Amazon Elastic VMware Service (Amazon EVS) is a native AWS service that allows you to run complete VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments directly within Amazon VPC. It serves as a complementary solution that extends your existing VMware infrastructure into AWS, preserving your investments while providing enhanced cloud capabilities. Essentially, AWS EVS extends your data center into the cloud without replacing it.

Amazon EVS operates the complete VCF stack, including vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and SDDC Manager, using the same tools and operational processes you are already familiar with. This means no retraining is necessary, and there will be no disruption to your operations. Additionally, with VMware HCX, you can seamlessly stretch your on-premises networks into AWS, allowing virtual machines to move between environments without IP address changes, thus creating a true hybrid architecture.

Using Amazon EVS can lead to several benefits for your business, including faster deployment of additional capacity—typically in hours rather than weeks—allowing you to respond quickly to changing needs. It also enables hybrid capabilities, letting you extend workloads between on-premises and cloud environments without disruption. Furthermore, it helps optimize costs by eliminating the need for extra on-premises hardware while leveraging flexible cloud pricing options.