VMware Cloud Foundation
VMware Cloud Foundation —
the complete private cloud platform.
VMware Cloud Foundation is Broadcom's flagship enterprise infrastructure — vSphere, vSAN, NSX, Aria, and Fleet Management in one validated stack that delivers public cloud agility with private cloud control.
Platform Overview
Full-stack IaaS — one SKU, one platform
VMware Cloud Foundation integrates vSphere for compute, vSAN for HCI storage, NSX for software-defined networking, and VCF Operations/Automation for management — all deployed and lifecycle-managed through a single orchestration layer (Fleet Management, formerly SDDC Manager).
VCF 9.0 introduces a completely revamped installer replacing the legacy Cloud Builder spreadsheet, live ESX patching without host reboots, GitOps with Argo CD for consistent multi-site deployments, and VCF Import to bring existing vSphere environments under fleet management.
Licensing is per physical core (minimum 16 cores per CPU), subscription-based at 1, 3, or 5 years. vSAN storage is included at 1 TiB per licensed core. Add-ons — vDefend, Avi, Live Recovery, Private AI — are licensed separately.
VCF Stack Architecture
* Add-ons licensed separately — see Add-Ons page
What's Included in VCF
Use Cases
How 27 Virtual Helps You
Your VCF private cloud,
built right the first time.
VCF is powerful — but it takes specialized expertise to architect, deploy, and operate correctly. 27 Virtual has built more VCF private clouds than any boutique consultancy in North America. Here's exactly how we get you there.
Phase 01
- Infrastructure audit & workload profiling
- VCF readiness scoring
- Licensing right-sizing
- Risk & gap identification
Phase 02
- Custom VCF reference blueprint
- Domain topology & vSAN sizing
- NSX network design
- HA / DR strategy
Phase 03
- Greenfield build or VCF Import
- Fleet Management configuration
- NSX overlay provisioning
- Change-controlled cutover
Phase 04
- Hands-on team training
- Day 2 runbook creation
- VCP/VCAP cert prep
- Environment documentation
Phase 05
- Post-deployment health checks
- VCF 9.x upgrade planning
- Performance optimization
- Add-on expansion support
The 27 Virtual Difference
Why teams choose us
over anyone else.
Breadth is a tradeoff. We chose VMware depth — and a decade of Pinnacle status proves it.
Engagement Models
We meet you
where you are.
Whether you need a full turnkey build, expert augmentation, or just a second set of eyes — we have a model for it.
- Full architecture, deployment, and KT included
- Fixed-scope SOW with clear milestones
- Certified engineers on every phase
- Post-cutover stabilization period
- Runbooks and documentation delivered
- Dedicated 27V engineer alongside your team
- Architecture review and design sign-off
- Live troubleshooting and escalation support
- Flexible engagement duration
- Knowledge transfer embedded throughout
- Free or fee-based infrastructure assessment
- VCF 9.x upgrade readiness scoring
- Licensing optimization analysis
- Security posture and compliance review
- Prioritized remediation roadmap
"The organization and project management are top notch. One of the top, if not the top, long term technical engagement that I have ever been involved with. 27 Virtual brought VCF expertise we simply didn't have in-house — and left our team better for it."
Are You Ready for VCF?
Our free VCF Readiness Assessment covers six dimensions in under an hour — no prep required from your team.
VMware Cloud Foundation FAQ
Common VCF questions,
answered straight.
What VMware Cloud Foundation includes, how it is licensed, what changed in VCF 9, and how 27 Virtual gets you deployed.
What is VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)?
VMware Cloud Foundation is Broadcom's full-stack private cloud platform. It integrates vSphere for compute, vSAN for storage, NSX for networking, and VCF Operations and Automation for management into one validated stack, all deployed and lifecycle-managed through a single orchestration layer (Fleet Management, formerly SDDC Manager).
What is included in a VMware Cloud Foundation license?
A VCF subscription bundles vSphere (ESXi and vCenter), vSAN storage at 1 TiB per licensed core, NSX networking, VCF Operations and Automation, Fleet Management, HCX Enterprise for workload mobility, and vSphere Kubernetes Service. Add-ons such as vDefend, Avi Load Balancer, Live Recovery, and Private AI are licensed separately.
How is VMware Cloud Foundation licensed and priced?
VCF is licensed per physical core with a 16-core-per-CPU minimum, on a subscription basis at 1, 3, or 5-year terms. vSAN storage capacity of 1 TiB per licensed core is included. 27 Virtual right-sizes core counts, terms, and add-ons during a free readiness assessment to avoid over-licensing.
What is new in VMware Cloud Foundation 9?
VCF 9 introduces a completely revamped installer that replaces the legacy Cloud Builder spreadsheet, live ESX patching without host reboots, GitOps with the Argo CD operator for consistent multi-site deployments, and VCF Import to bring existing vSphere environments under fleet management.
What is the difference between VMware Cloud Foundation and vSphere Foundation?
vSphere Foundation (VVF) delivers enterprise virtualization with intelligent operations for focused workloads. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is the complete private cloud platform, adding NSX networking, full VCF Automation, Fleet Management, and integrated Kubernetes for a software-defined data center. VCF suits organizations building a private or hybrid cloud rather than running standalone clusters.
How does 27 Virtual help with a VMware Cloud Foundation deployment?
27 Virtual is a Broadcom Pinnacle Partner that has delivered hundreds of VCF private clouds across North America. Engagements run from a free readiness assessment and architecture design through deployment, knowledge transfer, and ongoing optimization, available as a turnkey build, embedded expert augmentation, or an assessment and roadmap.
Latest VCF Insights
From the 27V engineering blog.
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