are all addressed by your hosting provider. This can save you money because it is typically cheaper than having your own VMware expert on staff. This type of cloud product is hosted in your provider’s data center, which means that there will not be any server racks that could take up additional office space.

Developers can focus solely on development. They define what is needed from your cloud environment. You then pass that information on to your hosting provider, and they will take care of that for you. The client saves precious time that is better spent on the business instead of configuring the VMware environment.

Cons

Not all managed hosting private cloud products will provide the same VMware tools. For example, the Liquid Web product comes with vSphere, vMotion, vSwap, VMware snapshots, and other useful tools. This may not be the case with other hosting companies who choose to offer fewer options. When choosing a provider, make sure that you will have everything you will need before deciding on a hosting provider.

You will not have full control over every aspect of the platform. If your application needs to use an older specific software version, It may not be available. Most hosting companies perform automatic updates to ensure that the platform is patched to the latest version and up to date. In this case, the software would be automatically updated, which may cause problems in the long run. In some extreme cases, you may have to modify the code to accommodate the new versions.

Like with the software versions, there is a possibility that you will not be able to apply specific security updates as that is under the control of your hosting provider. If your security requirements conflict with your hosting provider’s current security solutions, you may not be able to use your own security solution. 

When Hosted and Maintained by You

Pros

You can scale your resources up or down whenever you want, which is handy when the resources’ usage isn’t consistent!

If you are running a VMware private cloud, you are in total control of your environment.

Hosting on your own server will save a significant amount of money in the long run because you will not be paying monthly hosting fees. Once you have everything configured and running as you want, you are good to go.

Cons

If you plan to run a cloud-based system within your own environment, you will need administrators with a high level of technical expertise to manage all of the complex operations that VMware provides. Depending on how much technical assistance is needed, you may trade the cost of hosting for technical support to ensure your server runs smoothly.

VMware Public Cloud

Pros

VMware public cloud is the model managed by a hosting provider. This means that you will have support from the company providing you with the VMware cloud solution.

Maintenance of your cloud is passed on to the service provider, thus, saving you money if something goes wrong and needs immediate attention. You will not have to hire a professional to take care of issues for you. Furthermore, public cloud usage enables you to use resources when and if you need them, making it more affordable to use physical hardware on the premises. 

Cons

A public cloud means other cloud users have access to the same platform. Two of the largest issues that happen in environments such as these are that at any given point, one of your “neighbors” on a cloud can start consuming more resources than it was allocated, leading to a negative impact on the performance of your own environment. You could experience slowness, stuttering, and other delays while performing day to day operations. 

Another potential problem with public clouds is that this environment may not fulfill your needs if required to comply with explicit IT regulations regarding data storage and transmission. A HIPAA compliant server would be a perfect example of such a case.

A shared cloud environment also means that you do not have control over aspects such as security. Your hosting provider controls them.

VMware Hybrid Cloud

Pros

Your developers can focus on developing instead of worrying about infrastructure issues.

It’s up to you how and where to deploy your workloads. VMware products such as VMware Cloud Foundation provide an option to manage private, public, and Hybrid Cloud solutions under one unified environment. The VMware Cloud Foundation can be deployed on Dell EMC hardware and maintained as a fully-managed service! Additionally, you can combine Hybrid Cloud with AWS through VMware vSphere. 

You can shift workloads how you please. No matter what your operation needs at any given time, you can respond quickly and change the course of action! Not being locked in a single environment is a huge positive.

Cons

Without highly skilled administrators or support, a VMware Hybrid Cloud can be challenging to set up and maintain. When larger enterprises use a Hybrid Cloud, they often have an army of technicians behind them to make sure everything runs smoothly.

VMware Multi-Cloud

Pros

This option allows users to manage VMware private and Hybrid Clouds, AWS, Azure, Google, and Oracle public clouds all in one place. Having full visibility of all these platforms controls cost and usage from within a single dashboard

Allows total control of your infrastructure. Users can create custom policies and workflows that help run operations smoothly and reach specific goals exactly as imagined.

With the CloudHealth Secure State product developed by VMware, you can have intelligent security that works in real-time. 

A single cloud management platform allows cloud infrastructure analysis while managing costs, security policies, and resource usage in one interface.

Cons

If you are running a small to medium-sized business and are moving from on-premises infrastructure to a cloud environment, this may not be the best solution. Multi-cloud setups require a high level of expertise with VMware cloud solutions. 

Conclusion

The logical answer to the question, “Why choose a VMware Cloud?” is that it will make your life easier. Your applications will run in an environment that you maintain and control in any way that you choose. VMware Cloud solutions are developed in such a manner that they can be designed to meet everyone's needs, from a small business to a vast enterprise. 

It’s up to you to choose who will manage it and whether you need a private or public cloud solution. Integration of your complex applications and setups can be managed with relative ease using the VMware products at your disposal. We hope this article helps you decide if a cloud environment can fully meet your needs. If you are moving to a cloud environment, VMware is a solid option.

Give us a call at 800.580.4985, or open a chat or ticket with us to speak with one of our knowledgeable Solutions or Experienced Hosting advisors to learn how you can take advantage of this platform today!