2nd July 2018

VMware EMPOWER – Planning Your Migrations to VMware Cloud on AWS

Session Presenter – Andrea Siviero, VMware Principal Architect

Come and learn how to accelerate cloud migration without complex conversions and run you applications on VMware Cloud on AWSComing into this session my hope was to gain an understanding of the migration methods for adopting VMonAWS and any hurdles or alignment required pre-adoption. The session title seems to focus less on potential transformation and more about existing services leveraging an alternate OPEX operating model.

I’m blogging this during the presentation, so tough luck if it doesn’t flow and some content might be subject to confidentiality so that I can’t share!

Session starts a few minutes late with an Andrea introducing himself and his role, which is principal architect for VMware on AWS, with a responsibility for governance and direction of the service. Sharing a change in approach for partners with architectural information being released at day zero.

The session goes on to discuss where the solution is positioned in the market, taking best of breed from both VMware and AWS. With a focus on workload portability to the AWS cloud and that workloads hosted in AWS can communicate directly with AWS services. Labelled as direct access to native AWS services. Alongside flexibility, cost and global reach A simple true hybrid cloud solution.

Use cases include, Cloud Migrations, Data Center Extension and Disaster Recovery.

Moving on to discuss the Retain/Retire, Re-Host, Re-Factor, Re-architect and Replace or the 6R’s, this is a topic I have covered in previous blog posts. Focus today is on Re-host or Hybrid solutions, with seamless migration from the on-premises to the cloud solution, without transformation of the existing platforms. Reducing the time taken to migrate virtual machines. It should be noted as discussed in previous blog posts, if you are moving old, unworkable VMs to the cloud this is not a panacea to correct application problems. If your application utilizes an older out of support OS or security model, moving it to the cloud won’t resolve that.

Customer Concerns

Am I ready? – Hybrid Cloud readiness Assessment
What do I have to Move? – Application discovery and dependency mapping
Where to place it? – Cloud cost and placement strategy
How to migrate? – Hot (VMotion), Cold (VM Powed Down), Replication based migration

Challenges include inaccurate data, lack of application context or information, limited CMDB, lack of accurate discovery tooling, Limited DR testing. Each of these are covered off by professional service offerings.

Migration following, Assessment and source analysis > technology set (opportunities) and technology designs, discovery and prioritize and validate – with a goal to enable a customer to migrate itself and create migration velocity.

Following came an overview of some of the partner offerings, that are confidential with access limited to partners – sorry!

I can let you know that given that VMware on AWS is deploy-able within a couple of hours, the preparation to accommodate this change is absolutely fundamental. This is to ensure that requirements are met and to identify potential hidden costs such as network egress.

Standard application discovery applies, in terms of understanding which applications are dependent on each other and how much data is being transmitted, again to help identify egress data costs.

Regardless of what the data says, there is and will always be a requirement to wrap a human brain around them. A weighting system can be assigned, and to a degree some workloads can be auto sorted. However, without a human brain wrapped around it to ensure business requirements are being met, migrations will not be successful.

Cost planning for cloud adoption can be utilized by integrating vRealize Business for Cloud, Virtual Center and vROPs. vRealize Business for Cloud or Cost Insight has a built in scenario builder that allow for a customer cloud creation.

Many blockers for cloud adoption come from the network domain, this is true of all clouds not just VMware on AWS. extending networks into the cloud, often involve expensive direct connections or changing of IP addressing or MAC addressing. With the initial offerings of VMware on AWS it was possible to provide a layer 2 link between data centers if those data centers where utilizing VMware NSX.

With Hybrid Cloud eXtension, (HCX) VMware are enabling the capability to create a layer 2 connection from on premises environments to the Cloud without the need to have NSX within the on-premises environment. Helping to evolve without risk, efficiently and at speed.

Thanks Andrea for a fantastic opening session

Simon.