Broadcoms VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: A Game-Changer for Private Cloud Virtualization

In a recent announcement, Broadcom has unveiled VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 (VCF 9.0), a private cloud virtualization software bundle that is now generally available to customers. The company has been working on this platform for seven years, but in the last 18 months, it has made a significant shift towards creating a user-friendly and scalable experience for both operators and developers.

VCF 9.0 is designed to provide the functionality of public cloud in an on-premises environment. The integrated platform includes a unified resource management interface, vSphere Kubernetes Service container capabilities, built-in cost analytics, and a suite of cloud-like add-on services. This makes it a powerful tool for enterprises looking to optimize their public cloud spend and reconsider on-premises compute options.

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan noted that the company has already converted 87% of its 10,000 largest VMware customers to VCF bundles during an earnings call earlier this month. This move is part of Broadcom's strategy to make VCF an attractive investment for customers, with a discounting and sales structure that heavily favors VCF and makes it less attractive to buy anything else.

However, some CIOs may prefer the smaller vSphere Enterprise Plus package, as they already have significant investments in external storage and do not need VCF. For IT shops that are ready to go all-in on VCF, the investment may be worth it if VMware is able to deliver on its promises and roadmap for VCF 9.0.

Despite the potential benefits of VCF 9.0, there are concerns about whether Broadcom, with its engineering workforce, will be able to deliver on the promised integrations quickly enough. "If VMware, with its erstwhile engineering workforce, was not able to make these integrations happen, how quickly is Broadcom going to be able to deliver on that promise?" asked Forrester Principal Analyst Naveen Chhabra.

Overall, the private cloud push has been a success for Broadcom, and VCF 9.0 is expected to further solidify its position in the market as a strategic equal of public cloud. As enterprises continue to optimize their public cloud spend and reconsider on-premises compute options, VCF 9.0 is poised to play a key role in this "cloud reset" happening in the market.