As enterprises modernize their private cloud environments
with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF 9), managing multiple deployments at
scale becomes a challenge. Different business units, regions, or even
departments may run their own VCF instances, each with unique lifecycle,
governance, and compliance requirements.
This is exactly where VCF 9 Fleet comes in. It acts as
a single pane of glass for governance and policy enforcement across
multiple VCF instances—whether they are within a single datacenter, spread
across multiple sites in one region, or deployed globally.
Based on my understanding of VCF 9, I’ve analyzed multiple
Fleet deployment approaches and their impact across different environments. What
I realized is that the deployment model really matters—it must align
with the organization’s scale, resilience goals, and compliance posture.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through the five primary VCF
Fleet deployment options, with detailed insights, architectural context,
and real-world examples.
1. VCF Fleet in a Single Site with Minimal Footprint
This is the most basic and lightweight Fleet deployment
option. Think of it as the entry point into Fleet, typically chosen by
organizations who want to explore its capabilities without committing to a
large footprint.
Architecture Characteristics:
- Single
VCF instance deployed in one datacenter.
- Fleet
Manager co-located with the management domain.
- Minimal
overhead; only the essential Fleet components are deployed.
When to Choose:
- Proof
of Concept (PoC) environments.
- Smaller
IT shops where one VCF instance is enough.
- Edge
locations where resources are constrained.
Benefits:
- Extremely
easy to deploy and manage.
- Gives
IT teams a starting point to learn Fleet’s capabilities.
- Governance
and compliance can still be applied, even at small scale.
Limitations:
- No
support for multiple sites.
- Not
designed for resiliency or large-scale environments.
Customer scenario: A retail chain rolling out a new
regional warehouse IT setup—small scale today, but planning to scale into
multiple DCs tomorrow. They start with minimal footprint Fleet to learn
and prepare for future expansion.
2. VCF Fleet in a Single Site (Standard Deployment)
The next step up from minimal is a standard single-site
Fleet deployment. While still operating in a single datacenter, this option
gives you the full set of governance, lifecycle, and compliance features
Fleet offers.
Architecture Characteristics:
- Single
VCF instance in one site, but Fleet runs in full deployment mode.
- Complete
management capabilities: governance, compliance checks, lifecycle
operations.
- Can
manage multiple workload domains under the same VCF instance.
When to Choose:
- Medium
to large enterprises running workloads from a single datacenter.
- Organizations
with compliance-heavy workloads that require governance.
- Customers
who want to standardize operations in a single location.
Benefits:
- Comprehensive
management in a single site.
- Suitable
for long-term operations if growth is limited to one DC.
- Provides
full lifecycle automation and consistency.
Limitations:
- Tied
to one physical location.
- Not
resilient against regional disruptions.
Customer scenario: A healthcare provider with a
single large hospital datacenter. Fleet ensures all workloads—from patient
applications to imaging—are governed under strict compliance policies.
3. VCF Fleet with Multiple Sites in a Single Region
Now we move into multi-site governance. Here, Fleet
manages multiple VCF instances deployed across different datacenters within the
same region. This is often the first step for enterprises looking to add resilience
and DR within a geography.
Architecture Characteristics:
- Multiple
datacenters within one region (say, Mumbai or California).
- Each
site runs a VCF instance.
- Fleet
Manager enforces governance and compliance across all sites.
When to Choose:
- Enterprises
requiring regional disaster recovery setups.
- Banks
and financial institutions with primary + DR datacenters.
- Any
organization that needs resiliency within one metro/region.
Benefits:
- Unified
governance and compliance across sites.
- Simplifies
lifecycle and operations across all datacenters in a region.
- Supports
cross-site workload mobility and DR testing.
Limitations:
- Bound
to one region; doesn’t extend to global coverage.
- Requires
strong regional network connectivity.
Customer scenario: A banking customer I worked with
had three datacenters in one region—primary, DR, and test. Fleet gave them one
governance model across all three, drastically reducing operational
overhead.
4. VCF Fleet with Multiple Sites Across Multiple Regions
This is where things scale to a global level. Fleet
spans multiple regions—each with their own sites—and provides centralized
management and governance.
Architecture Characteristics:
- Regions
defined geographically (e.g., APAC, EMEA, North America).
- Each
region may contain one or more sites.
- Fleet
overlays them all to provide global policy, compliance, and visibility.
When to Choose:
- Large
multinational corporations with datacenters worldwide.
- Organizations
needing global compliance enforcement.
- Industries
like finance, telecom, or manufacturing with global operations.
Benefits:
- Single
governance model across continents.
- Standardization
of operations globally.
- Easier
to meet global compliance regulations.
Limitations:
- Requires
advanced networking and identity federation.
- Higher
operational complexity.
Customer scenario:
A telecom company with DCs in Singapore, Frankfurt, and Virginia needed one global
compliance posture. Fleet made it possible to apply consistent
governance policies worldwide.
5. VCF Fleet with Multiple Sites in a Single Region Plus
Additional Regions
Finally, the hybrid model. This is the most advanced
Fleet deployment scenario, where an enterprise combines regional multi-site
resiliency with global governance.
Architecture Characteristics:
- A
core region with multiple datacenters (for regional resilience).
- Additional
regions (APAC, EMEA, Americas) also running sites.
- Fleet
oversees all, enforcing both regional DR governance and global
policies.
When to Choose:
- Enterprises
with both regional resilience needs and global consistency
requirements.
- Multinationals
with tiered governance (local policies + global oversight).
Benefits:
- Best
of both worlds: local DR + global consistency.
- Highly
resilient, highly standardized.
- Meets
even the toughest compliance and SLA requirements.
Limitations:
- Complex
design and operations.
- Requires
careful planning of networking, compliance, and identity.
Customer scenario:
A global manufacturing giant with 3 European sites for DR, plus
datacenters in APAC and North America. Fleet allowed them to keep regional
DR intact while applying global governance rules.
The power of VCF Fleet lies in its flexibility.
Whether you’re running a single datacenter, a regional cluster of
sites, or a global network of private clouds, Fleet adapts to your
needs.
The key is to choose the deployment model that aligns with
your business goals, compliance posture, and resilience requirements.
Start small if you need to, but design with the future in mind—because the way
you structure your Fleet today will define how scalable and consistent your
private cloud operations become tomorrow.
VCF Fleet isn’t just about technology—it’s about building a governed,
resilient, and globally consistent private cloud that grows with your
business.
