VMware Cloud on AWS brings VMware’s enterprise-class Software-Defined Data Center software to the AWS Cloud, enabling customers to run production applications across VMware vSphere®-based private, public, and hybrid cloud environments. Delivered, sold, and supported by VMware as an on-demand service, customers can also leverage AWS’s breadth of services, including storage, databases, analytics, and more. IT teams manage their cloud-based resources with familiar VMware tools — all without the hassles of learning new skills or utilizing new tools.

VMware Cloud on AWS integrates VMware’s flagship compute, storage, and network virtualization products (vSphere, vSAN, and NSX) along with vCenter management, and optimizes it to run on elastic, bare-metal AWS infrastructure. With the same architecture and operational experience on-premises and in the cloud, IT teams can now quickly derive instant business benefits from use of the AWS and VMware hybrid cloud experience.

Goal of this Document

IT teams manage their cloud-based resources with familiar VMware tools – without the challenges of learning new skills or utilizing new tools. However, administrative responsibilities for the vSphere cluster deployed as part of the Cloud Software- Defined Data Center (SDDC) will be shared between the VMware Cloud on AWS service and the on-premises administrator. This guide explains the similarities and differences of how to operate a VMware Cloud on AWS hybrid cloud as compared with an on-prem datacenter, and also the principles by which the service is operated by VMware.  A step by step operations guide is available at “VMware Cloud on AWS Operations” .