Book excerpt: The complete vCAT printed reference: knowledge, tools, and validated designs for building high-value vCloud� solutions The vCloud Architecture Toolkit (vCAT) brings together validated designs, tools, and knowledge for architecting, implementing, operating, and consuming modern vCloud infrastructure based on the Software Defined Data Center (SDDC). vCAT has already helped hundreds of VMware customers succeed with vCloud. Now, pioneering VMware architect John Arrasjid has integrated essential vCAT information into a definitive printed guide, adding even more context and examples for successful planning and deployment. To do so, Arrasjid has distilled contributions from more than 100 VMware architects, consultants, administrators, engineers, project managers, and other technical leaders. VMware vCloud Architecture Toolkit (vCAT) is your complete roadmap for using virtualization to simplify data centers and related IT infrastructure. You'll find up-to-the-minute, field-proven insights for addressing a wide spectrum of challenges-from availability to interoperability, security to business continuity. Coverage includes vCAT design guidelines and patterns for efficiently architecting, operating, and consuming VMware cloud computing solutions Software-defined datacenter services for storage, networking, security, and availability People, process, and technology issues associated with effective vCloud operation and maintenance Efficient service consumption: consumption models, service catalogs, vApps, and service provider interactions Workflows to coordinate and automate task sequences, which extend beyond vCloud VMware vCloud Director� Server Resource Kit software tools Advanced "cloud bursting" and autoscaling techniques to dynamically leverage additional computing resources Planning and management of capacity, security, compliance, and disaster recovery