14 Must-Know Insights About Azure VMware Solution (AVS) for Your Hybrid Cloud Strategy

By: Alejandro Vazquez | July 18, 2024

In today's digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to enhance their IT infrastructure, improve agility, and reduce costs. Enter Azure VMware Solution (AVS) — a powerful hybrid cloud platform that merges the best of VMware's Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) software with Microsoft's robust Azure global cloud services.

Whether you're looking to extend your existing on-premises workloads or fully migrate to the cloud, AVS offers a seamless and efficient path to modernization. In this blog, we delve into 15 essential insights about Azure VMware Solution that will help you understand its capabilities, benefits, and how it can revolutionize your IT strategy.

 

  1. What is Azure VMware Solution?

Azure VMware Solution (AVS) is a hybrid cloud platform that combines VMware's Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) software with Microsoft's Azure global cloud service ecosystem. This collaboration enables businesses to modernize IT infrastructure, enhance business agility, reduce costs, and accelerate innovation by seamlessly integrating VMware environments with Azure.

 

  1. Where is Azure VMware Solution Available?

Azure VMware Solution is continuously expanding its reach across various global regions. To find the most current availability information, you should refer to the Azure VMware Solution FAQ on Microsoft Learn.

 

  1. Who Supports Azure VMware Solution?

Microsoft provides comprehensive support for Azure VMware Solution. Users can submit support requests directly to Microsoft. For those with Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) managed subscriptions, the first level of support is provided by the Solution Provider, ensuring smooth and reliable assistance.

 

  1. How Does Azure VMware Solution Compare to On-Premises Solutions?

Azure VMware Solution offers a quick path to extend or migrate VMware on-premises workloads to Azure. This migration can be achieved without the need for re-architecting applications or retooling operations, providing benefits such as scalability, disaster recovery capabilities, and opportunities for application modernization.

 

  1. What is the List Pricing for Azure VMware Solution?

For general pricing questions, refer to the Azure VMware Solution pricing page on Microsoft Azure. Pricing details can vary based on specific configurations and usage patterns.

 

  1. Is There Feature Parity with On-Premises VMware Solutions?

Yes, Azure VMware Solution provides a consistent VMware infrastructure platform on Azure. This allows you to run your VMware workloads in the cloud without the need for replatforming or refactoring, ensuring feature parity with on-premises VMware solutions.

 

  1. Can Workloads Running in Azure VMware Solution Integrate with Azure Services?

Absolutely. All Azure services are available to Azure VMware Solution customers. Performance and availability limitations are addressed on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that integrations meet specific business needs.

 

  1. What Guest Operating Systems are Compatible with Azure VMware Solution?

For compatibility information on guest operating systems with vSphere, refer to the VMware Compatibility Guide. This guide will help you verify which operating systems are supported.

 

  1. What Does the Change Control Process Look Like for Azure VMware Solution?

Updates in Azure VMware Solution follow Microsoft Azure's standard change management process. Customers are responsible for their workload administration tasks and associated change management processes, ensuring they can maintain control over their environments.

 

  1. Is There a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Azure VMware Solution?

Yes, there is a 99.9% SLA availability for the Azure VMware Solution service. This ensures high reliability and uptime for your critical workloads.

 

  1. Is VMware HCX Enterprise Available with Azure VMware Solution?

VMware HCX Enterprise is available at no additional cost and is enabled by default. This facilitates seamless workload migration and mobility across environments.

 

  1. Will Traffic Between On-Premises and Azure VMware Solution Over ExpressRoute Incur Any Outbound Data Transfer Charges?

For details on data transfer charges, refer to the Azure VMware Solution FAQ on Microsoft Docs. This will provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on potential costs.

 

  1. What Hardware Does Azure VMware Solution Use?

Azure VMware Solution is deployed in clusters with a minimum of three dedicated bare-metal hosts located in Azure data centers. This ensures robust performance and reliability for your workloads.

 

  1. How Does Azure VMware Solution Simplify Extending Operations or Migrating to Azure?

Azure VMware Solution offers a fully consistent VMware infrastructure platform on Azure, allowing for the seamless operation of VMware workloads in the cloud. It also integrates effortlessly with Azure services, simplifying the extension of operations or migration processes to Azure.

 

Azure VMware Solution (AVS) offers a comprehensive and flexible approach to integrating VMware environments with the power of Azure's cloud services. From its broad availability and robust support to seamless integration and cost-effective migration options, AVS is designed to meet the diverse needs of modern businesses.

Reach out to our team today to learn how we can help you make informed decisions through leveraging this powerful hybrid cloud platform to enhance your IT operations and achieve strategic goals.

Alejandro Vazquez (Alex) is the Director of Consulting Services of the Hybrid Infrastructure Practice at Core BTS. In his 20+ years of experience, he has worked on large-scale cloud migration efforts and has helped many organizations plan their management strategies for migration and initial planning - as well as helping them operationalize the cloud.

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