In today's fast-paced IT world, manually provisioning servers, networking, and systems for every request is a thing of the past. What if you could automate all of that with a magic wand? Meet VMware Aria Automation (formerly vRealize Automation).
What Is It?
VMware Aria Automation is a self-service IT automation platform for provisioning, managing, and updating infrastructure, applications, and services across multi-cloud environments. It enables both developers and Ops teams to automate with control, applying Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) principles for consistent, versioned, and manageable infrastructures.
What Can You Do With It?
Automated resource provisioning (compute, network, storage)
Infrastructure-as-Code—declarative infrastructure definitions
Self-service portals for multi-cloud environments
Integrated approval workflows and policy enforcement
Seamless CI/CD and DevOps pipeline integration
Reusable blueprints & application templates
Workflow automation via vRealize Orchestrator
On-demand and scheduled provisioning
REST API & webhook extensibility
Who Uses It?
IT admins & system engineers
DevOps and platform engineers
Application developers
Cloud architects
QA and test teams
Security and compliance specialists
Where It’s Used
Enterprise data centers for resource provisioning
Hybrid and multi-cloud environments
Rapid development & test environment setups
IT-as-a-Service platforms
Automated environment rollout in CI/CD pipelines
Regulated industries needing standardized provisioning (finance, healthcare, government)
Real-World Examples
E-commerce platform: Previously took 2 days to provision test environments. With Aria Automation, developers click a button and have a ready environment in 15 minutes.
Software vendor: Automatically provides isolated demo environments for new clients using pre-built blueprints—no manual effort required.
Competitors
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
HashiCorp Terraform (IaC)
ServiceNow ITSM + Workflows
AWS CloudFormation / Azure ARM Templates
BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management
Google Cloud Deployment Manager
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| ✔️ Seamless VMware integration | ❌ Initial setup can be complex |
| ✔️ End-to-end self‑service delivery | ❌ May require learning and training |
| ✔️ Role- and policy-based access control | ❌ Full potential needs vRealize Suite licensing |
| ✔️ Supports GUI and code-based definitions | ❌ GUI-only users face a learning curve |
| ✔️ Reusable blueprints and approval workflows |
FAQ
Can I learn it from scratch?
Yes—start with the Install/Configure & Manage training.Are advanced workflows possible?
Absolutely—Advanced Topics training dives deep into complex use cases.Can I integrate with Orchestrator workflows?
Yes, via the Orchestration and Extensibility training.Does it support other clouds?
Yes—AWS, Azure, and GCP are fully supported.Is it compatible with Terraform?
Yes—Aria Automation integrates with Terraform for IaC support.Can I build custom forms for end users?
Indeed—you can design input forms tailored to clients.How about cost control?
Dashboards show resource usage and costs to keep you in check.
Recommended Trainings
Final Words
VMware Aria Automation doesn’t just speed up your workflows—it empowers you with intelligence. Tedious manual tasks become just a click away. Take control of your automation journey and free up your time for strategic work. Whether you prefer writing code or using a visual interface, Aria has a way to suit you.