Today we are pleased to announce the public preview of Azure VMware Solution in Microsoft Azure Government.
With this release, we are combining VMware cloud technologies with world-class Azure infrastructure in Azure Government, which is designed, built, and supported by Microsoft to help meet the highest levels of government security and compliance. Azure Government delivers a dedicated cloud, enabling government agencies and their partners to streamline migrating mission-critical workloads to the cloud.
Azure VMware Solution is a fully managed service in Azure that customers can use to extend their on-premises VMware workloads more seamlessly to the cloud, while maintaining their existing skills and operational processes.
Azure VMware Solution is already available in Azure commercial for any customer, including public sector organizations. With this launch, we are extending the same benefits of Azure VMware Solution to Azure Government, where US Government customers and their partners can meet their security and compliance needs.
Continue reading to explore how to get started with Azure VMware Solution in Azure Government.
Accelerating the migration journey in Azure
Azure VMware Solution delivers a VMware vSphere-based, single-tenant, private cloud in Azure Government. VMware workloads run on bare metal hardware in Azure datacenters. Customers can stand up a VMware environment with enhanced speed in Azure and more quickly gain access to their VM resources while also accessing Azure services, such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Monitor, or Log Analytics.
Microsoft operates and supports the Azure VMware Solution environment and all the necessary networking, storage, and management services, which includes benefits such as the following:
- Seamlessly modernize over time with Azure services: With Azure VMware Solution, you can leverage Azure services and further modernize workloads on your timeline, such as Azure App Service, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Traffic Manager, security, and analytics.
- Better streamline migration efforts with familiar tools and services: With a unified Azure experience via the Azure Government portal, customers can integrate their existing processes and tools “as-is” and run familiar VMware technology, including VMware vSphere, VMware HCX, VMware NSX-T, and VMware vSAN. HCX Enterprise edition is available at no additional cost, which enables you to streamline data and applications to help accelerate large-migration efforts and reduce time.
- Maintain business continuity and workloads more securely on Azure: Leverage Azure services on the public cloud for disaster recovery, backup, security, and more to safeguard your applications. Azure enables customers to integrate VMware workloads with best-in-class cloud security features, such as:
- Azure Virtual Network integration provides perimeter network controls using solutions such as network and application security groups and network security solutions for applications such as the Azure Application Gateway.
- Logging, monitoring, and alerting solutions, such as Azure’s security information and event management (SEIM) solution, Azure Sentinel, and threat detection using Defender for Cloud (formerly Azure Security Center).
- Customer-managed keys provides enhanced control over encrypted VMware vSAN data using HSM (hardware security model) backed Azure Key Vault and certificate authority integration for automated certificate management.
- End-to-end encryption safeguard data according to your company’s security and compliance needs with Azure Data Encryption at Rest with all Azure services.
Savings opportunities in Azure
Achieve savings in Azure with a managed infrastructure to expand or shrink your cloud environment on demand as your business needs change.
Savings opportunities on Windows Server and SQL Server with Azure Hybrid Benefit in Azure
Customers can leverage the value of existing on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses when migrating or extending to Azure. As a core Azure service, Azure VMware Solution supports Azure Hybrid Benefit, allowing customers to bring their existing Microsoft workloads running on-premises to the cloud.
Get extended security updates for Windows Server and SQL
Azure VMware Solution customers are also eligible for three years of Extended Security Updates on 2008/2012 versions of Windows Server and SQL Server. These pricing benefits are only available in Azure and foster greater simplicity and cost efficiency for your journey to cloud.
Benefit from the Microsoft and VMware partnership
VMware and Microsoft have a long-standing partnership, and now more than ever it is important we come together and help customers create business resiliency, efficiency, and agility.
“As public sector customers accelerate their modernization efforts, they need the flexibility and choice to select the right cloud for each application,” said Jennifer Chronis, Vice President, public sector at VMware. “Together with Microsoft, we are delivering a modern, more consistent cloud service that will provide US government customers and partners with new options to migrate or extend their on-premises VMware environments to the cloud.”
Get started with the preview today
There are several ways to learn more and get started with the public preview of Azure VMware Solution in Azure Government. Please reach out to your Microsoft account team for more details on the preview, to provide feedback on this release you can contact the team at AVSGov@microsoft.com, and to learn more about getting started on Azure VMware Solution you can visit the documentation page.