What is our primary use case?
My use case for VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator or now known as VCF Operations Orchestrator which is part of VCF package is comprehensive, as I've been part of many enterprises like big cloud provider companies like TELUS, Atos and cloud consumers like S&P Global where the most common use case of Automation and Orchestrator is to make available the infrastructure as fast as possible for end users. One such scenario is Virtual Machine provisioning. While provisioning virtual machines in an enterprise solution, there are numerous requirements we need to address. Most of the time the VCF Automation tool provides many of the enterprise requirements out of the box, but anything missing, we cover through custom code development in VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator. VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator is a coding engine where we can write any code in various languages, and integrate with any system as soon as we can talk to it over REST, SOAP, AMQP, SSH, WinRM, etc or if supports the Orchestrator Plugins ecosystem. I have completed many automations for clients, including bare metal hardware provisioning, tenant provisioning, virtual machine provisioning, and integration with 100s of third-party solutions like Service Now, Cisco UCS, CyberArk etc.
How has it helped my organization?
Currently working as Broadcom Partner, I deal with customers that are looking for several use-cases which needs to be customized and precisely tailored to their needs. This is where Orchestrator really shines. We are currently generating a lot of revenue by selling custom automation solutions to our customers and that in returns, streamline their business process and saves a lot of time and money for them which is a obviously a win-win for both the party.
What is most valuable?
The best features of VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator lie in the two different tools, Orchestrator and Automation. Automation is an enterprise infrastructure-as-a-service solution, which means that I can provision my infrastructure, networks, virtual machines, and more through this tool. The best thing about it is that it supports public cloud, allowing me to control all my clouds from a single pane of glass but in the latest version 9.0, it brings Kubernetes-as-a -Service solutions to the table. You can provision supervisors clusters, containers, etc. right from the beginning. The interface is very intuitive, offering numerous out-of-the-box features that I can directly utilize. It's an essential tool for anyone using a full-fledged VMware environment; without Automation or Orchestrator, it's challenging to automate the complete VCF setup. However, if you're not using a VMware environment, this tool may not offer much value.
Regarding Orchestrator, it serves as a complete execution engine where I can write code in JavaScript, Python, PowerShell, or NodeJS. In the latest version, it even supports the latest JavaScript ES2022 features. There are numerous plugins available that I can install to integrate with third-party systems, such as Huawei storages, Active Directory, and vSphere. It has HTTP, SOAP, PowerShell, and SSH plugins, enabling me to automate any system regardless of whether a prepared plugin exists.
The drag-and-drop interface significantly streamlines my automation processes as it provides 30 to 40 elements that I can directly consume. I don't have to reinvent the wheel every time I try to do something. For instance, actions in Orchestrator are pieces of code or functions that can be used multiple times, so I don't need to write code repeatedly. If I want to perform a small operation, I can simply drag and drop actions, utilize scriptable tasks for custom code, or make decisions with various programming constructs such as switch case and loops. I can even use Error Handling elements that allows me to handle errors effectively.
What needs improvement?
In terms of Orchestrator as a tool there is a lot of room for improvement, specifically in being more developer-friendly though it has come a long way. From that perspective, certain modern features are missing, especially when compared to developer tools such as Visual Studio Code or other code editors. That's essential, considering it's the primary development tool for VMware. In terms of Automation, there should be more features that align with what public cloud interfaces can provide. Not everyone is a developer; therefore, if they can offer out-of-the-box features for the most common scenarios that customers need, it would be highly beneficial for end users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator for the last 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of the tool at eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability in VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator is out of the box and not a problem at all; I just have to click a button to scale up. I would rate scalability as 10 out of 10.
How are customer service and support?
Maintaining the tool is easy, as Broadcom provides 24/7 support. If I can't resolve any issues, I can always reach out to support, and they'll fix it for me. I would rate the support at an eight out of ten; it's quite good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The deployment is comparatively easy, provided I fulfill all requirements. If I miss any steps, troubleshooting could become a nightmare. When all backend requirements are met, deploying VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator takes hardly five to six hours.
What was our ROI?
In terms of return on investment, I've seen significant improvements throughout my 10 years of experience. My customers generally seem happy with the solutions provided, which indicates value. We maintain relationships with them, so knowing they are still using our services after one or two years reinforces this. Without manual effort, the time to build a virtual machine typically takes about 7 to 10 days due to communication gaps and approval processes. However, with automation, I can provision a virtual machine in just one to two hours; this is a drastic improvement.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, I find the pricing to be on the expensive side. After the Broadcom acquisition, the licenses skyrocketed in cost. The reason for this is a different management approach taken by Broadcom. The licensing structure now requires purchasing a full suite of VMware tools to use the automation and Orchestrator tool, which makes it costly. However, regarding the average cost per VM or per node, I've noticed that it is comparatively cheaper in the market. So overall, while it's expensive if you're not utilizing it fully, as a package, it's cheaper.
Previously, the purchasing approach for VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator was different. Up until last year, if I wanted to use these tools, I could directly approach Broadcom or VMware to purchase licenses for individual tools. However, after the Broadcom acquisition, the licensing model changed. Now, I can't purchase a single tool; I have to buy a license for the entire suite and for a specific number of hosts, which increases the expense.
What other advice do I have?
Using the Workflow Designer is crucial; I have to use it to develop code. In the Workflow Designer, there are around 30 to 40 different types of elements that I can drag and drop to create a nice flow of execution. For example, I can first get some values, then execute something, send a notification email, and update my CMDB or database. It's a step-by-step process where I can do some small piece of work at each step before moving to the next one. It's intuitive, with 30 to 40 elements to work with, and it provides debugging functionalities. If I face any issues, I can enable debug mode to see additional information that helps me troubleshoot. It supports four languages out of the box, allowing anyone comfortable with PowerShell, Linux shell scripting, Python, or JavaScript to use it.
I find the API feature highly beneficial for custom solutions. There are two phases to it. For instance, if I develop something in Automation and create a catalog item for provisioning services for customers, the first phase allows me to use the API approach to consume any tool with an API interface. I can use the HTTP REST plugin in VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator to automate that tool whenever API methods are available for certain tasks. The second phase involves consuming the APIs of VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator tool. For example, if I use ServiceNow as a frontend and have services running in the Automation Orchestrator tool, I don't need to refactor or rebuild those services in ServiceNow. Instead, I can use the ServiceNow HTTP REST plugin and point it to the Automation Orchestrator tool. Essentially, I can use the REST APIs of these tools to automate them or automate any other tool through VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator using the REST API.
In my last organization, we had a team of around 1,000 people using the solution, and we didn't face any issues. I would recommend VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator to anyone seeking an enterprise solution for private cloud or on-premises cloud, but not for those utilizing public cloud.
I rate VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator 8.5 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
