Before vROps 8.3 we had the vSphere Optimization Assessment (VOA), the tool built into vROps, designed to assess the capacity, performance, and compliance of your vSphere environment and provide feedback via dashboards and reports. The ABOUT VOA (still available, but deprecated) provides a nice description.
There are five pillars of the VOA: Summary Report, Configuration Assessment Report, Performance Assessment Report, Capacity and Cost Assessment Report, and the Analyze Events Report.
To run the assessment, click the RUN REPORT button which will generate a downloadable report (pdf). Each assessment pillar also provides a dashboard showing the respective data.
While the VOA focuses on your vSphere private cloud, the Cloud Management Assessment (CMA) introduced in vROps 8.3, moves beyond your on-prem footprint into the public cloud and beyond.
The CMA is broken up into six different layers: vSphere & VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), Hybrid Cloud with VMware Cloud on AWS, vRealize Cloud Universal, Public Cloud, Extensibility, and Horizon.
Each layer provides summary detail, links, dashboards, and reports to help visualize use cases. For example, let's look at the first use case in vSphere & VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), VCF Planning.
First, what is VCF? As described by VMware, VCF is the hybrid cloud platform for managing VMs and orchestrating containers, built on full-stack hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) technology. With a single architecture that is easy to deploy, VMware Cloud Foundation enables consistent, secure infrastructure and operations across private and public cloud. https://www.vmware.com/products/cloud-foundation.html
VCF has several different versions, but generally will include vSphere, vSAN, NSX, vRealize Suite, and vRNI. For customers considering the expansion from vSphere to VCF, this CMA dashboard can be helpful. Click the LAUNCH DASHBOARD button.
At the top you will see prerequisites for the dashboard. In this case, a vSphere Adapter Instance needs to be capturing data from your vCenter/s. The next widget provides a brief description of the dashboard itself. The VCF Planning widget at left provides navigation tips and details around the objects and metrics you're looking at. The data itself will be used to size your VCF environment.
There are 10 other dashboards available for the vSphere & VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) section, detailing everything from performance and capacity to configuration and compliance.
The second CMA section is Hybrid Cloud with VMware Cloud on AWS, it offers 11 dashboards. If you're considering a move from vSphere on-prem to VMC on AWS, it's reasonable to compare workload performance in both environments. The Performance Validation dashboard in this section helps you do that.
After clicking Performance Validation, you'll be presented with a summary.
As described: Post-migration performance verification is important to demonstrate to business stakeholders the applications are running as good, if not better, and meeting the business requirements in the new VMware Cloud on AWS datacenter. Click LAUNCH DASHBOARD to validate performance.
Pre-requisites are listed at the top. In this case, you'll need a vSphere adapter instance capturing your on-prem workloads. Additionally, you'll need a VMC on AWS adapter instance capturing your migrated workloads. Below that, you'll find a description of the dashboard and navigation recommendations at left.
The main content here are the two widgets in the middle listing VMs. The widget at left shows the vSphere VMs, performance metrics, and deletion/migration time. The widget at right shows the new VMC on AWS VMs, allowing you to compare workload performance before and after migration.
Next in the list is vRealize Cloud Universal, which is basically the vRealize Suite in the cloud, giving you the ability to run vROps, vRLI, vRA, and vRLCM in the Cloud.
While there aren't reports or dashboards here, there are two helpful links:
Learn more - this takes you to the vRealize Cloud Universal page, providing you with an Overview, Pricing, FAQ, and Resources.
Model your ROI - this takes you to the vRealize Cloud Universal Value Tool, used to estimate the savings and ROI that you can gain by implementing vRealize Cloud Universal.
Click GET STARTED and you'll be guided through an analysis of your existing environment and how much you can expect to save by going to vRealize Cloud Universal.
I've indicated I'm running vRealize Suite Enterprise on-prem (100 licenses). I'd like to perform this analysis over 1 year, that is I'd like to migrate everything at once. Click Next.
I've indicated I would like 100 licenses of vRealize Cloud Universal and that I'd like to migrate everything at once. Click Next.
The Discovery phase allows you to specify CPUs per host, consolidation ratios, total number of VMs, and more. I've taken the defaults and clicked Next.
You are now given your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Savings details, highlighting just how much you'll save by migrating from vRealize Suite on-prem to vRealize Cloud Universal. Click Next.
This last piece is the ROI Analysis, providing a break even point and a downloadable assessment report.
The fourth layer of the CMA is Public Cloud. There are three use cases here: Public Cloud Planning, AWS, and Azure.
As stated: When contemplating migrating to a public cloud environment, there are many things to consider. One of the first is understanding how much capacity is needed to meet business goals. Any intelligent planning must start here, which is where vRealize Operations can help. Click LAUNCH DASHBOARD, which will take you directly to the vROps What-If Analysis page, providing a canvas on which to plan migrations to the public cloud.
The AWS link provides visibility into your AWS estate with vROps via the vROps management pack for AWS. https://docs.vmware.com/en/vRealize-Operations-Manager/8.2/com.vmware.vcom.config.doc/GUID-B9E7C624-23F3-4B96-A104-CBE7D7ED0205.html
The Azure link provides visibility into your Microsoft Azure estate with vROps via the vROps management pack for Azure. https://docs.vmware.com/en/vRealize-Operations-Manager/8.2/com.vmware.vcom.config.doc/GUID-FE6ECBD7-0318-41B3-8785-94BBCC313420.html
The fifth layer of the CMA is Extensibility, exploring five topics.
vRealize True Visibility Suite - provides a link to the vRTVS evaluation site and the vRTVS Pathfinder site, giving you a guided tour of the product.
Customizable Dashboards - provides a link to the VMware Sample Exchange and the vROps - Extensibility Pathfinder site.
Automated Actions - provides a link to the VMware Sample Exchange and the vROps - Extensibility Pathfinder site.
Marketplace - provides links on how to install management packs for vROps Cloud, how to download and install management packs for vROps on-prem, and the vROps - Extensibility Pathfinder site.
REST API and Sample Exchange - provides a link to vROps samples in VMware {code} and one to the vROps - Extensibility Pathfinder site.
The sixth and last layer of the CMA is Horizon. Previously, users had their own dedicated vROps for Horizon environment, separate from their main vROps environment. With vROps 8.3, we've released a management pack for Horizon, so you no longer need to run two vROps instances. You're given a brief description of what the management does and a link to a blog written by VMware Technical Marketing Manager Thomas Bryant: https://blogs.vmware.com/management/2020/10/announcing-vrealize-operations-management-pack-for-horizon.html