Dell Private Cloud deploying VMware is a software subscription that brings together Dell compute, storage, and VMware into a single, automated private cloud platform.

Key points on how it fits into your environment:

• Uses your existing VMware skills: You bring your own VMware licenses (any ELA, VCSP, Omnissa, or perpetual license with at least vSphere Enterprise Plus). Management remains through VMware vCenter Server, so your team can work with familiar tools and workflows with no new training required.
• Runs on Dell PowerEdge and Dell storage: You can use new or existing PowerEdge servers and a wide range of Dell storage platforms (PowerStore, PowerFlex, PowerMax, PowerVault, Unity XT, VMAX). Storage can be either platform-integrated (fully automated lifecycle) or platform-compatible (validated but managed independently).
• Central automation with Dell Automation Platform: A no-cost control plane orchestrates deployment and lifecycle management of both hardware and software. It onboards Dell infrastructure, maintains inventory, and uses validated blueprints to automate cluster deployment, expansion, and updates.
• Appliance-like experience with disaggregated flexibility: You get an appliance-style simplicity for deployment and operations, while still keeping the flexibility of disaggregated infrastructure so you can adapt as IT needs change.
• Support model: Dell provides ProSupport or ProSupport Plus for hardware and Dell Private Cloud software, while you maintain your own VMware support contract. This gives you a primary source of system-level support for the Dell stack.

In practice, this lets you reimagine your VMware-based private cloud as an automated, continuously validated platform that still respects your existing investments in VMware licensing, Dell hardware, and team expertise.

Dell Automation Platform is the orchestration and control layer behind Dell Private Cloud deploying VMware. It is provided at no cost and is designed to simplify both initial deployment and ongoing operations.

Here is how it helps day to day:

• Centralized administration: The platform acts as a single interface for managing Dell Private Cloud clusters, including automation, logging, and inventory of your Dell infrastructure.
• Validated blueprints: Dell provides tested, TOSCA-based YAML blueprints that describe your desired environment. These are used to automate multi-step tasks such as:
  • Cluster deployment and expansion (from 3 to 96 nodes per vSphere cluster)
  • Cluster updates (firmware, software, OS)
  • PowerStore storage updates and lifecycle workflows
  This reduces manual steps and helps minimize operational risk.
• Intelligent lifecycle management: You define a desired state that includes the hypervisor OS image, Dell Private Cloud software version, and PowerEdge firmware. The system continuously checks for compliance against validated states and guides you through patching, updating, expansion, and component replacement.
• Controlled version drift for security: If you need to apply a critical security patch before Dell publishes a validated state, you can compose a new desired state that includes it. This gives you flexibility to respond quickly to security issues while keeping changes documented.
• Day 2 operations automation:
  • Cluster expansion or node removal with automated mapping/unmapping of resources
  • Centralized storage system updates instead of cluster-by-cluster manual work
  • Built-in compliance and health checks in all workflows
  • Ability to quickly re-provision, repurpose, or decommission infrastructure as workloads change
• Dynamic licensing: Licenses from Dell Digital Locker are automatically applied to cluster deployments, so you avoid manual key handling and gain better tracking and allocation.

Overall, Dell Automation Platform and its blueprints help you rethink lifecycle management from a manual, ticket-driven process to a more automated, policy- and blueprint-driven model that is easier to operate and audit.

Dell Private Cloud deploying VMware is designed to give you flexibility in how you license, configure, and evolve your environment over time.

Licensing flexibility:

• Bring your own VMware license: You can use existing agreements such as ELA, VCSP, Omnissa, or perpetual licenses (with vSphere Enterprise Plus minimum). No additional approvals are required.
• Subscription options: Dell Private Cloud software is offered as a 1-, 3-, 4-, or 5-year subscription, licensed per PowerEdge node. Licenses are portable between Private Clouds, which helps if you re-balance clusters or build new ones.
• VCF compatibility: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) licensing can be used, although not all VCF features may be integrated or automated. Standard storage licensing (e.g., PowerStore, PowerFlex) continues to apply.

Configuration flexibility:

• Disaggregated infrastructure: You can mix and match supported Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell storage platforms, rather than being locked into a single appliance form factor.
• Cluster scale: vSphere clusters can range from 3 to 96 nodes. For deployment, nodes use a homogeneous hardware configuration; for expansion, only the physical NIC configuration must match, and mixed platforms are supported.
• Networking: Minimum 10GbE networking is required, with a single vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) supported.
• Deployment options: The Dell Automation Platform can be customer-hosted (as a virtual appliance or on a Kubernetes cluster) or Dell-hosted and accessed via a Dell On-Premises Proxy Accelerator.

Future platform and investment protection:

• Multi-hypervisor and third-party ecosystems: The open, adaptable platform approach is designed so that infrastructure can be repurposed to a different third-party cloud ecosystem or used in a multi-hypervisor environment if your strategy changes.
• Repurposing infrastructure: Because the solution is built on standard Dell PowerEdge and Dell storage, you can reassign hardware to other software stacks as business needs evolve, rather than being locked into a single use case.
• Support alignment: With ProSupport or ProSupport Plus for Dell hardware and software, and your own VMware support, you maintain flexibility in how you structure vendor relationships while still having a clear path for system-level support.

This combination of licensing freedom, configuration options, and the ability to repurpose infrastructure helps you reimagine your private cloud as a long-term, adaptable platform rather than a fixed, single-purpose deployment.