On January 22nd, 2019, VMware released version 5.0 of the VMware Validated Design (VVD) reference architecture for deploying a highly scalable Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) using standardized building blocks. The VVD helps customers deploy an SDDC by providing extensive documentation for every foundational layer of the SDDC: the Physical layer, Virtual Infrastructure Layer, Cloud Management Layer, Service Management Layer, Business Continuity Layer and the Security Layer. The VVD doesn't just cover the Day 0 and Day 1 tasks of designing and deploying the SDDC, but also provides full documentation for Day 2 operations, including life cycle management and upgrading! Best of all, VMware takes care of all the interoperability testing so you can focus on testing what's specifically important to your business.
While the SDDC is a crucial digital foundation in the journey towards digital transformation, the SDDC itself is "just" a means to an end to ultimately deliver applications to end users. Most of our customers do not want IT to spend 80% of their time focussing on the SDDC itself. This is where the VVD adds tremendous value. By following the VVD you can deploy the SDDC in a fraction of the time it takes to deliver and deploy a fully customized SDDC design. Perhaps even more important, each new VVD release comes with an extensive upgrade guide, so customers can keep up with life cycle management and avoid incremental growth of technical debt. Catching up on life cycle management when you are multiple versions behind can result in a complex and potentially expensive upgrade project that adds little business value. Last but not least, the VVD now comes with the VMware Cloud Builder appliance that replaces the manual deployment guidance used in earlier versions of the VVD with a time- and effort- saving automated deployment of the entire SDDC stack.
Do you want to find out how the VMware Validated Design for SDDC can help you save time with deploying, managing or upgrading your SDDC? Feel free to contact me at [email protected]!
