Broadcom VMware announced on Monday its significant contribution to the open-source Kubernetes community with the donation of Velero, a widely adopted Kubernetes-native tool for backup, restore, and migration, to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) sandbox project. This strategic move is aimed at democratizing access to robust data protection solutions for Kubernetes users across both private and public cloud environments, effectively extending the capabilities of VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS). The announcement, made during KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe, underscores Broadcom’s renewed commitment to fostering open-source collaboration and enhancing its full-stack Kubernetes offerings.
The donation of Velero to the CNCF signifies a pivotal moment for the project, shifting its governance and development towards a neutral, community-driven model. This transition is expected to foster greater trust and broader adoption among organizations seeking reliable solutions for managing the lifecycle of their cloud-native applications and data. For Broadcom, this initiative not only strengthens its standing as a comprehensive Kubernetes provider but also addresses a critical pain point for enterprises navigating the complexities of integrating modern cloud-native architectures with traditional IT infrastructure.
Addressing a Critical Gap: Backup and Disaster Recovery in the Kubernetes Era
The integration of Kubernetes into enterprise IT landscapes has brought about unprecedented agility and scalability, but it has also highlighted inherent challenges in data protection. Kubernetes, by its distributed nature, does not offer native, cluster-level backup and disaster recovery (DR) capabilities. This gap leaves organizations vulnerable to data loss, operational disruptions, and extended downtime in the event of hardware failures, cyberattacks, or accidental misconfigurations.
"Backup and [disaster recovery] is a big pain point for many organizations as they are trying to bring together the new cloud native world with the traditional world of enterprise IT," explained Prashanth Shenoy, Vice President of Product Marketing, VCF Division at Broadcom, during a press and analyst briefing. "And without backup and DR, you can’t do that."
Velero, originally developed by Heptio and later acquired by VMware, has emerged as a de facto standard for addressing this critical need. The tool provides comprehensive protection for cluster-level resources and persistent data, enabling seamless disaster recovery and ensuring workload portability across different Kubernetes environments. By donating Velero to the CNCF, Broadcom is empowering the broader community to contribute to its development, ensuring it evolves to meet the diverse and ever-changing requirements of Kubernetes users worldwide.
Torsten Volk, an analyst with Omdia, commented on the strategic significance of this move, stating, "Donating Velero to CNCF is a great way for Broadcom to gain cloud-native ‘street cred.’ Adding enterprise backup and data migration to distributed applications is not simple, but it’s critical for success in any brownfield environment." He further elaborated, "If VMware can position Velero as the Backup, DR, and migration tool of choice for Kubernetes users, this would significantly boost the company’s cloud native story."
Velero’s Journey to a Neutral Home
Velero’s origin traces back to Heptio, a company founded by Kubernetes co-creators Joe Beda and Craig McLuckie. VMware’s acquisition of Heptio over five years ago brought Velero under its umbrella, where it continued to mature as an API-centric project crucial for stateful application management. Broadcom, inheriting this technology, has maintained its position as a significant contributor to the Kubernetes ecosystem, consistently ranking among the top contributors according to metrics from ESG and the CNCF.
The decision to transition Velero to the CNCF sandbox represents a deliberate step towards fostering broader community involvement and ensuring the project’s long-term viability and neutrality. Under the CNCF’s stewardship, Velero is expected to gain enhanced credibility and wider adoption, as organizations can rely on its open governance model for critical backup and recovery functions. This move allows Broadcom to focus on its core strengths while ensuring Velero remains a robust and community-supported solution for Kubernetes data protection.
"Velero truly helps protect cluster-level resources and persistent data, thereby enabling our customers with disaster recovery and workload portability," Shenoy reiterated. "Velero is very critical for organizations, because Kubernetes, by default, doesn’t provide built-in cluster-level backup or recovery."
Expanding the Kubernetes Ecosystem with Open-Source Integrations
Beyond the Velero donation, Broadcom is actively expanding the VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) with a focus on enhanced interoperability and increased user choice. This expansion includes deepening integrations with other prominent open-source projects and commercial offerings, allowing users greater flexibility in designing and managing their Kubernetes infrastructure.
A key announcement relates to the retirement of the ingress-nginx project in March 2026. Broadcom is positioning its Avi Load Balancer as a direct, architectural upgrade and native replacement for ingress-nginx. Unlike a fork, Avi leverages the NGINX HTTP protocol processing engine while offering a purpose-built, software-defined architecture. Its modular design delivers advanced capabilities in performance, scalability, operational simplicity, high availability, elasticity, and analytics, with deep integrations into VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).
"Broadcom has the AVI conversion tool or app that helps automate the migration from ingress nginx to Hubby, turning what could have been a very potentially disruptive change into a very smooth, automated transition for our customers," Shenoy highlighted, emphasizing the commitment to minimizing disruption for existing users.
Further strengthening its ecosystem play, Broadcom has announced new validations and partnerships with industry leaders. These include F5 for its Big-IP Container Ingress Service, Kong for its API Gateway, and Tigera for its Calico Enterprise. These collaborations enable organizations to seamlessly integrate best-in-class solutions for ingress control, API management, and network security within their VKS deployments, providing a more cohesive and robust cloud-native platform.
Enhancements in VKS 3.6: Networking, Performance, and Stateful Application Management
The latest release of VKS, version 3.6, introduces foundational changes to networking and performance management for VCF, reflecting Broadcom’s ongoing commitment to optimizing the Kubernetes experience. A significant advancement is the introduction of a "bring your own CNI" (Container Network Interface) model. This allows customers to explicitly select their preferred CNI plugins, such as Isovalent (Cilium) or Tigera (Calico Enterprise), during cluster creation. This flexibility empowers organizations to tailor their network infrastructure to specific requirements and leverage the advanced features of their chosen CNI solutions.
To cater to the demanding needs of modern workloads, particularly AI and database applications, VKS 3.6 now utilizes QD profiles. These profiles automate complex operating system customizations that were previously manual and susceptible to configuration drift. Shenoy described QD profiles as "performance recipes," explaining, "So you create a profile once that says, hey, here’s how these database servers should be configured… This applies automatically across all of the Kubernetes clusters. So there’s no need for any of this manual tweaking and no more configuration drifts." This feature is designed to significantly simplify the management of stateful applications, ensuring optimal performance and consistency across all Kubernetes clusters.
In addition to these advancements, Broadcom has been integrating Canonical Ubuntu directly into VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) since the last quarter of 2025. While Photon OS remains available as the default option, the inclusion of Ubuntu OS expands the choices for platform engineers and developers, offering greater flexibility in operating system selection for their VKS deployments. This move acknowledges the diverse preferences and existing operational models within enterprise IT environments.
Broader Implications for the Cloud-Native Landscape
The strategic decisions made by Broadcom VMware, particularly the donation of Velero and the expansion of open-source integrations, signal a clear intent to be a central player in the evolving cloud-native ecosystem. By embracing open standards and community-driven development, Broadcom is not only enhancing its own product offerings but also contributing to the overall maturity and accessibility of Kubernetes technologies.
The transition of Velero to the CNCF sandbox is a testament to the growing importance of robust data protection strategies in cloud-native environments. As organizations increasingly rely on Kubernetes for mission-critical workloads, the need for reliable backup, disaster recovery, and migration solutions will only intensify. Velero, under community governance and with continued support from Broadcom, is well-positioned to become the go-to solution for these essential functions.
Furthermore, Broadcom’s emphasis on interoperability and partnerships with vendors like F5, Kong, and Tigera demonstrates a commitment to building a comprehensive and integrated Kubernetes platform. This approach allows customers to leverage best-of-breed solutions without being locked into proprietary ecosystems, fostering innovation and adaptability. The proactive management of transitions, such as the shift from ingress-nginx to Avi Load Balancer, highlights a focus on customer success and minimizing operational friction during platform evolution.
The investments in VKS 3.6, including advanced networking options and the introduction of QD profiles for stateful application management, underscore Broadcom’s dedication to addressing the complex needs of modern enterprises. By simplifying intricate configurations and automating repetitive tasks, Broadcom is enabling IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine maintenance, thereby accelerating digital transformation and unlocking the full potential of cloud-native technologies. The company’s continued engagement with open-source projects and its strategic partnerships are poised to shape the future of enterprise Kubernetes deployments, reinforcing its role as a pivotal provider in the cloud-native journey.