Modern businesses demand speed, scalability, and precision in delivering digital services. To meet these needs, enterprises are shifting toward infrastructure automation to reduce manual processes and increase efficiency.
vRealize Automation—now known as VMware Aria Automation—is a comprehensive platform designed to automate and streamline the deployment of infrastructure and applications across cloud and on-premise environments.
By enabling self-service provisioning, policy-based governance, and integration with DevOps tools, vRealize Automation simplifies IT operations, reduces costs, and accelerates digital transformation.
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What is vRealize Automation?
vRealize Automation is an advanced automation platform from VMware that allows organizations to manage infrastructure and application deployments across multiple clouds. It provides a unified interface to provision, configure, and monitor resources in private, public, and hybrid cloud environments.
The platform automates the delivery of IT services, enabling faster deployment and consistent configurations. It empowers IT administrators, developers, and cloud architects to create efficient, scalable infrastructure workflows with less manual intervention.
Core Features
1. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
vRealize Automation supports YAML, Terraform, and VMware Cloud Templates to create repeatable infrastructure deployments. This approach improves consistency and version control across environments.
2. Multi-Cloud Support
The platform supports provisioning across multiple environments, including VMware vSphere, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)—offering true cloud flexibility.
3. Self-Service Catalog
IT teams can publish pre-approved resources to a self-service catalog using Service Broker. Users can select virtual machines, applications, and templates based on their roles and permissions.
4. DevOps Integration
With Code Stream, vRealize Automation integrates with Git, Jenkins, and Kubernetes, streamlining CI/CD pipelines and allowing faster and automated application releases.
5. Policy-Based Governance
Admins can define rules for access control, cost limits, security settings, and resource quotas. These policies are enforced automatically to ensure compliance and prevent misuse.
6. Configuration Management
SaltStack Config enables ongoing system configuration, drift remediation, and policy enforcement. This ensures infrastructure remains secure and aligned with organizational standards.
Common Use Cases
Faster Developer Environments
A SaaS company uses vRealize Automation to allow developers to deploy test environments on-demand using approved templates. This reduced setup times from two days to 20 minutes.
Cost Optimization in Multi-Cloud
An enterprise uses cost controls to monitor and optimize cloud spending. Policies ensure workloads are deployed on the most cost-effective platforms based on performance requirements.
Governed Resource Access
A healthcare organization restricts provisioning of sensitive workloads using role-based access control. Compliance policies ensure that only certified configurations are deployed in regulated environments.
Advantages of vRealize Automation
| Benefit | Explanation |
| Rapid Provisioning | Speeds up resource delivery with automated workflows and reusable templates. |
| Improved Agility | Enables teams to deploy resources through self-service or APIs. |
| Unified Management | Consolidates multi-cloud operations under a single pane of glass. |
| Strong Governance | Maintains security, compliance, and operational policies across cloud platforms. |
| Reduced Operational Costs | Cuts down on manual tasks and overprovisioning, improving resource utilization. |
VMware Aria Automation: What’s New?
With the rebranding to VMware Aria Automation, the platform has expanded its capabilities by incorporating features from Aria Operations and Aria Cost. These additions bring enhanced observability, predictive analytics, and financial insights to the core automation engine.
The transition reflects VMware’s vision of a unified cloud management ecosystem where automation, cost control, and performance monitoring work together to drive smarter IT operations.
Real-World Example
A global retailer implemented vRealize Automation to standardize deployments across 12 data centers. Using VMware Cloud Templates and Terraform, they deployed infrastructure 5x faster.
With Salt Stack, they enforced real-time configuration compliance, reducing security incidents by 30%.
They also integrated the platform with Service Now, enabling ticketless, automated provisioning workflows—resulting in improved SLAs and reduced operational overhead.
Why vRealize Automation is Essential
In today’s digital-first landscape, infrastructure speed and reliability are non-negotiable. Manual provisioning is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors.
By automating infrastructure with vRealize Automation, organizations can improve operational agility, enforce policies consistently, and empower development teams with on-demand access to resources.
Its support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments ensures flexibility, while its integration with DevOps tools makes it a key component in modern application delivery pipelines.
Conclusion
vRealize Automation, or VMware Aria Automation, is a cornerstone of intelligent infrastructure automation. It enhances speed, consistency, and compliance in IT environments while supporting complex, multi-cloud operations.
Whether you’re managing hybrid cloud deployments, enforcing compliance, or empowering developers, vRealize Automation provides the tools and flexibility needed for success in a rapidly evolving digital world.
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Frequently Ask Questions
What is vRealize Automation?
vRealize Automation (vRA) is a VMware solution that automates the deployment and management of IT infrastructure and applications across private, public, and hybrid cloud environments. It enables self-service provisioning, governance, and multi-cloud orchestration to enhance efficiency and accelerate IT operations.
What is vRealize used for?
vRealize is designed to streamline IT service delivery by automating infrastructure provisioning, application deployment, and lifecycle management. It helps organizations speed up development processes, enforce governance policies, optimize resource usage, and maintain compliance across various cloud platforms.
What is vRA and vRO in VMware?
vRA (vRealize Automation): A platform that automates cloud and infrastructure provisioning, offering self-service capabilities and policy enforcement.
vRO (vRealize Orchestrator): A workflow automation tool that integrates with vRA to build and manage complex automation workflows, expanding vRA’s functionality.
What is vRealize called now?
vRealize Automation has been rebranded as VMware Aria Automation, which is part of VMware’s integrated cloud management suite, combining automation with cost control and operational insights.
Joel Broussard is an avid blogger on technology, gadgets, and other topics that interest him. He likes to write about his personal experiences with the latest tech products as well as offer advice for people who are looking to buy a new device. When he is not blogging you can find him at home playing video games or watching anime.
