VMware Cloud Foundation Reviews & Product Details

I like VMware Cloud Foundation because it supports skill development in Kubernetes and allows me to access desktop visualization at no cost as a student. This is particularly helpful for my research projects. I also appreciate the reduced hardware costs, easy and safe data access, memory optimization, and storage efficiency. The AI integration is a big plus as it allows high-performance AI to run efficiently in the same environment. Additionally, the initial setup was smooth, like a plug and play. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

nothing really Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

VCF's greatest strength is its ability to offer a portfolio that combines all best-of-breed technologies into a single solution. This is unique in the market. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Unfortunately, companies are reluctant to enter into long-term contracts to ensure price stability over several years. Smaller companies are also deterred by the full stack—which they often don’t need. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I primarily appreciate VMware Cloud Foundation for its seamless integration of vSphere, vSAN, and NSX, which provides a unified Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) platform. This integration is pivotal for streamlining deployments and simplifying the management of environments, especially in lab settings where I experiment with private-cloud setups. I find the SDDC Manager particularly beneficial as it automates upgrades and overall lifecycle management, greatly reducing the complexity and time spent on these tasks. Additionally, the platform supports an exploration of networking and automation features, which enhances my understanding and skills within these domains. The ability to practice deployments and manage the environment effectively owing to these integrated tools makes VMware Cloud Foundation a valuable resource in my learning and testing endeavors. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the learning curve for VMware Cloud Foundation quite steep, especially when it comes to NSX and vSAN. These components can be particularly complex for newcomers, and clearer guides along with simpler default settings would be beneficial. Additionally, VMware Cloud Foundation can be resource-heavy, which poses challenges for lab or smaller environments, affecting the overall efficiency and accessibility for testing purposes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about VMware Cloud Foundation is how seamlessly it brings compute, storage, networking, and management into a single, consistent platform. The standardized architecture simplifies operations, reduces configuration errors, and speeds up deployments across on-prem and cloud environments. Its strong automation and lifecycle management make complex infrastructure far easier to run at scale, while still giving enterprises flexibility and control. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I dislike about VMware Cloud Foundation is its complexity and cost. The licensing model can be expensive and hard to justify for smaller environments, and the platform often requires highly skilled staff to manage effectively. Initial setup and upgrades can feel heavy, especially compared to more lightweight or cloud-native alternatives, which can slow adoption and increase operational overhead. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I appreciate the simplicity and convenience of having one admin center for all functions within VMware Cloud Foundation. The easy, one-click solutions it provides, alongside the automation of organizational operations, significantly streamline our processes and enhance operational efficiency. Updates being managed effortlessly and everything being centralized under VMware Cloud Foundation, simplifies the managerial tasks like database, servers, and security updates, making overall management of cloud-based operations much easier. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I dislike the rigid, fixed way of building things in VMware Cloud Foundation. This lack of flexibility during deployments is challenging because it requires starting with many host nodes, which can be inefficient. It particularly affects smaller companies that might not have enough resources to handle these large-scale deployments. Allowing more flexibility and the use of fewer nodes in the deployment process could optimize unused resources and improve overall efficiency. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Unified, integrated SDDC stack —it brings compute, storage, networking, and management together, combining vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and lifecycle management into a single, cohesive platform.

Automated lifecycle management — One of the biggest wins for me is the ability to handle upgrades and patching in a more automated way across the full stack, which helps keep everything aligned and easier to maintain. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Cost and licensing complexity: VCF seems to be a premium solution, and the licensing can be expensive and difficult to optimize for our needs.

Operational complexity: The initial deployment and ongoing management require strong VMware and networking skills, especially when working with NSX, which adds to the overall operational overhead. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I really like how VMware Cloud Foundation keeps all my virtual machines and cloud tasks organized in one secure spot. Its biggest strength is the unified platform that integrates computing, storage, and networking, which eliminates the need for managing separate tools and greatly simplifies infrastructure management. This unification makes my work smoother and removes a lot of infrastructure headaches. I also appreciate how VMware Cloud Foundation handles patching and updates automatically, saving me from the tedious task of doing it manually. In terms of computing, the platform provides a solid and reliable environment for running my VMs without any compatibility issues. The storage component is excellent because vSAN is integrated right into the platform, removing the necessity for separate storage systems. Overall, it's a powerful tool that makes managing infrastructure much easier compared to other options available. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the complexity of VMware Cloud Foundation to be the biggest downside. Despite its powerful capabilities, setting it up and managing it on my own was quite challenging. If you don’t have ample support, it can be overwhelming. Additionally, the initial setup was not as straightforward as expected, with numerous requirements and configurations needed before deployment. Overall, while it's a robust platform, it is not the simplest to work with. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about VMware Cloud Foundation is that it gives us a fully integrated, end-to-end stack that just works together out of the box. Having vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and SDDC Manager pre-validated as a single platform saves us a ton of time compared to stitching everything together ourselves. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The biggest downside for us is complexity and cost. VMware Cloud Foundation is powerful, but it’s definitely not simple—there’s a steep learning curve, especially around NSX and SDDC Manager. Troubleshooting can get tricky because there are so many tightly coupled components, and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint where an issue actually lives. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

VMware Cloud Foundation offers a unified and consistent platform that makes hybrid and multi-cloud management seamless. What I appreciate most is the automation it enables, from infrastructure deployment to lifecycle management, allowing me to focus on business outcomes instead of manual operations. Its integration across compute, storage, and networking is outstanding, providing a stable and secure foundation. For automation professionals like me, it is extremely powerful and adaptable, reducing complexity while increasing agility. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Although VMware Cloud Foundation is an excellent platform, its initial setup and licensing complexity can be a challenge, especially for organizations without deep VMware expertise. Documentation is thorough but sometimes fragmented, which may slow down adoption for new users. The platform’s wide range of features can feel overwhelming at first, and it requires a solid investment in skills to fully leverage. That said, once in place, these challenges are outweighed by the long-term benefits of automation, scalability, and reliability. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that it’s the whole package together. I am a Broadcom consultant, and I work with VCF practically every day. By now it’s the only option for customers, and from a technical standpoint that’s a good thing, because I’ve learned the subject and now I just have to reapply it to all customers. It also makes it easier for me to describe the solution and adapt it to the customer, since it’s now the only truly viable option.

In theory, it’s simple to implement, especially with VCF 9, as everything is very guided. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I don’t like the same thing I do like: we are now forced to use the whole package even if I didn’t want to. A simple example is the small company that needs just a little workload. Before, they would turn to VMware, since vSphere alone was more than enough. But now that same company would have to implement at least NSX and vSAN, which always becomes complex for smaller businesses. Not to mention that prices go up. So, if I had to sum it up, I’d say the real problem is that flexibility has been lost, and Broadcom is almost trying to exclude small customers.

Although it should be easy to implement, especially in VCF 9 with the new installer, from personal experience I can say that there are always—and I mean always—countless issues. These are part of my job, I’m used to them, but the real problem is that they’re not documented. In fact, it almost seems like there is no documentation on VCF, and in my opinion this is the real major issue. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.