At VMware Explore Las Vegas 2025, cybersecurity took center stage. With ransomware costs soaring and data breaches hitting even the largest global enterprises, Hock Tan and VMware leaders made one thing clear: cyber resilience is now a business survival issue, not just an IT responsibility.
The Rising Cost of Cyber Threats
The keynote highlighted how ransomware attacks and data leaks are redefining risk across every industry. Some sobering examples included:
Marks & Spencer: $440M lost after ransomware downtime crippled operations. Snowflake breach: A credential attack affecting 165 companies worldwide. U.S. Government Database leak: 2.9 billion records exposed, raising questions of national resilience.
These incidents underscore the stakes: one breach doesn’t just impact IT—it can destroy brand trust, erode customer confidence, and disrupt entire supply chains.
Introducing PCS Advanced Cyber Compliance
VMware’s answer is PCS (Private Cloud Services) Advanced Cyber Compliance—a new extension of the VMware Cloud Foundation platform designed to bake in resilience from day one.
Key capabilities include:
Multi-factor authentication & encryption: Protects data both at rest and in motion. Live patching & runtime protection: Vulnerabilities are addressed without downtime. Zero-trust security model: Assumes no implicit trust, enforcing strict access controls across every layer. vDefend & AVI Security: Deliver real-time visibility, intrusion detection, and web application protection. Continuous compliance enforcement: Ensures workloads meet regulatory standards (PCI, HIPAA, GDPR) automatically. Automated ransomware recovery: Detects, isolates, and recovers workloads while preserving compliance states.
This is security not as a bolt-on, but as a core design principle—reducing the need for endless third-party agents and tools.
Security vs. Agility – A False Trade-off
Traditionally, enterprises faced a painful choice: move fast or stay safe. Security was often seen as the blocker to innovation. VMware’s message at Explore 2025: those days are over.
With VCF 9.0 and PCS, organizations can now:
Deliver infrastructure “at the speed of the developer” with guardrails already in place. Scale AI workloads with built-in compliance enforcement. Automate disaster recovery to avoid the “all systems down” scramble.
Customer Perspective: Why This Matters
Enterprises like Barclays and Walmart shared how cyber resilience is not just IT hygiene—it’s essential for running mission-critical workloads.
Barclays: Needs PCI-compliant resilience as they scale AI workloads on-prem. Walmart: Operates thousands of global stores where downtime is simply not an option.
For both, PCS Advanced Cyber Compliance isn’t about passing audits—it’s about ensuring business continuity under pressure.
A New Era of Cyber Trust
Hock Tan closed this section with a reminder:
“Security is no longer a checkbox. It’s your license to operate.”
With PCS Advanced Cyber Compliance, VMware positions VCF 9.0 as the safest private cloud platform for enterprises navigating the age of ransomware. It provides not just protection but confidence—a foundation where IT can innovate without fear of compromise.
✅ Key Takeaway
Cyber resilience is now business critical. With ransomware and breaches hitting harder than ever, VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 delivers security by design, combining zero-trust principles, automated compliance, and rapid recovery.
For enterprises, this means fewer bolt-ons, faster operations, and a private cloud platform ready to withstand the threats of tomorrow.
Stay tuned for our next post in the series:
IT’s New Era – From Bottleneck to Business Enabler, where we explore how VCF 9.0 transforms IT teams into true partners in innovation.
