VCF 9 and SDN: Revolutionizing private network management with Virtual Private Cloud

by Marcin Rzepa | 25 June 2025 | automation, Bez kategorii, Knowledge, Technologies, vcf9, Wiedza

With each passing day, I’m becoming more and more convinced of the vision Broadcom is showing for the development of VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF9). What was a promise not so long ago is now starting to work in practice – and it’s working brilliantly. The concept of SDN and Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), which takes on a new dimension in VCF9, has particularly caught my attention recently.

👉 If this is your first contact with the series, be sure to also read the first introductory article to VCF9 here.

In this article, I’ll show you why it’s worth getting interested in it and what it all looks like in practice – step by step.

Why is it worth betting on VCF9 in a network context?

Let’s start with the basics. The very idea of building an SDN network using VPC is not new – it already appeared in VCF 5.2 and users have been using it ever since. What is changing is how this concept is being consumed and developed. Integration with the self-service portal – both within vCenter and the more modern approach, VCF Automation – is key here.

But one step at a time.

How does VPC work in VCF9?

VPC works at the SDN, or programmable network, level. Each physical server with vSphere is connected to a physical VLAN through which SDN packets flow. The whole thing is controlled by NSX, VMware’s flagship networking component. For simplicity’s sake, imagine that a VLAN is a highway on which data trucks travel. These trucks carry smaller packets – the actual network packets.

Creating VPCs - something nice for everyone

In the new approach, VPCs can be created in several ways:

vCenter – a familiar and well-loved interface, ideal for virtualization administrators who can create a VPC with literally a few clicks.
NSX – a more advanced console for network professionals who need full control over their SDN infrastructure.
VCF Automation – ideal for users outside the networking and virtualization world who also want to create their own network environments.

VCF Automation - what does it look like in practice?

We create regions – e.g. one for the Data Center in Warsaw, another for the DC in Poznan.

We create organizations (tenants) – we assign administrators to each organization.
Organizational administrators create projects, namespaces and, of course, VPCs.
End users – can then divide the VPCs into smaller network segments, establish addressing and run services.

What used to take days or weeks (configuring VLANs, changing switches, assigning to vSphere), today users can do themselves in 2-3 minutes.

Control, history, security

Every operation in VCF Automation is recorded. Every step can be analyzed and accounted for. VPC can be easily scaled, assigned to different projects and network segments. We can also easily control whether a user has access to the outside world or only to internal resources. What’s more – communication between different VPCs is also possible.

Now let’s think: doesn’t all this remind you of a public cloud? Regions, organizations, VPCs, network segmentation – after all, these are classics of public cloud. Only that with VCF9 we have it all at home – in our own Data Center, under full control, without compromising on security, and – importantly – with much lower operating costs than in the public cloud.

I’ve seen it in action – it’s no longer a vision, it’s a reality. And I have to admit: I really like it.

We will soon look at another important aspect – how to implement advanced security mechanisms in our VCF9 private cloud environment, which security professionals still often only dream about.

Here’s a rundown of official sources from Broadcom’s website detailing what’s new in VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF9), including features related to SDN, VPC and automation:

1. **Broadcom unveils the future of VMware Cloud Foundation**.
Official announcement of VCF9, including simplified management, self-service portal and native VPC support.

https://investors.broadcom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/broadcom-unveils-future-vmware-cloud-foundation

2 **Broadcom announces new version of VMware Cloud Foundation**.
Information on simplified deployments, management console consolidation, and support for multi-tenancy and network services.

https://news.broadcom.com/releases/vmware-cloud-foundation-9-0

3 **Broadcom’s strategic shift: VMware’s return to the private cloud**.

A description of VMware’s shift in strategy to the private cloud and VCF9’s role in this transformation.

Broadcom’s Strategic Shift: VMware’s Return to Private Cloud Emphasized at VMware Explore 2024 Las Vegas

4 **VMware Cloud Foundation delivers private cloud platform**.

Details on VCF9’s support for AI, digital sovereignty and security.

https://investors.broadcom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/vmware-cloud-foundation-delivers-private-cloud-platform

5 **Broadcom announces deprecation of VCF Automation Pipelines**.

Information on the withdrawal of the VCF Automation Pipelines feature in version 9.

https://news.broadcom.com/releases/vmware-explore-2024-barcelona-vmware-cloud-foundation

These sources provide comprehensive information on the new features and changes introduced in VMware Cloud Foundation 9, especially in the context of SDN, VPC and private cloud management automation.

#VMwareCloudFoundation #VCF9 #PrivateCloud #SDN #VPC #NSX #ITAutomation #VMwareNSX #DataCenter #PrivateCloud #vSphere #DevOps #NetworkVirtualization #InfrastructureAsCode #CloudManagement #CloudOps #VMware #Broadcom #DigitalTransformation #VCFAutomation

Introduction to IT Automation – What is it and why is it worth it?

by Paweł Orzechowski | 25 March 2025 | automation, Knowledge, Technologies, vcf9

Today we want to tell you Mark's story about the IT automation process at his company.

Marek, head of IT at a large company in “X” industry, was sitting in his office reviewing reports. Another month, another complaint from the business – too long implementation time for changes, frustrating procedures, endless approvals. Many years agok before automation in IT world, Marek’s company implemented ITIL-based processes, as did many other companies in Poland. This brought order to many aspects of IT management, which was an undoubted success. Unfortunately, there were also dark sides to this solution. Even the simplest change required going through a multi-stage approval process.

At our Mark, any need or change in the form of, for example: IP address, operating system, application server, opening network traffic, granting permissions meant time-consuming fiddling with setting up so-called tickets, waiting for approval from decision-makers and finally on manual configuration and updating of the CMDB database.

What was the outcome?

How do you think the “Branded” business was satisfied with the timing of the new services? No. He was constantly waiting and asking what stage the service was at. After a while, everyone was tired and irritated “because how much can you do”. When the level of “pain” reached its highest amplitude Marek decided, after consulting with us, to introduce some kind of automation that would speed it all up, relieve his team of the daily repetitive tasks.

However, it is important to remember that once automation is implemented, not much can change. Fact, the administrator performs his tasks in a standardized way, but the implementation time for changes remains almost the same. Why?

It takes an administrator about an hour to manually install an operating system and bring it up to standards in the organization. With automation, this time is reduced to 10 minutes – a gain of six times. The problem is that the administrator waits about five business days for all approvals in the ticket system. As a result, the whole process shortens from 5 days of waiting and 1 hour of work to…. 5 days of waiting and 10 minutes of work.

The percentage gain for the business? A mere 0.07%. In practice – almost nothing

Mission: IT Automation- what did we do differently?

We automated the entire process from the moment the service was ordered in the ticket system, getting all the “approvals”, to bringing it to “life” ending with automatic updates in the CMDB database. Going further… and what happens when someone after time finds it necessary to add resources…. zadem problem, automatic acceptance, expansion and modification of entries in the CMDB database.

We have been realizing for years for our clients (not only for Mark) services that will save time for teams on boring and repetitive activities, We support them with our passionate team 😁 and VMware Cloud Foundation private cloud, soon in the latest version 9 (VCF9):

🔗 VCF9 – VMware Cloud Foundation

🔗 VCF/VVF Indevops Addons

What does this look like in practice?

We approach the entire process by designing it together with the customer, so that everything works more simply. As a result, business teams no longer have to wait weeks, and the infrastructure is ready within hours.

Results?

Change implementation time reduced by 80%.
No user frustration.
Increased efficiency of the IT team.

Marek knew it was the right decision. His company became more competitive and his IT department became a true partner to the business, not just a support department.
Be like Marek! Make your IT run just as smoothly. Contact us and find out how to do it!

Check our youtube and see what’s new!

💚 INDEVOPS

How INDEVOPS plugins (Addons) for VMware Cloud Foundation for Operations are changing lives (using UptimeDC and VCF for Operations as examples)

by Paweł Orzechowski | 12 December 2024 | automation, Knowledge, monitoring, optymalizacja

5 arguments why you should implement them at your site.

1️⃣ Everything in one place:

Imagine you’re in the kitchen cooking dinner. You have all the ingredients, but the salt is missing. You run all over the house looking for it, and dinner burns. With the UptimeDC plug-in, you have all the information in one place – as if you had a magic cabinet with everything you need. No more running around!

2️⃣ Locate your equipment:

Think of it as a game of hide-and-seek. Without the plug-in, you look for equipment all over the Data Center as if you were searching for hidden treasure. With the UptimeDC plug-in, you have a treasure map that shows you exactly where all the equipment is – in which rack, at what height. Finding equipment becomes child’s play!

3️⃣ Stress-free failure management:

A malfunction, it’s like a sudden fire alarm. Without the plug-in, you run around in a panic trying to find a fire extinguisher. With the UptimeDC plug-in, you have everything under control – you know who is responsible for the equipment, what the terms of the service contract are, and you can quickly direct a service technician to the site. It’s like having a firefighter at your fingertips!

4️⃣ Faster troubleshooting:

Imagine you are a car mechanic, but without tools. It takes forever to repair a car. With the UptimeDC plugin, you have a full set of tools – all information about equipment, warranties, SLAs. Repairing breakdowns becomes fast and efficient, as if you had superpowers!

5️⃣ Satisfied customers and a calm boss:

Pomyśl o tym jak o organizacji przyjęcia urodzinowego. Bez wtyczki, goście są niezadowoleni, bo brakuje jedzenia i muzyki. Z wtyczką UptimeDC wszystko jest perfekcyjnie zorganizowane – klienci są zadowoleni, a szef spokojny. To jakbyś był mistrzem ceremonii, który zawsze wie, co robić!

👉 Summary

Think of it like hosting a birthday party. Without the plug-in, guests are unhappy because food and music are missing. With the UptimeDC plug-in, everything is perfectly organized – the customers are happy and the boss is calm. It’s like you’re the master of ceremonies who always knows what to do!

With the UptimeDC plugin, the work of IT teams becomes simpler, faster and less stressful. And most importantly, everyone is happy – from operators to service technicians to customers and management.

The same is true for our other plug-ins. Want to know more contact us.

👉 https://lnkd.in/dUFinanC

VMware VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)