Mastering VCF 9.0 Automation: Deep Dive into All App, VM App, and Provider App Organizations

 

Introduction

With the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, VMware has continued to enhance its approach to delivering private cloud infrastructure that is secure, scalable, and easier to manage. One of the most significant changes in VCF 9.0 is the introduction of a new automation model designed to support multi-tenancy, better resource governance, and clearer separation between provider and tenant responsibilities. This new model is centered around three core organizational constructs: All App Organization, VM App Organization, and Provider App Organization. In this blog, we explore each of these in detail, understand their role in the overall architecture, and provide best practices for implementation.

Understanding the VCF 9.0 Automation Framework

VCF 9.0 introduces an evolved automation framework that builds on VMware Aria Automation (formerly vRealize Automation). Rather than treating automation as a one-size-fits-all component, VCF 9.0 allows infrastructure providers and tenants to operate in well-defined, segregated environments. This segregation ensures better governance, scalability, and alignment with enterprise and service provider use cases.

The automation experience in VCF 9.0 is delivered through three automation apps:

1. All App Organization
2. VM App Organization
3. Provider App Organization

Each organization type has distinct responsibilities and capabilities, and together they help build a secure and scalable private cloud ecosystem.

1. All App Organization

The All App Org is the default or root organizational entity in the VCF 9.0 automation framework. It is typically managed by the infrastructure provider or cloud admin and is responsible for managing shared infrastructure and global services.

Key Functions:

• Manage and onboard cloud accounts (such as vCenter, NSX, storage).
• Define global content such as blueprints, templates, and policies.
• Create and manage infrastructure projects across all tenants.
• Set up tagging strategies and resource placement policies.
• Maintain centralized governance and access control.

Typical Use Case: A platform team managing a single or multi-tenant private cloud infrastructure, where global templates and catalogs are created once and shared across tenant organizations.

Important Limitation: You cannot add the same vCenter Server to multiple organizations (All App Org, VM App Org, or Provider App Org) simultaneously. vCenter can only be onboarded to one organization due to resource ownership and inventory synchronization limitations. Attempting to do so may lead to duplication errors, inventory sync issues, and policy enforcement conflicts.

2. VM App Organization

The VM App Org is designed for tenant teams or business units within an enterprise that require self-service provisioning, resource control, and automation tailored to their specific use case.

Key Functions:

• Allows tenants to manage their own infrastructure projects.
• Users can deploy workloads using scoped catalog items.
• Provides isolation through dedicated projects, roles, and permissions.
• Enables granular control over resource usage and deployment behavior.

Typical Use Case: A large enterprise with separate Dev, QA, and Production teams using VCF to deploy and manage their workloads independently. Each team is given its own VM App Org with access to tailored templates and policies.

Best Practices:

• Use separate folders, clusters, and tags to isolate tenant environments.
• Implement quota and lease policies to control resource usage.
• Define tenant-specific cloud templates that inherit from All App Org catalog items.

3. Provider App Organization

The Provider App Org serves cloud providers or MSPs who are managing multiple tenants and want centralized visibility and control without exposing the underlying infrastructure directly to the tenants.

Key Functions:

• Provides a control plane for service providers.
• Allows onboarding and management of multiple VM App Orgs.
• Supports service brokering, billing integration, and centralized policy enforcement.
• Delegated administration without giving full infrastructure access.

Typical Use Case: A managed service provider hosting multiple customer environments on a single VCF instance, offering self-service capabilities while maintaining control over the infrastructure.

Key Advantages:

• Simplifies tenant lifecycle management.
• Enhances compliance by isolating responsibilities.
• Facilitates cross-tenant visibility for operational insights.

Architectural Considerations

When planning a VCF 9.0 deployment, careful thought must be given to how vCenter, NSX, and other infrastructure components are mapped to organizations. Below are some considerations:

• A single vCenter can be onboarded to only one automation organization.
• NSX segments and transport zones must be scoped to appropriate domains and orgs.
• Projects act as logical containers within orgs and can further segment workloads.
• Content sharing between orgs must be explicitly configured and governed.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Attempting to onboard a single vCenter into both All App Org and VM App Org.
• Using global tags without a naming convention, leading to conflicts.
• Over-provisioning access rights across orgs.

Conclusion

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 significantly improves automation capabilities by introducing a well-structured, multi-org framework that supports both enterprise and service provider use cases. By understanding and effectively utilizing the All App, VM App, and Provider App organizations, customers can achieve better resource control, enhanced security, and operational scalability. As always, planning the organization structure, access model, and resource boundaries in advance is critical for a successful VCF automation deployment.

Stay tuned for a follow-up blog where we'll walk through a real-world deployment scenario using all three organization types in VCF 9.0.