IT professionals seeking a VMware alternative may also need to ensure the solution can provide an affordable and integrated SDN alternative to VMware’s software-defined networking stack, NSX. Even customers who don’t currently use NSX, live without its potential benefits because of its reputation for high cost and complex implementation, excluding it from the decision-making process.
During our recent NETdepot: From VMware to VergeOS webinar, Ben Beasley, VP of Solutions Architecture at NETdepot, shared how switching to VergeOS and its integrated software-defined networking solution, VergeFabric, provided their team with advanced features at a fraction of the cost and complexity.
The Hidden Challenges of VMware NSX
VMware NSX has long been an attractive option for organizations seeking advanced networking functions like micro-segmentation via (L3 segregation), virtualized firewalls, and routing. However, these benefits come with significant trade-offs:
- High Cost: NSX is not part of VMware’s standard offerings. It’s an expensive add-on that inflates licensing costs.
- Complex Implementation: Deploying NSX requires specialized expertise, which increases operational costs and delays time to value. Because the VMs run separately from the core ESXi, special consideration must be given to high availability and failover.
VergeFabric: SDN Without the Overhead
When NETdepot transitioned to VergeOS, they found that VergeFabric offered comparable features to VMware NSX but with significant advantages at a lower cost. VergeFabric provides a suite of advanced capabilities, including:
- Firewall: Built-in firewalls to secure virtual environments at every layer.
- Routing: Integrated routing functionality to simplify and streamline network operations.
- VPN: Secure virtual private network capabilities for connecting remote users and locations.
- Micro-Segmentation: With L3 segregation, VergeOS can provide granular segmentation to improve security and isolate workloads.
- BGP (Border Gateway Protocol): Support for dynamic routing protocols to enhance scalability and network performance.
- Integrated Multi-Tenancy: Simplifies the creation of virtual private clouds, allowing organizations to isolate and manage customer environments without additional complexity or cost.
The Power of Built-In SDN
1. Built-in SDN Reduces Cost, Democratizes Capabilities
Unlike VMware NSX, which must be purchased as a separate add-on, VergeFabric is a core feature of VergeOS. This built-in approach eliminates the high costs associated with acquiring and licensing NSX, making advanced networking capabilities accessible to organizations of all sizes. An affordable and integrated SDN makes its advanced networking functionality available to all data centers, not just those who can afford it.
2. Built-in SDN Simplifies Deployment and Management
With VergeFabric, SDN is seamlessly integrated into the platform as a service. Each node within a VergeOS instance has VergeFabric functionality built into it, and network configuration data is shared across nodes. This architecture ensures that customers don’t need to worry about special high-availability configurations for SDN virtual machines, as NSX requires. The streamlined approach reduces operational overhead and ensures that networking capabilities are immediately usable.
3. Built-in SDN Improves Resource Efficiency
By integrating VergeFabric natively, VergeOS avoids the resource-heavy footprint of VMware NSX. With this reduced footprint, VergeFabric allows for more resources to be available to run workloads.
VergeFabric in Action: Simplifying Disaster Recovery
Another value of an affordable and integrated SDN is improving DR plan execution. VergeFabric enables organizations to achieve seamless disaster recovery by combining powerful features like BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) and multi-tenancy.
How It Works:
- Multi-Tenancy for Workload Capture:
With VergeFabric’s multi-tenancy, IT teams can capture an entire workload as a Virtual Data Center (VDC), including all virtual machine configurations and networking settings. This captured VDC is then replicated to a remote site, ensuring a perfectly consistent copy of the production environment. - BGP for Automated Failover:
Once the VDC is replicated, VergeOS is used to configure BGP to advertise identical IP addresses from both the primary and backup sites, with different weights assigned to prioritize the primary site. - Failover in Action:
BGP automatically reroutes traffic to the backup site during a primary site outage. This process occurs without manual intervention or the need for costly third-party failover tools, minimizing service disruption and ensuring business continuity.
The Result
By leveraging VergeFabric’s integrated BGP and multi-tenancy, IT teams can simplify disaster recovery processes, achieve faster failover, and reduce operational complexity. Organizations gain a streamlined approach to business continuity that eliminates downtime and protects critical workloads.
SDN for Every Organization
NETdepot’s experience highlights the importance of accessible and affordable SDN capabilities for modern IT environments. As Ben Beasley emphasized during the webinar, VergeFabric delivers “all the capabilities of VMware NSX without the cost or complexity,” making it an ideal choice for organizations looking to optimize their infrastructure.
Conclusion
VMware’s per-core licensing model not only imposes obvious and hidden costs but also excludes many key capabilities from the standard license. Essential features often require additional purchases, creating a costly “add-on mentality” that can deter customers from adopting valuable enhancements, even when they would greatly benefit from them.
VergeFabric’s seamless integration within VergeOS provides another compelling reason to make the switch. By reducing costs, simplifying operations, and improving resource efficiency, VergeFabric ensures that SDN is no longer a luxury but a standard feature accessible to any organization.
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