The IT industry has gained significant efficiency and flexibility as a direct result of virtualization. Organizations are moving toward a virtual datacenter (VDC) model, and flexibility, speed, scale and automation are central to their success. Although compute and memory resources are pooled and automated, networks and network services, such as security, have not kept pace. Traditional network and security operations not only reduce efficiency but also limit the ability of businesses to rapidly deploy, scale and protect applications. VMware vCloud Networking and Security offers a network virtualization solution to overcome these challenges.
Just as VMware vSphere abstracts compute capacity from the server hardware to create virtual pools of resources, network virtualization abstracts the network into a generalized pool of network capacity.
The unified pool of network capacity can then be optimally segmented into logical networks directly attached to specific applications. Customers can create logical networks that span physical boundaries, optimizing compute resource utilization across clusters and pods. Unlike legacy architectures, logical networks can be scaled without reconfiguring the underlying physical hardware.
Customers can also integrate network services—such as firewalls, VPNs and load balancers—and deliver them exactly where they are needed. “Single pane of glass” management for all these services further reduces the cost and complexity of datacenter operations.
VMware Network Virtualization Design Guide
The unified pool of network capacity can then be optimally segmented into logical networks directly attached to specific applications. Customers can create logical networks that span physical boundaries, optimizing compute resource utilization across clusters and pods. Unlike legacy architectures, logical networks can be scaled without reconfiguring the underlying physical hardware.
Customers can also integrate network services—such as firewalls, VPNs and load balancers—and deliver them exactly where they are needed. “Single pane of glass” management for all these services further reduces the cost and complexity of datacenter operations.
VMware Network Virtualization Design Guide