Arsys has added VMware Cloud Director Availability (VCDA) to its Private Cloud by VMware offerings, aiming to simplify migrations from on-premises environments and deploy Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) over their dedicated infrastructure. The new feature, designed for clients running virtualized workloads with vSphere/vCenter, enables replication, protection, migration, failover, and failback of vApps and virtual machines between the customer’s data center and Arsys’s Private Cloud, with minimal downtime and fine-grained network flow control.
The company frames this announcement within its strategy to broaden its cloud solutions catalog to support digitalization processes, focusing on secure, flexible environments prepared for disaster recovery. Arsys emphasizes that its platform is deployed in international data centers compliant with European regulations and digital sovereignty requirements, holding certifications for availability, security, privacy, and energy efficiency.
What VCDA brings to Arsys’s Private Cloud
- Continuous protection and orchestrated migration of VMware workloads between the customer’s On-Premises Site and the Cloud Site at Arsys.
- Configurable asynchronous replications per VM or vApp, with the ability to activate replicas at the destination in case of an incident.
- Failover/failback automation, reducing decision time and speeding up service resumption after a contingency.
- Guided operation from vSphere Client (provider’s DR plugin) or the VCDA interface itself, with contextual menus to protect or migrate VMs.
- Simple interconnection: the VCDA-CLOUD device at Arsys is published on the primary IP of the Private Cloud via 55443/TCP, and the client pairs their VCDA-CUST (on-prem) to this Public Service Endpoint.
Practically, technical teams gain a standardized channel to move systems between locations —with negligible downtime— and with repetitive tasks (test planning, switchover testing, reversion, replica removal) that shorten RTO and prevent data loss associated with manual errors.
Reference architecture and ports: the essentials for “paving the way”
Arsys outlines a symmetrical architecture between both sites, where vCenter, ESXi hosts, and VCDA appliances must communicate over defined ports. Key points:
- Between locations
- On-Prem → Cloud outbound: 443/TCP
- Cloud → On-Prem outbound: 55443/TCP (Arsys publishes VCDA-CLOUD at 55443 to avoid multi-tenant conflicts)
- Within the On-Premises Site
- Firewall → VCDA (“Cloud vCenter Appliance” on-prem): 8048/TCP
- VCDA on-prem ↔ vCenter on-prem: 443/TCP
- VCDA on-prem ↔ ESXi hosts: 80/TCP, 902/TCP
- ESXi → vCenter on-prem: 443/TCP
- ESXi ↔ VCDA on-prem: 44046/TCP
- Within the Cloud Site (Arsys)
- Firewall → vCenter Replication Management Appliance: 8048/TCP
- Management Appliance ↔ vCenter (cloud): 443/TCP
- Management Appliance → ESXi: 80/TCP, 902/TCP
- ESXi → vCenter (cloud): 443/TCP
- ESXi → Management Appliance: 44046/TCP
This port matrix is the baseline to ensure smooth replica flow; it should be incorporated into firewall policies and the CMDB before pairing.
Getting started: from “Activate VCDA” to site pairing
Arsys has automated the installation of the VCDA-CLOUD Appliance within the Private Cloud. The customer only needs to specify the public IP from which their VCDA-CUST will reach Arsys’s endpoint:
- Cloud Panel (Arsys Private Cloud) → Access > VCDA → Activate and save the customer’s public IP.
- Download the On-Premise Appliance from the Broadcom/VMware portal (section Free Downloads → “VMware Cloud Director Availability On-premise Appliance 4.7.x”).
- Deploy OVF using vSphere Client (menu Deploy OVF Template) and configure the appliance as “On-Premises to Cloud vCenter Replication Appliance”.
- Configure VCDA-CUST via web (https://IP-VCDA-CUST), complete the wizard with Lookup Service, SSO Admin, vCenter, DNS/NTP, and review System Health.
- Pair sites (New Pairing): input the Public Service Endpoint exposed by Arsys (Private Cloud IP + 55443) and the SSO credentials ([email protected]).
- Verify on Peer Sites that the pairing shows as green.
From there, the administrator can protect or migrate machines: via the context menu on each VM in vSphere, through the DR plugin, or from the VCDA-CUST console.
Common use cases
- DRaaS with periodic “non-disruptive” testing
Schedule switchover tests to validate routing, IPs, applications, and timing without impacting production. - Planned migration “zero surprises”
Gradual transfer of VMs and vApps to Arsys’s Private Cloud, with pre-replication, minimal downtime window, and failback if needed. - Temporary overflow (burst to cloud)
Activate replicas in the Cloud to absorb spikes or during maintenance in the customer’s data center. - Cyber incident recovery
Having isolated replicas in the Cloud accelerates recovery from ransomware, always as part of a comprehensive strategy (immutable copies, segmentation, MFA).
Private Cloud by VMware: dedicated hardware, pay-as-you-go, managed by Arsys
The private cloud offering from Arsys is based on high-performance clusters with dedicated hardware under a pay-as-you-go model. The company manages the virtualization layer (VMware) so that the customer does not face initial license investments nor manage the day 2 operations of the platform. Integrating VCDA adds the DRaaS/migration component within the VMware stack.
Sovereignty and compliance: private cloud in European data centers
The platform is deployed in international data centers compliant with European regulations and digital sovereignty requirements. Additionally, they hold certifications for availability, security, privacy, and energy efficiency, reinforcing trust in operational continuity and data handling within European jurisdiction.
Arsys by the numbers
With over 25 years in the market, Arsys manages 1.4 million active services and has a presence in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, and Seville. It is part of the IONOS Group, which operates 32 data centers globally and provides cloud services to more than 6 million customers.
Operational recommendations for VMware teams
- Network and security plan: document the port matrix and NAT; validate DNS resolution, NTP, and latency budget between sites.
- Inventory by waves: categorize VMs by criticality and dependencies (application/database), prepare replication groups, and define switchover routing.
- DR runbooks: detail boot order, post-boot scripts, IP re-mapping, DNS updates, and rollback procedures.
- Recurring tests: schedule quarterly/semiannual tests with RTO/RPO metrics, reports, and corrective actions.
- Capacity and storage policy: size compute and storage at destination; define policies based on latency/IOPS and retention.
- Security: MFA and minimum access to VCDA; network segmentation; integration with SIEM for logs and alerts on replication/switchover.
Benefits for clients with VCDA in Arsys’s Private Cloud
- Reduced complexity: a single VMware stack, without gateways or heterogeneous tools.
- Faster times for migration and DR, with orchestration and automation ready to go.
- Sovereignty and compliance: data and replicas stored in European regulation-compliant sites.
- Flexible model: pay-as-you-go, dedicated hardware, and hypervisor management by Arsys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need in my data center to use VCDA with Arsys?
A compatible vSphere/vCenter environment, capability to deploy the OVF for the VCDA On-Premise Appliance, outbound connectivity to 443/TCP, and internal firewall settings (80/443/902/44046/8048) according to the outlined matrix. In Arsys’s side, the endpoint is published at 55443/TCP.
Can I test failover without impacting production?
Yes. VCDA supports non-disruptive switchover tests, with isolated networks to validate startup, connectivity, and applications without affecting users.
How much “downtime” does a planned migration entail?
It depends on the load, but pre-replication minimizes the final window to a short cutover (final sync + power cutover). Afterward, fallback to the source data center can be performed when needed.
Where are my data stored and what certifications are in place?
Replicas reside in Arsys’s private cloud deployed in international data centers that comply with European regulations and hold certifications for availability, security, privacy, and energy efficiency.