What Is VMware Cloud Foundation?

VMware Cloud Foundation is the hybrid cloud platform for managing VMs and orchestrating containers, built on full-stack hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) technology. With a single architecture that’s easy to deploy, VMware Cloud Foundation enables consistent, secure infrastructure and operations across private and public cloud. Increase enterprise agility and flexibility with the hybrid cloud that delivers it all.

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Power Your Digital Transformation with The Hybrid Cloud Platform for Modern Apps

Learn how VMware Cloud Foundation provides a single architecture for all of your applications.

Benefits of VMware Cloud Foundation

Simplified Management

Optimize performance, resilience, and availability for your Kubernetes clusters with integrated container orchestration, powered by vSphere 7 with Kubernetes.

Flexible Deployment Options

Access the broadest deployment options across both private and public cloud, and choose from self-managed and as-a-service options for HCI.

Enhanced App Performance

Improve application performance and reliability with high performance storage and load balancing of seamless resource pools across every environment.

Standardized Architecture

Automate HCI delivery with the best-in-class compute, storage, networking and management tools that you use in your data center to deliver operational simplicity and lower TCO.

Maximized Scale and IT Efficiency

Manage workloads on premises or in the cloud by extending the same infrastructure, operations, tools, and processes everywhere.

Intrinsic Security

Ensure enterprise-level security with our full-stack HCI platform that consolidates traditional VM and modern container workloads.

Spotlight on VMware Cloud Foundation 4

Kubernetes Integration for Modern, Diverse Application Environments

Explore how VMware Cloud Foundation 4 integration with vSphere 7 with Kubernetes delivers simpler and cost-optimized operations.

Read the ESG Report

5 Stages for Application and Cloud Modernization

Leverage this 5-step framework to accelerate your cloud operating journey with hybrid cloud.

Get the eBook

Discover VMware Cloud Foundation with Kubernetes

Learn how to modernize data centers and deploy modern apps with VMware Cloud Foundation 4.

Read the Solution Brief

VMware Named a Leader in HCI for the 3rd Time

Gartner again positions our future-proof solution as a Magic Quadrant Leader.

Download the Report

Use Cases for VMware Cloud Foundation

Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud

Provision infrastructure from a pool of virtualized resources on premises, at the edge, or in the cloud. Automation and orchestration simplify management of VM or container-based workloads that can scale to meet the needs of your business.

Modern Apps

Develop and deploy modern apps on premises or in the cloud through VMware Cloud Foundation Services, a new, integrated Kubernetes and RESTful API surface.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Gain automated deployment of Horizon 7 virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to standardize, automate, and simplify virtual desktops.

Customer Success with VMware Cloud Foundation

CenturyLink

CenturyLink deployed full-stack HCI as the foundation of its cloud strategy.

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RackSpace

Rackspace updated their entire stack with VMware Cloud Foundation for better performance, time savings, and security.

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"We’ve evolved to a single stack of compute, network, storage and security together within one interface and that’s powerful. That power now allows us to build infrastructure in hours, where before you were talking about weeks and months.”

- Steve Nolen, Lead Product Manager, CenturyLink

"Having a software-defined platform deployed by VMware Cloud Foundation really allows us to grow and scale faster.”

- Luke Huckaba, Principal Architect, Rackspace

Get Started

VMware Cloud Foundation Demo

Learn how simple it is to install.

Hands-on Lab

Test drive the capabilities.

Explore VCF Documentation

Review release notes and documentation.

HCI Assessment

Request a free HCI assessment.

How to Deploy

VMware Cloud Foundation offers the broadest, most flexible solutions for private and hybrid cloud deployments. Choose from a number of qualified vSAN ReadyNodes, integrated systems, composable server platforms, or jointly engineered systems, such as Dell EMC VxRail. View the table below to select the private and hybrid cloud deployment model that best fits your needs.

Private Cloud

ReadyNodes/Integrated Systems	Composable Systems	Jointly Engineered Systems
Qualified vSAN ReadyNodes	HPE Synergy	VMware Cloud Foundation on Dell EMC VxRail
Dell PowerEdge 14G	Dell EMC PowerEdge MX
HPE Proliant Gen 10
Fujitsu Primeflex
Hitachi Unified Compute Platform
QCT QxStack

Hybrid Cloud

VMware Cloud	HyperScale Partners	VMware Cloud Provider (VCPP)	SISO
VMC on AWS	Azure VMware Solutions	Rackspace Private Cloud (RPC)	Wipro BLDC
	Google Cloud VMware Solution	Century Link Private Cloud (CPC)	DXC
	Oracle Cloud VMware Solution	VMware Cloud Provider Program	ATOS
			Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
			HCL

See All

Compare

Choose the VMware Cloud Foundation edition that works best for you.

Starter

Automate infrastructure deployment and provisioning; includes lifecycle management for VMware’s core hyperconverged stack for traditional VM workloads.

Standard

Adopt cloud management capabilities in an on-premises data center with Kubernetes orchestration integrated with VM management.

Advanced

Evolve the VMware-based cloud operating model with advanced cloud management tools and integrated Kubernetes orchestration and workload automation.

Enterprise

Implement a full enterprise cloud operating model with advanced management, networking, and storage, optimized with Kubernetes orchestration and workload automation.

Compare VMware Cloud Foundation Editions

For the complete vSphere features, please refer to the vSphere Licensing White Paper.
For the complete NSX Data Center features, please refer to the NSX Datasheet.
For the complete vSAN features, please refer to vSAN Licensing Guide.
For the complete vRealize Network Insight features, please refer to the vRNI Datasheet.
For the complete vRealize Suite features, please refer to vRealize Suite PnP White Paper.

FAQ

Find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about VMware Cloud Foundation.

Which Editions Of VMware Cloud Foundation Include Integrated vSphere 7 With Kubernetes?

The Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise editions of VMware Cloud Foundation include vSphere and Tanzu Kubernetes Grid functionality. The VMware Cloud Foundation Starter edition includes standard vSphere VM functionality.

When will upgrades be supported from previous versions of VMware Cloud Foundation?

VMware Cloud Foundation 4.0 is limited to greenfield VCF environments. Upgrades for existing VCF deployments are not supported at this time. Existing VMware Cloud Foundation instances can upgrade from 3.9 to 3.9.1, and in future releases will also support upgrades to 4.x.

How can I use VMware Cloud Foundation for hybrid cloud?

Select service providers from the VMware Cloud Provider Program (VCPP) offer cloud services powered by VMware Cloud Foundation, including CenturyLink, OVH, and Rackspace. VMware Cloud on AWS is an on-demand service operated, managed, and sold by VMware, powered by VMware Cloud Foundation. Additional solutions include Azure VMware Solutions by CloudSimple and Google Cloud VMware Solution.

How can I purchase VMware Cloud Foundation software?

There are four ways to purchase VMware Cloud Foundation: (1) directly from VMware; (2) from VMware channel partners; (3) as part of an integrated system from OEM vendors; and (4) as a subscription service from a public cloud service provider.

VMware Cloud Foundation