VMware’s Recent Announcement: Support for External Storage in Cloud Foundation
In a recent announcement, VMware has declared that their Cloud Foundation platform will now support external storage connectivity. This move has raised some questions and concerns among customers who are looking to adopt a Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) or Hybrid Cloud strategy. As a solutions architect, I have spoken to several customers who are either in the process of adopting SDDC or are considering it, and their responses have been mixed. Some see this as a positive development, while others are skeptical about the implications. In this article, we will explore the reasons behind VMware’s decision to support external storage in Cloud Foundation and examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of this move.
Why is VMware Supporting External Storage in Cloud Foundation?
When I first heard about VMware’s decision to support external storage in Cloud Foundation, I thought to myself, “Are they out of their minds?” However, after speaking to several customers and analyzing the situation, it became clear that there are valid reasons for this move. Here are a few possible reasons why VMware has decided to support external storage in Cloud Foundation:
1. Existing Infrastructure: Many customers who are looking to adopt SDDC or Hybrid Cloud strategies still have existing infrastructure that they wish to continue using. This could include traditional storage arrays that are only a couple of years old and are still being utilized. By supporting external storage in Cloud Foundation, VMware is acknowledging the value of these existing assets and allowing customers to continue using them alongside their new Cloud Foundation deployment.
2. Workload Migration: Customers may have workloads that cannot be easily migrated to a full SDDC environment. This could be due to various reasons such as the need for specific storage requirements, architecture complexity, or simply because the migration process would take too long. By supporting external storage in Cloud Foundation, customers can continue to use their existing storage arrays until they are ready to migrate their workloads to a full SDDC environment.
3. Hybrid Cloud Strategy: In a Hybrid Cloud or Multi Cloud strategy, consistency across different environments is crucial. If a customer’s public cloud is using Cloud Foundation with vSAN, it only makes sense to have the same storage solution in their private cloud as well. By supporting external storage in Cloud Foundation, customers can achieve this consistency and make it easier to migrate workloads between environments.
Will I Lose Any Functionality by Leveraging Traditional Storage with Cloud Foundation?
The simple answer is yes. If you decide to use traditional storage with Cloud Foundation, you will lose some functionality. Here are a few reasons why:
1. Management Workload Domain: With Cloud Foundation, the Management Workload Domain has to run on vSAN. This means that if you want to use external storage, you cannot use it for the Management Workload Domain.
2. Day-2 Operations: If you are using external storage with Cloud Foundation, you will not have access to the built-in features of vSAN for day-2 operations such as replication, snapshots, and disaster recovery.
3. Automation: With vSAN, you get automated deployment and management features that are not available when using external storage.
However, it’s important to note that you can still have a vSAN cluster co-exist with external storage, which makes migrations so much easier. This means that you can start by using external storage for your existing workloads and gradually move them to vSAN as you adopt a full SDDC environment.
Conclusion
VMware’s decision to support external storage in Cloud Foundation is a positive development that acknowledges the value of existing infrastructure and provides customers with more flexibility in their adoption of SDDC or Hybrid Cloud strategies. While there may be some limitations in terms of functionality, the benefits of using external storage with Cloud Foundation far outweigh the drawbacks. As a solutions architect, I would recommend that customers consider this option when evaluating their infrastructure needs and choose the storage solution that best fits their specific requirements.