Debunking trade-offs: Optimizing your VMware environment without compromise

More than 85% of NetApp® ONTAP® customers run their VMware workloads on NetApp, and our company heavily relies on VMware as part of our own virtual infrastructure. With VMware's recent acquisition by Broadcom and subsequent shift to three core subscriptions (vSphere Foundation, VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware Cloud), organizations that rely on the software may face cost increases as current licensing expires. IT leaders are stepping back to reevaluate key infrastructure and consider out-of-the-box solutions to optimize mission-critical VMware environments for cost and performance. We faced these challenges at NetApp and have successfully overcome them through our unified data storage strategy, helping both our customers and ourselves adapt and move forward strategically. 

All too often, conversations about optimizing VMware environments center on the compromises. There’s a common perception that reducing cloud spending might lead to data silos, that enhancing security brings complexity, and that performance optimizations demand difficult trade-offs. But what if you didn’t have to make these compromises? With an intelligent data infrastructure driven by unified data storage, it’s possible to optimize your VMware environment—no trade-offs required. 

The prevalent message in the market today is urging organizations to repatriate workloads back on premises from the cloud to regain control, reduce costs, and manage cloud sprawl. As you consider options for your architecture, NetApp has solutions to offer so you don’t have to choose between on-premises control and cloud flexibility. With the unified data storage approach by NetApp, you can have the best of both worlds. 

Unified data storage lets you optimize environments in a way that’s aligned to and rightsized for your business needs. You can gain greater control over cybersecurity, data management, and recurring costs, while also delivering cloud scalability and efficiency. Whether your data is stored on premises or in the cloud, or designed for containerized workloads, unified data storage delivers flexibility, performance, and silo-free data management. 

It's also important to choose a solution that will work with your clouds of choice today and evolve with your future strategy. NetApp ONTAP is the only external, fully managed public cloud storage service that’s certified and supported across VMware’s Managed Services at AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Whether you’re looking to take advantage of VMware Cloud or move to cloud-native virtualization, NetApp can deliver the same experience and capabilities in your cloud of choice. No other storage vendor can provide this capability and flexibility, period. 

One concern that commonly arises in VMware conversations is that hybrid environments create silos. IT teams that use different tools and strategies to manage on-premises and cloud workloads end up spending additional time compensating for disjointed operations and inefficiencies. With NetApp intelligent data infrastructure, silos are a thing of the past. 

NetApp ONTAP integrates with VMware environments to provide consistent capabilities across private, public, and hybrid clouds. IT teams can access your data anywhere it’s housed, all through one common interface that eliminates inefficiencies and complexity. 

Consider our customer NMDP (formerly National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match), a leading organization in lifesaving medical services. They needed a VMware solution that would not add complexity to their operations, regardless of where the data resided, and that would help them match transplant candidates and donors more quickly. The organization relies on VMware-powered applications to perform quickly and reliably for transplant seekers, potential donors, and doctors seeking seamless communication across the ecosystem. With NetApp at its core, a more complex environment is actually more nimble and more responsive to business demands, recovering faster from disruptions. 
 
As one NMDP executive noted: “We don’t have to relearn a technology. It’s the same interface, the same capabilities, or even more added value in the cloud. The benefit of sticking with NetApp is clear.” With unified data storage, the program eliminated silos and achieved operational consistency across both on-premises and cloud environments. In fact, as the organization’s CIO said, “We chose NetApp as our partner to help rebuild our infrastructure. And we’re now able to cure almost twice as many people per year.” 

Another common concern voiced by IT leaders is that introducing cloud services adds complexity to managing VMware workloads. However, managing VMware across hybrid clouds doesn’t have to be complicated if you have the right infrastructure and data management approach. 

With NetApp and VMware Cloud Foundation, for instance, the complexity of managing deployments is reduced by tight integration and intelligent data management. VMware Cloud Foundation delivers a unified platform for managing VMware environments. With NetApp Data Infrastructure Insights (formerly Cloud Insights), you can easily monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize cloud-based VMware infrastructure. Tight integration between the two products provides IT teams with visibility across on-premises and cloud environments, so you can anticipate challenges, allocate resources strategically, and improve performance. Together, the two offer an integrated infrastructure that supports on-premises and cloud-native applications without unnecessary complexity. 

The move to on-premises environments is often seen as a security strategy; yet a unified data storage approach can enable hybrid VMware environments to operate with the highest degree of cyber resilience. It’s common to assume that introducing clouds can mean more points of vulnerability to attack, and securing workloads across clouds can be challenging. NetApp and VMware have worked together to deliver stringent security in every environment. 

Our cyber-resilience capabilities integrate natively with VMware, keeping data secure no matter where it resides. When Klinikum Freising, a healthcare provider, wanted to secure hospital data, they chose NetApp and VMware to improve performance and security. With NetApp built-in ransomware protection and VMware’s robust security features, Klinikum Freising reduced cybersecurity risks while maintaining operational efficiency. In fact, their head of IT said, “We want our users to be unaware of IT and just be able to access and store their data—today, tomorrow, or 5 years from now. NetApp solutions just run, and the data is safe. We can meet the high demands of a data-driven hospital with a small team. That’s worth a mint.” 

Our advanced security features like data encryption, secure data sharing, and Zero Trust architecture are all deeply integrated with VMware workloads. This unified data storage approach keeps your data secure in transit and at rest, eliminating the need for additional security tools or added complexity. 

NetApp and VMware have built a future-ready platform to help you thrive in a hybrid multicloud world. Our deep, strategic, and technical partnership is built on more than 20 years collaborating on thousands of successful customer deployments. 

As you build your plan for resilient, scalable VMware environments that meet your business needs without compromising on capabilities, NetApp can help. Our tools reshape VMware conversations into infrastructure conversations that aren’t weighed down with outdated security, complexity, or cost concerns. Instead, you can focus on building a unified infrastructure with no trade-offs. 

NetApp intelligent data infrastructure helps streamline your VMware journey in three key ways: 

• Simplicity. Get unified control over all workloads—whether on premises or in the cloud—using consistent tools to minimize operational overhead. 

• Security. Take advantage of built-in cyber resilience with features like data encryption, Zero Trust architectures, and ransomware protection. 

• Cost control. Reduce TCO through unified data management and Data Infrastructure Insights to maximize the efficiency of resources. You’ll be able to manage hundreds, or even thousands, of workloads with reduced costs. 

Optimizing your VMware environment doesn't have to involve compromises. It’s time to shift the conversation to how intelligent data infrastructure can transform the way you look at VMware decisions. Intelligent data infrastructure enables you to improve performance, boost security, and simplify management across hybrid multicloud environments—all without traditional trade-offs. Together, NetApp and VMware are debunking the myths that silos, complexity, and security vulnerabilities are unavoidable aspects of optimization. 

Ready to see how unified data storage can transform your VMware environment? Learn more and take the first step toward optimal VMware management today.