Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure for Distributed Edge Locations
VMware Cloud Foundation Edge delivers complete private cloud capabilities to edge locations with automated deployment, centralized management, and the flexibility to start with a single host. Run VMs and containers at retail stores, manufacturing facilities, healthcare sites, and remote offices with consistent operations across all locations and 70% reduction in edge deployment complexity.
VMware Cloud Foundation Edge
VMware Cloud Foundation Edge is an optimized configuration of VMware Cloud Foundation tailored for edge use cases that provides a private cloud infrastructure platform for edge locations, offering integrated enterprise-class compute, storage, networking, management and security capabilities. It delivers scalable and flexible edge infrastructure with automated deployment and lifecycle management. With consistent infrastructure across private cloud, public cloud and edge sites, this platform provides seamless integration across the environments. And with consistent and unified operations, VCF Edge simplifies the management and orchestration of edge deployments across multiple sites.
Edge Infrastructure Challenges
Distributed Management Complexity
Managing hundreds or thousands of remote sites with inconsistent infrastructure creates operational overhead and requires dedicated IT staff at each location.
High Capital Expenditure
Traditional edge deployments require multiple hosts per site, resulting in excessive hardware costs and inability to start small and scale as needed.
Limited Edge Footprint
Space, power, and cooling constraints at edge locations make it difficult to deploy traditional infrastructure while meeting performance requirements.
Security at Scale
Remote sites are more vulnerable to physical and cyber threats, requiring robust security with centralized policy enforcement across distributed locations.
Mixed Workload Requirements
Edge locations need to support both legacy VMs and modern containerized applications without deploying separate infrastructure platforms.
Inconsistent Operations
Different tools and processes between data center and edge create operational fragmentation, making lifecycle management and troubleshooting difficult.
Limited Local Expertise
Remote locations lack dedicated IT staff, requiring autonomous operations and centralized troubleshooting without on-site intervention.
Real-Time Processing Demands
Latency-sensitive applications for IoT, AI inference, and real-time analytics require local compute without dependency on central data center connectivity.
Edge-Optimized Business Value
Edge-Proven Results
Deploy new edge sites in 4-6 hours compared to weeks with manual processes through automated provisioning and zero-touch deployment capabilities.
Start with 1 server per location reducing entry cost by 60% while maintaining full VCF capabilities including vSphere, vSAN, and NSX on minimal hardware.
Manage 1,000+ edge sites centrally with single operations team eliminating need for dedicated IT staff at each remote location saving millions annually.
75% reduction in edge footprint consolidating multiple appliances onto unified infrastructure platform optimizing space, power, and cooling at constrained locations.
99.9% uptime at edge locations with autonomous operations, predictive analytics, and remote troubleshooting without requiring on-site intervention.
Sub-10ms application latency processing data locally at edge with real-time IoT analytics, AI inference, and transaction processing supporting latency-sensitive workloads.
Edge-Optimized Architecture
Flexible Configuration Options
Deploy full VCF stack or individual components based on edge requirements. Start with single-host vSphere and scale to multi-node clusters with vSAN and NSX. Mix configurations across sites based on workload needs.
Centralized Management
VMware Cloud Console provides unified management across all edge sites from central location. Automated lifecycle management, health monitoring, and policy distribution eliminate manual site operations and ensure consistency.
Edge-Native Kubernetes
Single-node Kubernetes Supervisor enables cloud-native applications at edge with minimal footprint. Deploy containerized workloads alongside VMs with unified networking and security through NSX integration.
Zero-Trust Edge Security
NSX micro-segmentation protects edge workloads with application-level policies. Built-in encryption, secure boot, and threat detection extend data center security to remote sites without additional appliances.
Industry-Specific Edge Solutions
Retail & Hospitality
Run point-of-sale systems, inventory management, customer analytics, and digital signage at thousands of stores with centralized management. Process transactions locally with real-time fraud detection and customer personalization even during WAN outages.
Manufacturing & Industrial
Deploy predictive maintenance, quality control, and production optimization at factory floor with IoT sensor processing. Support OT/IT convergence with isolated network segments and real-time analytics without cloud dependency.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Enable electronic health records, medical imaging, and telemedicine at clinics and remote facilities with HIPAA compliance. Process patient data locally ensuring privacy while maintaining centralized backup and disaster recovery.
Financial Services
Support branch banking, ATM networks, and trading floor operations with PCI-DSS compliance. Process financial transactions locally with sub-second latency while maintaining audit trails and regulatory reporting centrally.
Automotive & Transportation
Deploy connected vehicle services, fleet management, and autonomous driving validation at dealerships and service centers. Process vehicle telemetry and diagnostics locally with AI-powered predictive maintenance.
Telecommunications
Run virtual network functions, content delivery, and 5G edge computing at cell sites and regional hubs. Support network slicing and multi-tenancy with NFV infrastructure and orchestration for service providers.
Edge Platform Capabilities
Deployment Flexibility
- Single-host starting at 1 server per site
- Scale from 1 to 256 cores per location
- Full VCF or component-based deployment
- Zero-touch provisioning automation
- Hardware compatibility certification
- Modular growth without disruption
Centralized Operations
- VMware Cloud Console management
- Multi-site lifecycle orchestration
- Automated patching and upgrades
- Health monitoring and alerting
- Capacity planning across sites
- Remote troubleshooting capabilities
Edge Networking
- NSX Edge for site connectivity
- SD-WAN integration for WAN optimization
- Distributed firewall at every site
- VPN and secure tunnel automation
- Local traffic optimization
- WAN-failure autonomous operation
Data Services
- vSAN single-node or clustered storage
- Local data processing and caching
- Automated replication to central DC
- Deduplication and compression
- Snapshot and backup integration
- Disaster recovery orchestration
Edge Deployment Patterns
Single-host edge sites for small locations starting with 1 server supporting up to 256 cores with full vSphere capabilities and optional vSAN or NSX.
Multi-node edge clusters for larger sites requiring high availability with 2-4 node vSAN clusters providing resilience and capacity for mission-critical workloads.
Consolidated edge architecture using single VCF deployment supporting multiple remote sites through vSphere clusters managed from central Cloud Console instance.
Hybrid edge-to-cloud with workload mobility between edge locations and central data center or public cloud maintaining consistent operations and disaster recovery.
Regional hub and spoke deploying larger edge clusters at regional hubs with smaller single-node sites connecting to nearest hub for data aggregation and processing.
Subscription licensing with core-based pricing optimized for edge deployments including flexible consumption models aligned to edge expansion and site growth patterns.
Edge Security Architecture
Micro-segmentation at edge with NSX distributed firewall protecting workloads at application level without traditional network perimeter appliances.
Centralized policy distribution ensuring consistent security controls across all edge sites with automated enforcement and compliance validation from central console.
Data encryption everywhere including data-at-rest with vSAN encryption, data-in-transit with NSX, and VM-level encryption for sensitive workloads at remote sites.
Secure boot and attestation using TPM 2.0 ensuring only authorized firmware and software runs at edge preventing tampering and rootkit attacks.
Zero-trust network access with identity-based segmentation and continuous verification eliminating implicit trust for edge-to-data-center communication.
Threat detection and response with VMware Carbon Black integration providing endpoint protection and behavior analytics across all distributed edge locations.
Autonomous Edge Operations
Self-Healing Infrastructure
VMware Aria Operations detects and remediates edge issues automatically without on-site intervention. Predictive analytics identify problems before impact with autonomous recovery workflows reducing MTTR by 80%.
Multi-Site Visibility
Single dashboard providing health, capacity, and performance metrics across all edge locations. Aggregate view enables identifying patterns, optimizing resource allocation, and planning capacity across distributed infrastructure.
Orchestrated Lifecycle
Automated patching and upgrades across edge sites with scheduling, rollback capabilities, and health validation. Maintain compliance and security across thousands of locations without manual intervention at each site.
Edge Cost Optimization
VMware Aria Cost tracks infrastructure spending per site with showback and chargeback by location or business unit. Right-size edge deployments and identify optimization opportunities across distributed portfolio.
Edge Hardware Specifications
VCF Edge is certified for specific hardware configurations optimized for edge deployment constraints.
Minimum Configuration
- Single-host: 1 server per site
- Minimum 8 cores per server
- Maximum 256 cores per server
- Certified Dell, HPE, Lenovo servers
- Support for NVMe and SATA drives
- 10GbE or 25GbE networking
Storage Options
- vSAN single-node (1 host with 4+ drives)
- vSAN cluster (2-4 nodes minimum)
- External storage via FC or iSCSI
- All-flash or hybrid configurations
- Cache and capacity tier separation
- Deduplication and compression
Network Requirements
- Minimum 2x 10GbE ports per host
- Support for 25GbE and higher
- VLAN and overlay network support
- BGP routing for NSX Edge
- SD-WAN integration optional
- WAN link redundancy recommended
Management Connectivity
- Internet access to Cloud Console
- VPN tunnel to central management
- Bandwidth: 10 Mbps minimum
- Latency: 150ms RTT maximum
- Autonomous operation during WAN loss
- Local console access for recovery
Edge Deployment Roadmap
Phase 1: Planning & Design
Assess edge location requirements, network connectivity, and workload profiles. Design architecture including site sizing, connectivity patterns, and disaster recovery strategy. Select hardware based on VCF Edge compatibility guide.
Phase 2: Pilot Deployment
Deploy VCF Edge at pilot sites to validate design and operations. Test centralized management, lifecycle processes, and workload performance. Refine deployment automation and standardize configurations for scale-out.
Phase 3: Scale Rollout
Execute automated deployment across remaining edge sites using validated configuration templates. Leverage zero-touch provisioning and centralized orchestration to minimize deployment time and ensure consistency across all locations.
Phase 4: Optimize & Expand
Monitor edge operations and optimize resource allocation based on actual usage patterns. Add new sites as business expands and migrate additional workloads to edge infrastructure as capabilities are proven.
Extend VMware Cloud Foundation Edge with Advanced Capabilities
VMware Cloud Foundation Edge provides a complete edge infrastructure platform, and can be enhanced with powerful add-ons for advanced networking, security, automation, and data services. These optional components enable you to tailor your edge deployment to specific business requirements.
NSX Advanced Load Balancer (Avi)
Enterprise-grade L4-L7 application delivery with AI-powered analytics for edge locations.
- Multi-site load balancing across edge
- Web Application Firewall
- Global Server Load Balancing
- Predictive autoscaling
- SSL/TLS offload and optimization
- Real-time application analytics
VMware Firewall + Advanced Threat Prevention
AI-driven network security with behavioral threat detection for edge workloads.
- IDS/IPS with threat signatures
- Malware prevention at edge
- Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)
- Network Detection & Response (NDR)
- Security Intelligence feeds
- Container security via Antrea
NSX Intelligence
Application discovery and security planning with flow visualization across edge sites.
- Multi-site application mapping
- Traffic flow analytics
- Micro-segmentation recommendations
- Security policy planning
- Compliance reporting across edge
VMware Data Services Manager
Self-service database provisioning for edge applications and local data processing.
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis at edge
- Developer self-service portal
- Automated backups & recovery
- High availability clustering
- Vector database for edge AI/RAG
- Cross-site replication
Additional vSAN Storage Capacity
Expand storage capacity beyond base entitlement for data-intensive edge workloads.
- Scale storage independently per site
- Per-TiB licensing model
- Same vSAN features included
- Deduplication & compression
- Erasure coding efficiency
- Flexible capacity planning
Advanced Cyber Compliance
Automated compliance enforcement and ransomware recovery for distributed edge infrastructure.
- Continuous compliance monitoring
- Automated remediation workflows
- Ransomware detection at edge
- Clean-room recovery capabilities
- Secure data engine images
- Multi-site audit reporting
VMware Cloud Console Advanced
Enhanced multi-site management and orchestration for large-scale edge deployments.
- Fleet management for 100+ sites
- Advanced analytics & insights
- Cost optimization across edge
- Capacity planning & forecasting
- Custom dashboards & reporting
- API-driven automation
Edge AI Inference Platform
Deploy and manage AI/ML models at edge locations for real-time inference.
- NVIDIA GPU support & vGPU
- Model deployment & versioning
- Inference optimization
- Edge-to-cloud model sync
- Local data processing for AI
- Low-latency inference runtime
SD-WAN Integration
Optimize WAN connectivity and application performance across distributed edge sites.
- Dynamic path selection
- Application-aware routing
- WAN optimization & compression
- Zero-touch branch deployment
- Multi-link load balancing
- Cloud on-ramp integration
Simplify your Complexity
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