The Hybrid Cloud Translation Bureau: Mapping VMware Cloud Foundation to Microsoft Azure

This article discusses the migration from VMware Cloud Foundation to Microsoft Azure, emphasizing that it is an architectural translation problem, not a product replacement. It explains how VMware constructs like workload domains, vSphere clusters, resource pools, NSX segments, and policies map to Azure's management groups, subscriptions, virtual networks, Azure Policy, and more. The author advocates preserving workload intent while redesigning for Azure, classifying workloads for Azure VMware Solution, Azure-native services, or on-premises with Azure Arc. The piece provides a practical framework for architects and engineers to make informed migration decisions, highlighting the importance of understanding the meaning behind source objects to avoid losing operational intent.