In standard virtual switches, three types of policies can be configured to implement security and to maximize the performance of the infrastructure. The implementation and usage may vary from architecture to architecture in different VMware environments. The three policies to optimize the infrastructure are:

Policies can be defined either at the standard virtual switch level, or at the port or port group level. The policies applied at the port group level over ride the policies (or take precedence over the policies) applied at the virtual switch level. Hence, it is advisable to implement all major and critical policies at the port group level.