VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) combines vSphere, vSAN, Kubernetes, and operations management into a single hyperconverged platform. Organizations use it to consolidate compute and storage on standard x86 hardware without the complexity of full software-defined networking.
Best for
What is VMware vSphere Foundation?
VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) is an enterprise hyperconverged infrastructure platform that bundles vSphere Enterprise Plus (compute), vSAN (storage), vSphere Kubernetes Service (containers), and VCF Operations (monitoring and capacity planning) into a single per-core subscription. It does not include NSX networking or SDDC Manager — making it a simpler, lower-cost alternative to VMware Cloud Foundation for organizations that do not need full software-defined networking.
Many organizations run separate physical servers and dedicated SAN storage arrays, each with independent licensing and support contracts. Managing them separately increases costs, creates upgrade complexity, and limits agility.
Traditional environments use dedicated servers for compute and separate SAN or NAS arrays for storage. Each layer has its own vendor, licensing, and support lifecycle.
VVF converges compute and storage onto standard x86 servers using vSAN. No external storage array required. One subscription covers the full stack.
Without integrated monitoring, teams spend time manually correlating alerts across compute and storage. Capacity planning relies on spreadsheets and guesswork.
VVF includes VCF Operations for AI-driven monitoring, predictive capacity planning, and cost visibility — built in, not bolted on.
Organizations running Kubernetes often deploy a completely separate infrastructure stack — different servers, different storage, different management tools.
VVF includes vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS), which runs containers directly on the same platform as VMs. One infrastructure team manages both.
Based on the Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) study of VMware vSphere Foundation, measuring the financial impact over a three-year period for organizations deploying VVF as their hyperconverged infrastructure platform.
Three-year ROI
Operational efficiency gain
Less planned downtime
"Infrastructure teams using vSphere Foundation are 42% more efficient, allowing IT staff to shift from routine maintenance to strategic initiatives."
— Forrester Total Economic Impact Study, VMware vSphere Foundation
VVF and VCF share the same compute and storage foundation. The key difference is scope: VVF focuses on hyperconverged compute and storage, while VCF adds software-defined networking, lifecycle automation, and self-service provisioning for full private cloud.
VVF is the right fit when your team needs hyperconverged compute and storage but uses existing physical networking. VCF is the right fit when you need a complete software-defined data center with micro-segmentation, distributed firewall, and automated lifecycle management.
VVF is designed for specific infrastructure scenarios. Use this to evaluate whether it fits your environment or whether VCF is a better match.
Organizations running separate compute servers and SAN or NAS storage arrays. VVF converges both onto standard x86 hardware using vSAN — eliminating the storage array, its licensing, and its support contracts.
Typical scenario: A mid-size hospital running 200 VMs on aging Dell PowerEdge servers with an EMC VNX storage array approaching end-of-life. The team deploys VVF on new servers, consolidating compute and storage into a single cluster with built-in data protection.
Good fit if: you manage separate compute and storage vendor relationships and want to simplify.
Teams that want the benefits of vSphere and vSAN together but do not need NSX networking, SDDC Manager lifecycle automation, or self-service provisioning. VVF delivers the core HCI platform at a lower price point than VCF.
Typical scenario: A manufacturing company with 500 VMs across two sites. Their network team manages physical switches and firewalls — they do not need software-defined networking. VVF gives them hyperconverged compute, storage, and monitoring without paying for components they will not use.
Good fit if: your network infrastructure is physical and you do not plan to implement micro-segmentation.
Development teams adopting containers alongside existing VM workloads. VVF includes vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS), providing CNCF-certified Kubernetes directly on the hypervisor — no separate Kubernetes infrastructure required.
Typical scenario: A financial services firm running core applications on VMs wants to deploy new microservices in containers. Rather than building a separate Kubernetes cluster, they enable VKS on their existing VVF infrastructure. Developers get Kubernetes namespaces while operations manages one platform.
Good fit if: your development team is adopting Kubernetes and you want to avoid managing a separate container infrastructure.
Organizations with smaller data center footprints that need enterprise-class virtualization and HCI but do not require the full private cloud capabilities of VCF. VVF provides the essential platform without the additional operational overhead.
Typical scenario: A regional insurance company with a single data center and 150 VMs. They need reliable virtualization with integrated storage and monitoring, but a full VCF deployment with NSX and SDDC Manager would be overbuilt for their environment. VVF provides the right scope.
Good fit if: your environment is under 500 VMs and your team does not need software-defined networking or automated lifecycle management.
The VVF subscription includes four core components. Each is enterprise-grade and managed through a unified platform. Optional add-ons extend VVF for disaster recovery, load balancing, and additional storage capacity.
Additional vSAN Capacity
Expand beyond the included .25 TiB per core allocation. Purchase additional vSAN capacity as an add-on subscription when workloads require more storage.
VMware Live Recovery
Automated disaster recovery and failover capabilities. Protect VVF workloads with policy-based recovery orchestration across sites.
VVF includes vSphere Enterprise Plus, vSAN, vSphere Kubernetes Service, and VCF Operations. VCF includes everything in VVF plus NSX networking, SDDC Manager for lifecycle automation, and VCF Automation for self-service provisioning.
Choose VVF when you need hyperconverged compute and storage without the complexity of software-defined networking. Choose VCF when you need a full private cloud platform with network virtualization, micro-segmentation, and automated lifecycle management across the entire stack.
VVF is simpler to deploy and operate. VCF provides more capabilities but requires more planning and expertise to implement.
VVF is sold as a per-core subscription through authorized resellers like VirtualizationWorks. Broadcom does not publish list pricing publicly.
VVF is priced lower than VCF because it does not include NSX, SDDC Manager, or VCF Automation. According to the Forrester TEI study, organizations deploying VVF see a 365% three-year ROI and 77% operational efficiency gains.
Contact our team with your server count and core configuration for a sizing estimate.
VVF includes four components in a single subscription:
Optional add-ons include additional vSAN capacity, VMware Live Recovery, and VMware Avi Load Balancer.
No. NSX is not included in VVF. This is the primary difference between VVF and VCF.
VVF is designed for organizations that use their existing physical network infrastructure — switches, routers, and firewalls managed by the network team. If your environment requires software-defined networking, distributed firewall, or zero-trust micro-segmentation at the hypervisor layer, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is the appropriate platform.
If you are unsure whether you need NSX, contact our team. We can assess your network requirements and recommend the right platform.
Yes. The base VVF subscription includes 0.25 TiB of vSAN capacity per core. For environments that require more storage, additional vSAN capacity is available as an add-on subscription.
Other optional add-ons include VMware Live Recovery for disaster recovery orchestration and VMware Avi Load Balancer for application delivery. Contact our team to discuss what your environment requires.
Datasheets & Solution Briefs
VMware vSphere Foundation Datasheet vSphere Foundation Solution Brief VVF Feature ComparisonBusiness Case & ROI
VVF TCO Infographic — 365% ROI vSphere Foundation Infographic Empower Your On-Prem Cloud with VVFFAQ & Guidance
VMware vSphere Foundation FAQsExpert Resources
Talk to a VirtualizationWorks Specialist Request a VVF Sizing AssessmentVirtualizationWorks is an authorized VMware reseller. We help IT teams evaluate whether VVF or VCF is the right fit, size the deployment, compare licensing options, and plan migration from existing infrastructure.
