VMware Tanzu (TKG) Alternative Series (2): Unified Virtual Machine and Container Cloud Platform

As introduced in Part 1, the previous article: VMware Tanzu (TKG) Alternative Series (1): Building with a Container Cloud Platform discussed how to build a container cloud platform as a VMware Alternative to Tanzu (TKG).

In this second article, we focus on another VMware Alternative solution — constructing a unified virtual machine and container cloud platform. We will analyze its advantages, features, and practical application scenarios to provide enterprises with a more flexible infrastructure strategy.

With the acceleration of cloud-native transformation, more enterprises are reassessing their overall cloud infrastructure layout. Recently, Broadcom announced that general support for VMware vSphere 7.x and vSAN 7.x will end on October 2, 2025. This means that customers still using these products will no longer receive technical support, security patches, or updates.

This announcement has raised significant concern among VMware users. Many enterprises are not only facing continuous licensing cost increases and stricter audits, but also uncertainty in VMware’s product roadmap. The sustainability and total cost of ownership of VMware-based systems have become key issues.

To address these challenges, ZStack has introduced a more strategic path: integrating the ZStack Cloud Platform with the ZStack Zaku Container Service Platform to build a Unified Virtual Machine and Container Cloud Platform. This VMware Alternative not only enables a smooth VMware Migration but also accelerates digital transformation, allowing enterprises to move seamlessly from traditional virtualization to a cloud-native architecture.

Why Choose a Unified Virtual Machine and Container VMware Alternative Path

Traditional virtual machine architectures are stable and mature but have clear limitations when enterprises demand agility and scalability. Container technologies, on the other hand, are lightweight, flexible, and efficient, becoming the foundation of modern application delivery.

However, in most enterprise IT environments, virtual machines and containers coexist. The lack of unified management tools often leads to operational silos, resource fragmentation, and management complexity, reducing overall efficiency.

According to a Gartner report, large enterprises are increasingly shifting from pure virtual machine infrastructures to hybrid architectures that combine virtual machines and containers. This hybrid architecture retains the reliability of traditional applications while meeting the elasticity and scalability needs of cloud-native workloads.

ZStack fully embraces this trend and offers a VMware Alternative solution that differs from simple container substitution — by providing true virtual machine and container integration under a unified platform.

(ZStack Zaku: Cloud-Native Scenarios for VMware Alternatives (TKG))

Core Advantages of ZStack’s Unified Virtual Machine and Container Platform

Ready-to-Use and Easy to Operate

The ZStack Zaku Container Service Platform is deeply integrated with the ZStack Cloud Platform. Its compute, storage, and network resources are directly provisioned from the ZStack Cloud infrastructure.

Through a single unified console, users can manage both virtual machines and containers — including user authentication, tenant isolation, resource quotas, software licensing, and operations — all within one interface.

It supports one-click cluster creation, automatic scaling, and elastic capacity adjustment. With graphical dashboards and intelligent scheduling, administrators can easily visualize workloads and optimize cluster resource utilization.

Application-Driven Intelligent Computing Upgrade

The Unified Virtual Machine and Container Cloud Platform focuses on efficient application delivery. It supports the full DevOps lifecycle — including code pulling, scanning, compiling, packaging, building, and automated testing.

For microservices governance, it provides gray release management, topology visualization, and link tracing, helping enterprises achieve observability and rapid iteration.

In addition, it supports container-based GPU virtualization, ensuring precise and efficient GPU and VRAM allocation. This maximizes GPU resource utilization while reducing hardware costs and simplifying resource management.

Tenant Autonomy and Secure Operations

Within the unified cloud platform, administrators can manage multiple projects, tenants, and resource quotas simultaneously. The platform provides complete isolation of compute, storage, and network resources, ensuring data and service security in multi-tenant environments.

It also integrates container image security scanning and runtime protection, connects to mainstream third-party security systems, and enables multi-cluster backup, recovery, VMware Migration, and disaster recovery protection.

Unified Cluster Management and Open Compatibility

The platform supports unified management of heterogeneous, hybrid, cross-cloud, and edge clusters. It is compatible with mainstream operating systems, both x86 and non-x86 architectures, ensuring deployment flexibility in diverse environments.

At the same time, the platform follows Kubernetes standards and is fully compatible with mainstream toolchains and plugins. It supports multiple architectures, multiple operating systems, and various hardware environments. This open compatibility effectively shields underlying differences, allowing enterprises to replace VMware Tanzu without worrying about environment adaptation issues.

ZStack: Let Every Company Have Its Own Cloud

Founded in 2015, ZStack focuses on next-generation cloud infrastructure software, offering a comprehensive product portfolio including virtualization, container services, distributed storage, hyper-convergence, and multi-cloud management.

ZStack currently serves thousands of enterprises across more than 30 countries, enabling over 4,000 digital transformation projects in industries such as government, telecommunications, finance, energy, transportation, education, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Under the wave of AI and cloud-native evolution, ZStack launched its AI Intelligent Computing Platform, combining virtualization and container technologies to help enterprises build future-ready intelligent data centers.

ZStack’s Core Product Portfolio

ZStack Cloud Platform: Unified management of virtualization, compute, storage, and networking.

ZStack Zaku Container Service Platform: Enterprise-grade Kubernetes-compatible platform for container workloads.

ZStack Cube Hyper-Converged Appliance: All-in-one compute, storage, and network delivery for rapid deployment.

Through this integrated ecosystem, ZStack delivers future-oriented, cloud-native infrastructure that ensures the stable operation of existing workloads while providing scalability and flexibility for next-generation applications.

FAQ

Q: What VMware Alternative paths are available for Tanzu users?

A: Common paths include standalone container platforms or unified VM + container cloud upgrades. ZStack’s integrated VMware Alternative is especially suitable for enterprises managing both traditional and cloud-native workloads.

Q: Why is ZStack’s Unified Platform the best VMware Alternative for Tanzu?

A: It covers Tanzu’s core features, integrates VM and container management, simplifies operations, and provides flexible licensing with long-term cost advantages.

Q: Can ZStack’s Unified Platform maintain compatibility with existing Kubernetes ecosystems?

A: Yes. The platform fully complies with Kubernetes standards, supporting Helm Charts, Operators, and CNI/CSI plugins. It ensures seamless VMware Migration of workloads and toolchains.

Q: Can ZStack’s VMware Alternative ensure business continuity and security?

A: Absolutely. It provides tenant isolation, image security scanning, runtime protection, and multi-cluster disaster recovery to ensure stable operations during and after VMware Migration.

Q: Which industries benefit most from this VMware Alternative path?

A: Finance, energy, manufacturing, public services, and AI/GPU-intensive industries benefit most—especially those operating hybrid VM and container environments.