How Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE) Streamlines Cloud Migration and IT Modernization

For future-focused organizations, IT modernization is essential to achieving secure and optimized data center performance. Modernization is also a critical step in supporting overall digital transformation.

As part of the IT modernization process, many businesses are recognizing the value of adopting a multicloud strategy to free IT resources from routine system management duties, allowing them to concentrate on other priorities while reducing capital expenditures, optimizing operational expenditures and lowering time to delivery.

But to some, IT modernization and cloud migration can seem complex and daunting.

Organizations must consider their current IT environment to ensure that any transition to the cloud supports existing technologies, especially those from VMware and Intel that often represent the cornerstone of most data center infrastructures. Maintaining those technologies in the cloud is a key requirement for scaling quickly and ensuring applications perform predictably and consistently.

Enter Google Cloud VMware Engine

Moving to the cloud can be fast and easy with Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE). This cloud migration solution offers the benefit of immediate IT modernization as your VMware-based applications run on Google Cloud infrastructure powered by 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors and related Intel technologies.

Because most organizations today already possess operational skill sets, processes and tooling for VMware and Intel technologies, GCVE extends these assets and capabilities to the public cloud. It also speeds adoption and integration of cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes (and various Google Cloud service offerings such as Cloud SQL), as well as an array of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools.

With the announcement of VMware's end of support for vSphere 6.0, now is a good time to consider moving to the cloud as part of an overall IT modernization strategy. This article discusses some of the benefits of Google Cloud, GCVE and Intel technologies, including how WWT can help you achieve a successful migration.

Why Google Cloud for migration

The first consideration when moving to the cloud is: which cloud? In a world of providers, service levels and cloud deployment models to choose from (e.g., public, private, hybrid, multicloud), determining the best match for your organization can be a challenge.

Given Google Cloud's global optical networking backbone, leadership in AI/ML, as well as its broad portfolio offerings, it's little wonder so many IT organizations ultimately choose it over other options. Here are a few benefits of doing so that can justify your investment in IT modernization and provide the future-focused insights your organization needs to achieve cloud success. 

Google Cloud can help organizations:

• Make smarter decisions with the leading data cloud, which offers the unmatched AI-powered speed, scale and security needed to fuel data-driven transformation, accelerate time to actionable insights, and enable better informed decisions.
• Increase the security of your data by benefiting from Google's vast investment in a broad portfolio of purpose-built security solutions that keep assets and identities safe from theft, fraud, malware and other attacks.
• Get closer to Google offerings by moving applications closer to the tools that manage them, while gaining access to Google fiber optics, content delivery networks, and services such as data analytics and machine learning.
• Support a carbon-free future by using the most efficient data centers and the industry's greenest cloud. Google is the only major provider to buy enough renewable energy to cover its operations and your workloads.

Google Cloud not only speeds digital transformations, but it potentially can contribute to significant CapEx reductions by lowering costs for personnel, licenses and data centers overall.

GCVE makes cloud migration fast and easy

GCVE is an integrated first-party offering that provides everything needed to run an existing VMware environment natively in Google Cloud, supporting common virtualization resources such as VMware vSphere, VMware vSAN, VMware NSX and VMware HCX. It is also the first hyperscaler-owned offering to be designated "VMware Cloud Verified."

With GCVE, organizations can connect their current VMware environment directly to Google Cloud using familiar administrative tools and instantly start enjoying the benefits of available, scalable performance. GCVE is also designed to support enterprise production workloads with common VMware operational tools. And, because enterprise-level hybrid cloud strategies are a focal point for many WWT clients, GCVE has accelerated our ability to help move their workloads to the cloud as an important step in infrastructure modernization.

GCVE use cases

GCVE is ideal for implementing a range of use cases, including disaster recovery; data center migrations, consolidations and evacuations; moves from CapEx to OpEx without going completely cloud-native; and overcoming physical capacity constraints in an existing data center.

By migrating to a managed services platform, clients no longer need to patch, update or maintain VMware products. What's more, they can be assured that those functions will be performed expertly and in a timely fashion. Hardware-related issues are promptly rectified, saving time and budget and freeing staff to focus on more business-impactful activities.

GCVE also enables you to carry your existing skills, tools and processes into Google Cloud, providing a runway to begin learning and incorporating cloud-native technologies while retaining everything you've already built. And, because migration involves existing VMware assets, the process can happen quickly and seamlessly.

Modernizing with GCVE, optimized for Intel

Since the launch of GCVE in 2020, Google, Intel and VMware have collaborated to optimize for 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, and will continue to advance performance on new generations of Intel platforms in the future. 

Intel technology provides a security-enabled foundation for VMware workloads with hardware-enhanced features for cloud-based instances. Where mission-critical information leaves the traditional IT environment, a secure encryption standard such as Intel AES-NI is used to protect data in flight and at rest.

Other 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processor features include:

• Intel Advanced Vector Extensions 512 (Intel AVX-512) and Intel Deep Learning Boost (Intel DL Boost) to accelerate the most compute-intensive workloads.
• Hardened security built into the silicon for features such as boot protection, runtime security and quality of service (QoS).
• Additional PCI Express (PCIe) bandwidth and lower latency.

Machines with Intel architecture are also verified and certified by VMware. Moving to GCVE provides improved performance and efficiency for organizations running on older legacy hardware. Google Cloud and GCVE focus on being on the leading edge with Intel technology, helping clients benefit from their performance while modernizing in the cloud.

WWT's role in facilitating seamless GCVE migration

WWT is proud of our long-standing technology alliances with Google, VMware and Intel. And we are pleased to have been involved in the first deployments of GCVE. To assist clients at every stage of cloud migration, WWT offers a robust, diverse and integrated team of cloud and infrastructure experts trained on all aspects of deployment — not merely on one or two specialized tasks or domains — who are ready to serve clients across virtually any industry.

Our Advanced Technology Center (ATC) is available to explore cloud migration through labs, demonstrations, 1:1 consulting sessions, quick-start engagements, proof-of-concept services and many other resources. 

Together, WWT, Google, VMware and Intel are committed to collaborating throughout the deployment process, easing migration for clients as we provide the fastest, smoothest path to IT modernization.