VMware Edge Compute Stack is an edge-optimized runtime and orchestration platform for friction less management of edge apps and infrastructure across many sites with limited resources. The edge-optimized runtime is managed by VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator. It features a pull-based architecture which works best with many edge sites with varying levels of connectivity (similar to how an iPhone updates itself). Integrated telemetry in VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator provides visibility into applications and traffic at the edge.

The VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator Service combines VMware industry leading virtualization technology with the efficiency of GitOps to power your edge workloads at scale, whether they have network connectivity or not. The VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator service provides a secure, performant, deterministic way to enable hundreds to thousands of edge deployments with simplicity.

The VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator service is designed for edge devices enhanced with GitOps workflows for deterministic and declarative management through a cloud control plane.

With VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator Service, you can update your entire edge site automatically, including infrastructure and applications by updating manifest files in a Git repository with the desired state for their fleet of devices connected to it. When connected to the network, edge hosts connect to the repository and enact the desired state, enabling these hosts to ensure that the edge site remains as desired until a new version of the manifest files are made available for them to use.

What can I use the VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator Service for?

The VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator service is designed considering the following use cases and objectives:

  • Enable edge locations to aggregate edge functions by running consolidated containerized and virtual machine based workloads on a small footprint.

  • Define every aspect of your edge location through code and keep the edge site running as expected throughout its life-cycle.

  • Simplify workload management by bringing zero touch provisioning and DevOps best practices to your edge fleet.

  • Eliminate bottlenecks and inefficiencies in your existing edge processes.

  • Create the foundation for strong communication and feedback between application teams and edge infrastructure management teams.

  • Deploy small form factor, ruggedized devices that have intermittent network connectivity.

  • Get the full benefits of desired state configuration to define both your infrastructure and applications and use VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator to scale it across thousands of devices.

  • Support Day 2 operations for the edge and help your team to rapidly patch, upgrade, and secure thousands of devices.

  • Automate application recovery with self-healing edge nodes when outages occur.

  • Bring your edge deployments into existing DevOps workflows that succeed in the data center, while also providing flexibility for the idiosyncrasies of each site.

Who benefits from using the VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator Service?

The following roles can benefit most from using the VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator service:

  • Edge Infrastructure Admin - The edge infrastructure administrator or central IT team can get the most value out of using VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator to manage their edge fleet and provide the operating environment to help edge application developers succeed.

  • Edge Site Worker - With the VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator service, there is no need for on-site employees and contractors to have technical skills to make their IT systems effective. Plug-and-play power and networking brings up the device ready for centrally managed configuration. With VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator, on-site staff can spend less time worrying about IT and more time solving customer or business problems.

  • Application Owners / DevOps - Develop, install, and support the apps that are used to run the connected devices or provide business value. VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator reduces the time to deploy, patch, and upgrade apps on edge devices. VMware Edge Cloud Orchestrator provides support for both containerized and VM based workloads.