What is VMware vSAN primarily used for?

VMware vSAN is primarily designed for storage virtualization, making it a crucial component of VMware's hyper-converged infrastructure. By integrating storage resources with the computing resources of VMware vSphere, vSAN allows for the creation of a distributed storage system that pools together the disks of the hosts in a vSphere cluster.

This functionality enables organizations to create a cost-effective, scalable, and high-performance storage solution that simplifies management and enhances availability by leveraging the existing infrastructure. vSAN transforms direct-attached storage (DAS) of hosts into shared storage, thus eliminating the need for traditional storage area networks (SANs) and allowing for efficient resource utilization.

Other options focus on areas that are separate from vSAN’s primary function. Networking virtual machines pertains to managing and configuring network settings and connections within the virtual environment, which is not the primary role of vSAN. Backup solutions generally involve data protection strategies and tools that are distinct from storage virtualization provided by vSAN. Lastly, security configurations deal with safeguarding an environment against threats and vulnerabilities, which while important, falls outside the main scope of what vSAN is intended to accomplish.