Shen Yao’s Technology Observation
Understanding technology, winning the future!
At the Dell Technologies World conference held at the end of April this year, VMware officially launched its “Virtual Cloud Network” strategy, clearly outlining a new vision for future networks.
It is worth mentioning that the important technological support behind the Virtual Cloud Network is the newly launched VMware NSX Network and Security product suite, which provides ubiquitous continuous connectivity and security for applications and data in software-defined data centers, branch offices, edge gateways, cloud, and telecom environments.
Undoubtedly, from network virtualization to virtual cloud networks, VMware NSX has truly achieved a new leap in its value, not only building a new network platform with end-to-end service capabilities but also redefining a new era of networks.
The Arrival of the New Era of Networks
As we all know, in the past two years, with the continuous deepening of cloud computing, the acceleration of traditional data centers towards cloud has become an inevitable trend, which has greatly impacted the traditional network architecture system. Specifically:
First, the emergence of virtualization concepts has disrupted the original data center network model, making traditional network technologies inadequate to adapt to the new scenarios emerging in cloud environments. For example, the emergence of virtual machines requires network granularity to be refined from physical machines to virtual machine levels.
In other words, the data center network platform in the era of full cloudification must meet the requirements of computing virtualization, provide sufficient access bandwidth, have a sufficiently large MAC address table, and offer a “large Layer 2” environment to meet the needs of virtual machine migration.
Second, digital transformation has spawned rapid development of innovative business in enterprises, which also puts higher demands on the performance, elasticity, and other characteristics of data center networks. Therefore, the future data center network will inevitably face more upgrades and iterations, including agile networks for emerging internet businesses, elastic networks for dynamic changes in data center resources, and networks for digital intelligent operation and maintenance models.
It can be understood that future data center network platforms must provide sufficient flexibility to meet the needs for flexible resource deployment, rapid network adjustments, and free migration of network attributes. Additionally, they must also meet the demands for automated business deployment, allowing the network platform to interface with cloud management platforms to achieve end-to-end automated business delivery.
Third, with the arrival of the full cloudification era, migrating to the cloud is no longer a choice but the only way forward. Therefore, more and more enterprises are migrating applications from private data centers to public clouds, forming a hybrid cloud model. At the same time, the rapid implementation of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology has made enterprises increasingly aware of the importance of edge computing. In this process, the value and importance of software-defined network platforms are becoming increasingly prominent.
Against this backdrop, VMware’s Virtual Cloud Network concept has emerged, aiming to better support enterprises in connecting, protecting, and optimizing the delivery of various applications and data in the era of full cloudification.
With the Virtual Cloud Network, customers can create an end-to-end software-based network architecture that provides comprehensive services for applications and data. Meanwhile, the Virtual Cloud Network will operate globally, providing consistent and extensive connectivity and security for applications and data, regardless of their underlying physical infrastructure or location, thereby minimizing network complexity and unlocking new value from virtual cloud network technology.
Detailed Explanation of the Virtual Cloud Network
So, how do we turn the vision of the Virtual Cloud Network into reality? Here we must mention the newly launched VMware NSX network and security product suite, which truly enables the Virtual Cloud Network to empower the new era of enterprise networks from four dimensions.
First, achieve industry-leading network virtualization through VMware NSX Data Center. As we know, VMware NSX Data Center is the most widely deployed enterprise data center network virtualization platform, with over 4,500 customers worldwide.
In the latest version, VMware NSX Data Center introduces new container and bare-metal capabilities, providing consistent network services for all application and deployment models. At the same time, rapid container integration will achieve global security and extend to new application platforms (such as PKS). VMware also brings new performance optimization acceleration for distributed workloads, better supporting telecommunications/network function virtualization environments.
Second, obtain first-class SD-WAN to connect branch offices/cloud environments through VMware NSX SD-WAN by VeloCloud. VMware NSX SD-WAN by VeloCloud is the industry-leading SD-WAN solution, integrating the economy, flexibility, and deployment speed, scale, and automation of the best real-time network coverage. By deploying the NSX SD-WAN solution, customers can provide better cloud and application performance with comprehensive visualization, metrics, control, automation of all devices and user endpoints, and lower total costs.
Moreover, the integration of NSX SD-WAN with NSX Data Center and NSX Cloud helps customers extend consistent network and security policies from data centers to branch offices and to the cloud while providing end-to-end operational visualization and control, offering enterprises and telecommunications operators a scalable platform that integrates local and cloud services under a consistent and continuous business policy framework.
Third, extend the data center network to public cloud environments through VMware NSX Cloud. VMware NSX Cloud provides consistent network and security for various applications running in VMware-based private data centers and native public clouds.
Meanwhile, NSX Cloud also addresses operational challenges faced when adopting multiple public clouds, such as conflicting policies and constructs between clouds, manual operations required for policy changes across clouds, regions, and VPCs; limited operational visualization for east-west traffic; and specific operational tools for each public cloud.
Fourth, achieve application and network hybridity and mobility through VMware NSX Hybrid Connect. With VMware NSX Hybrid Connect, customers can create a high-performance and secure consistent software architecture that connects data centers and the cloud without compromising supervision and control.
More importantly, NSX Hybrid Connect supports customers in seamlessly migrating workloads from any VMware environment to modern software-defined data center environments, whether they run on-premises, in public clouds, or are operated by VMware Cloud Provider partners, thus completing the hybrid cloud deployment model.
Achieving a New Leap in Value
Overall, the newly launched VMware NSX network and security product suite, along with the proposed Virtual Cloud Network concept, not only allows VMware to achieve a leap in value from network virtualization to virtual cloud networks, but also transforms VMware into a more comprehensive enterprise cloud service company. We can view this from three dimensions:
First, since 2012, VMware NSX has provided a fully software-based network virtualization solution to the data center network market in a “unique way”, allowing customers to be free from the constraints of network hardware and gain greater flexibility and cost advantages, defining a new era of networks. Today, VMware’s proposal of the Virtual Cloud Network concept undoubtedly constructs a new network platform with end-to-end service capabilities. Therefore, while leading technological trends, VMware is also defining an entirely new era of networks.
Second, the biggest innovation of the Virtual Cloud Network lies in its realization of cross-platform consistency, integrated security services, and high automation, which not only ensures the performance and reliability of the new network platform but also significantly reduces management complexity. At the same time, all network functions are delivered in a software-defined manner, maximizing on-demand deployment and automated service allocation and management, fully meeting enterprises’ needs for network flexibility, scalability, and efficiency. From this perspective, VMware has provided a clearer and more definite development direction for innovation and transformation in the entire data center network market.
Finally, as the scope of application deployment expands from data centers to public clouds, private clouds, and hybrid cloud models, the complexity and diversity of application services are rapidly increasing, which also means that changes in cross-cloud management are imperative, and the network is no exception. VMware has consistently been at the forefront of the market in this process, continuously exploring and innovating to achieve the fusion and coexistence of networks in private and public cloud environments, which is a testament to its evolution with the times and will accelerate VMware’s transformation into an enterprise cloud service company with full-stack technical capabilities.
In conclusion, in the upcoming new era of networks, VMware, through the proposal of the Virtual Cloud Network vision and the landing of the new VMware NSX network and security product suite, once again proves its technical innovation capability and forward-looking insight, as well as its strong strength as a market leader and disruptor.
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Shen Yao’s Technology Observation, founded by cross-border technology media person Shen Yao (WeChat ID: shenyao), has 15 years of media work experience and extensive road trip experience of 100,000 kilometers in both China and the US. He has columns on major self-media platforms, dedicated to observing and thinking about the technology industry, helping you understand the technology industry, know the trends, and win the future!
