VMware solution on Google Cloud

High-performance architecture on bare metal

The self-managed VMware solution is deployed on dedicated GCE Z3 bare metal instances (z3-highmem-192-highlssd-metal). Powered by 2.2 GHz – 4th Generation Intel Xeon Processors (Sapphire Rapids) processors, each node delivers:

Operating natively within Google Cloud alongside GCE and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), this architecture provides high bandwidth and low-latency networking for transactional databases and direct access to native Google Cloud services, including BigQuery, the Gemini platform, Cloud Run, and more. 

The solution’s storage architecture is built on VMware vSAN hyperconverged infrastructure using high-performance, all-flash NVMe storage from Z3 nodes. Beyond standard storage, these drives can also be utilized for NVMe memory tiering. In addition to vSAN, the solution also supports NetApp volumes.

“VMware solution on Google Cloud gives enterprises greater control, choice, and architectural freedom as they move to the cloud. We are excited to expand our partnership with Google Cloud by offering NetApp Volumes as an external datastore. Together, we’re helping customers confidently migrate their VMware workloads and data to Google Cloud while retaining the flexibility, performance and data management capabilities they rely on.” – Pravjit Tiwana, SVP/GM, Cloud Storage, NetApp

Realizing clear customer value and TCO optimization

Pairing VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 with Google Cloud’s Z3 bare metal infrastructure delivers significant economic and operational efficiency:

• Commercial flexibility and BYOL: Bring portable Broadcom VCF subscriptions while allocating Google Cloud commitments and Flexible Committed Use Discounts (Flex CUDs) toward Z3 bare metal shapes.

• NVMe memory tiering: Tiering between DDR memory (Tier 0) and high-speed local NVMe (Tier 1) can reduce server TCO by up to 40%.

• vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA): Utilizing high-throughput local NVMe storage reduces storage TCO by up to 39% compared to traditional external arrays.

• Active live patching: Up to 80% live patching coverage for critical security updates reduces planned maintenance downtime.

Architectural and commercial differentiation

In addition to the above-mentioned benefits, Google Cloud provides distinct operational and technical advantages that go beyond standard cloud hosting:

• Triple-governance operational choices: Select from Google-, customer-, or partner- frameworks to align precisely with your operating model.

• Granular capacity sizing: Access bare metal shapes across GCE hardware families to optimize utilization resulting in a lower TCO.

• Global virtual networking: Peer complex multi-edge and multi-VPC topologies natively via Andromeda and Network Connectivity Center (NCC).

• AI Acceleration: Seamlessly connect systems of record directly to BigQuery and Gemini platform to enable AI capabilities.

What our customers are saying

“Our early assessment shows significant potential. Separating the hardware lifecycle from the virtualization layer gives us the ability to scale bare-metal capacity in minutes, while still retaining full administrative control. This provides the flexibility of the cloud with the level of control we require from our infrastructure platforms.” – Scott Ronan, Senior Director of Platforms, Databases & Cloud, GXO Logistics

Partner-managed ecosystem

For organizations that prefer managed services, Google Cloud partners with organizations with expertise across both Google Cloud and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) to provide end-to-end support for self-managed VMware solution including:

• Day 0: Architecture planning and solution design

• Day 1: Deployment and migration execution

• Day 2 and beyond: Ongoing lifecycle management and operations

Delivered via professional or managed services contracts, you can collaborate with your preferred providers or tap into our featured partner offerings on the self-managed VMware solution: Accenture, Advanced Business Computing, Cognizant, Devoteam, HCL, IBM, Infosys, Insight, LiverX, ModernZ, Pellera, Quantiphi, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, and Xtravirt.

Getting started

VMware solution on Google Cloud is generally available across 22 Google Cloud regions, with planned expansion to more regions in upcoming quarters.

To get started:

1. Visit the VMware solution on Google Cloud webpage for more details.

2. Review the solution overview and core concepts on the documentation page.

3. Reach out to your Google Cloud account team or an authorized partner to evaluate this offering.