Different VMware alternatives provide centralized VM management tools for their own virtualization platforms, each with unique capabilities and focus areas. Besides VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, Red Hat OpenShift, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure, Proxmox VE, Oracle VirtualBox, and Arcfra Enterprise Cloud Platform (AECP) all offer VM management tools tailored to their environments.

• Microsoft SCVMM (for Hyper-V): Designed for managing Hyper-V environments at scale, with deep integration into the Windows ecosystem.
• Red Hat OpenShift web console: Embeds VM lifecycle management into the OpenShift Kubernetes console, targeting cloud-native use cases.
• Nutanix Prism: A unified management console for compute, storage, and networking in Nutanix hyperconverged environments, known for its simplicity.
• Proxmox VE Web UI: A built-in web console for managing both KVM VMs and LXC containers in PVE.
• Oracle VM Manager: Oracle’s centralized console for managing Oracle VM infrastructure, though less focused on ease-of-use.
• Arcfra Operation Center (AOC): A modern, GUI-based platform that delivers centralized cluster and VM management across the Arcfra AECP stack, with built-in observability, monitoring, automation, and upgrade tools.

Detailed Comparison

As noted in the table above, among these VMware alternatives, Nutanix and Arcfra — both are recognized in Gartner’s A Guide to Choosing a VMware Alternative in the Wake of Broadcom Acquisition for HCI solutions — can provide equivalent capabilities and user experiences to VMware vCenter in VM and cluster management. In particular, AOC, Arcfra’s centralized management platform, offers simpler VM & container operations when compared with VMware vCenter.

✅ Unified Console for All Infrastructure Operations
AOC delivers a single web-based interface for managing VM lifecycles, cluster resources, system upgrades, networking, and Kubernetes clusters, covering the entire AECP stack. Compared to vCenter’s siloed tools, AOC offers streamlined control and greater operational efficiency.

✅ Built-in VM and Kubernetes Management
Beyond VM operations, AOC supports Kubernetes cluster lifecycle management through a simple GUI. Clusters can be deployed in just three steps, typically within 10 minutes, removing the need for complex scripting or third-party tools. It also supports unified management of VM & container resources, security policies, and traffic visualization.

✅ One-Click Upgrades of AECP Clusters
Through the Upgrade Center, AOC enables full-cluster and system service upgrades with no manual effort. Once a task is submitted, the upgrade proceeds automatically, ensuring zero downtime and maximum efficiency.

For more information, please refer to Arcfra Operation Center vs. VMware vCenter for Centralized VM and Cluster Management.

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