VMware Cloud on AWS and VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery

VMware Cloud on Amazon Web Services offers the full VMware software-defined data center, including the numerous products running on AWS’ global infrastructure. It is a jointly-engineered solution offering the best of both worlds; users can continue using the same tools and processes while enjoying the benefits of the public cloud.

As a proud VMC on AWS solution provider, our clients benefit from the many advantages the hybrid cloud solution offers; from operational consistency to workload portability and native integration for storage, analytics and data-based services. Some TeraSky customers use the VMC on AWS service as a means of extending their data-centers for short periods of time (for testing, for example), opting to pay as they go instead of investing in on-prem infrastructure. Others looking to gradually modernize to next-generation applications might choose to move their VMware environment and workload to AWS and start migrating, and then explore new opportunities by using the new available services over time.

The cloud and AWS can be especially beneficial to TeraSky customers interested in Disaster Recovery, and they play an important role in optimizing the DR solutions being offered today. Many companies with a DR solution are looking for a way to modernize and simplify it, which usually means adding an automation factor and the ability to test the solution without investing in infrastructure. At TeraSky, we provide a full DR solution that is both orchestrated and product-ready as well as cost-effective.

When designing our DR solutions, we first define our KPIs: the RPO, or recovery point objectives, and RTO, the recovery time objective. We then determine the appropriate technology type based on the RPO and RTO. Of the various options available today, the most noteworthy are the DR solution implementations introduced by VMware and AWS: the Site Recovery Manager and the VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery. The VCDR is built with a DRaaS Connector that communicates with the on-prem vCenter as well as the cloud services of VCDR.

As always, TeraSky’s experts always consider the existing network and its architecture before designing a solution and calculating a TCO. Other important factors to consider include the frequency and quantity of the DR tests, the End-to-End DRP design solutions, file service and NAS appliances, data protection, physical servers, licensing models, and supported operating systems.

Published by: Lir Shiff, VP, Solution Architecht