Broadcom adds AI security tools to VMware private cloud
Fri, 7th Aug 2026 (Today)
Broadcom has introduced updates to VMware vDefend and VMware Avi Load Balancer, adding new security and operations features for private cloud environments built on VMware Cloud Foundation.
The release adds threat prevention, malware analysis, API security, migration from older firewall products, and an embedded AI assistant for operations teams. These updates are available in vDefend SSP 5.2, vDefend 9.1.1, Avi Load Balancer 32.1.4, and vACT 3.0, with compatibility for VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1.
The announcement reflects Broadcom's continued effort to deepen the security and networking stack around VMware's private cloud platform. It is positioning the software for organisations that want to keep workloads, traffic inspection, and threat analysis inside their own environments, including sites without direct cloud connectivity.
Security changes
Among the main additions is vDefend 1-2-3, a three-step deployment framework for Advanced Threat Prevention used alongside Distributed Firewall. The workflow is designed to shorten deployment times for security teams and uses workload-level visibility to surface security posture, recommend rules, and guide implementation.
Another change brings malware sandboxing on premises, allowing static and dynamic artefacts to be analysed within a local network rather than sent elsewhere. All vDefend functions now also support air-gapped environments, enabling offline threat intelligence updates for organisations that keep highly sensitive systems disconnected from the cloud.
Avi Load Balancer has also gained native API protection for virtual machines, vSphere Kubernetes Services, and AI workloads. This expands the product's role beyond traffic management into application-layer security, as APIs have become a more common route for attacks on private cloud infrastructure.
Operations focus
Broadcom has added an AI Assistant to both vDefend Distributed Firewall and Avi Load Balancer. The tool is intended to help IT teams troubleshoot and remediate issues within the software itself, rather than relying solely on manual investigation.
The company has paired that with an updated vDefend and Avi Conversion Tool, or vACT, to automate migration from legacy agent-based firewall products to vDefend Distributed Firewall. This is aimed at organisations that want to replace older network security tools without running large manual conversion projects.
Umesh Mahajan, Vice President and General Manager, Application Networking and Security Division, Broadcom, linked the changes to the broader shift in cyber risk. "As AI-fueled cyberattacks and vulnerability exploits redefine the threat landscape, a fragmented security approach is no longer an option," Mahajan said.
He added: "With today's updates to vDefend and Avi Load Balancer, we are giving enterprise customers the protection, performance, and automation they need to defend their application infrastructure at scale."
Performance claims
Alongside the security additions, Broadcom said it has reduced the hardware footprint needed to run parts of the platform. A new two-node model for vDefend Security Services Platform cuts the physical hardware requirement by as much as 33%, according to the company's internal testing.
Broadcom also published performance figures for Distributed Firewall and intrusion detection and prevention. Firewall throughput can reach up to 22Gbps on servers with 25G NICs and up to 75Gbps on servers with 100G NICs, while distributed firewall scale-out can rise to as much as 75Tbps per VMware Cloud Foundation instance.
For distributed intrusion detection and prevention, throughput can reach up to 17Gbps per server, with scale-out performance of up to 17Tbps per VMware Cloud Foundation instance. Avi Load Balancer throughput was listed at up to 12.25Tbps per controller instance.
These figures matter because private cloud operators are under pressure to contain spending on server hardware while still adding controls for east-west traffic, application delivery, and API security. Broadcom's message is that customers can extract more from existing infrastructure while consolidating several functions within VMware's software stack.
Customer view
Third-party users and partners highlighted the appeal of the AI operations tools and the faster deployment path for threat prevention. Their comments suggest Broadcom is targeting customers that want to simplify administration as much as improve defences.
"By integrating powerful AI directly into the product, the AI Assistant for vDefend and Avi streamlines operations by quickly showing real-time insights, assisting with troubleshooting, and accelerating deployments. This powerful combination can make day-to-day operations faster, simpler and more contextual," said Scott Rosenberg, Lead Architect in the CTO Office at TeraSky.
ThinkOn pointed to the growing importance of protecting APIs inside private cloud environments. "API protection has become paramount for securing our private cloud application and AI traffic," said Ahsan Khan, Chief Technology Officer of ThinkOn. "Avi WAAP extends our existing web security posture to defend against API layer threat vectors. Additionally, Avi's software-defined scale-out architecture makes it very easy to roll out WAAP comprehensively across our VCF private cloud workloads."
Industry analysts also focused on deployment speed. "Frontier AI assisted attacks have made multi-layer defense a necessity for private cloud workloads," said Chris Steffen, VP of Research at EMA. "With prescriptive ATP 1-2-3 workflows, enterprise customers can enable virtual patching and advanced threat detection comprehensively. What could have taken many months can now be rolled out in a matter of a few weeks."