It\u2019s not easy to weigh the relative strengths and costs of migrating VMware to Google Cloud<\/a>, Azure, or AWS. We\u2019ve been helping companies like SEP build data solutions with VMware and cloud<\/a> for many years, so we\u2019ve learned all the ins and outs of building hybrid solutions with VMware and cloud. However, in the current context, hybrid may no longer be a viable option with the 5-6x price increase for VMware. That means that the reality has drastically changed and we no longer can rely on the solutions that worked well before.<\/p>\n Upgrade your infrastructure and uplift productivity with the cloud services provided by Intellias. <\/p>\n In April 2024, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan<\/a> admitted on the VMware blog that \u201cthis level of change has understandably created some unease among our customers and partners\u201d in the months after the acquisition. Let\u2019s explore the big changes to the VMware portfolio:<\/p>\n Broadcom ended perpetual licenses<\/a>. All new VMware sales will be cloud-based Software-as-a-Service subscriptions.<\/p>\n The bad news is that subscription-based models and core-based pricing can lead to higher and more variable expenses, particularly for businesses with fluid workloads. The unpredictability of monthly costs is particularly hard on smaller organizations with tighter margins.<\/p>\n There is a silver lining: the new pricing model offers flexibility without long-term financial commitments. The ability to scale cloud resources up and down could save costs for seasonal or fluctuating workloads.<\/p>\n Broadcom has announced the end of support for existing perpetual licenses. As of this writing, it\u2019s offering disconnected subscription options to keep your VMware workload on-premise.<\/p>\n Broadcom\u2019s hardline position on VMware licenses softened a bit with A<\/a>p<\/a>ril 2024 announcements from CEO Hock Tan<\/a>. He said that expired perpetual license holders would (eventually) get access to zero-day patches, and Broadcom had extended support to \u201cmany customers who came up for renewal while these changes were rolling out.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to switching to a SaaS model<\/a>, Broadcom also changed VMware\u2019s computing parameters and implemented core-based pricing. In the old model, VCenter was always an instance, and VSphere was CPU-based with an allowance for 32 ports. Broadcom has restricted licensing to 16 cores. If you had VMware on a 20-processor core, you\u2019ll need two licenses.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the lack of price transparency makes it hard to predict your new costs until you get a quote from Broadcom. Existing VMware customers have reported increases of 100% to 600%<\/a>, or costs rising from $8 million to $100 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n VMware briefly advertised a subscription upgrade program (SUP) to help customers adjust to the new SaaS subscription model. This program included discounted subscriptions for perpetual license holders and a 3-year grace period to make the shift.<\/p>\n However, by March 2024, Gabriel Zechbauer at Deloitte<\/a> called the SUP program \u201ccompletely obsolete because now Broadcom is kind of forcing the customers \u2014 especially those with contract renewals \u2014 into the SaaS model.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say that Broadcom mishandled changes to VMware\u2019s partner program<\/a>. On the Friday before Christmas 2023, the company sent a partnership termination notice to every partner in the VMware channel organization, regardless of its size or revenue.<\/p>\n The notice said partners may or may not be invited back to VMware\u2019s reimagined partner ecosystem, causing chaos over the holidays.<\/p>\n We know that VMware is sunsetting 56 products<\/a> as part of its portfolio simplification. The free edition of VMware vSphere Hypervisor is one of them.<\/p>\n If you ride out the current changes, what will Broadcom do in the future?<\/p>\n Broadcom\u2019s acquisition history holds some clues since it appears to be repeating previous acquisition plans with VMware. In its acquisitions of CA and Symantec<\/a>, Broadcom cut sales and marketing investment by 22% and R&D by 3%.<\/p>\n On-premise VMware customers have three options: accept VMware\u2019s new terms, switch to a different hypervisor, or migrate VMware to cloud alternatives. Let\u2019s explore each.<\/p>\n You could choose to accept VMWare\u2019s new terms. You can keep using VMWare if you\u2019re willing to start paying them more.<\/p>\n But it should go without saying that using VMware on-premises without accepting VMWare\u2019s new terms is not a viable option for the long term. Maintaining legacy infrastructure without support or upgrades beyond bare-bones zero-day patches is just too risky.<\/p>\n VMware isn\u2019t the only hypervisor\u2014or virtual machine monitor\u2014on the market. Let\u2019s look at the pros and cons of a few alternatives to VMware:<\/p>\n Hyper-V works well with Windows Server and other Microsoft tools. It offers strong performance and reliability. However, it may need additional training for IT staff and doesn\u2019t offer as much cross-platform compatibility as VMware.<\/p>\n Citrix Hypervisor is excellent for performance and scalability, and It\u2019s ideal for big enterprises with complex virtual environments. It also has a free open-source version, Xen. Setup can be complex, though. Premium support requires a subscription, and Citrix costs more than some alternatives.<\/p>\n Nutanix AHV is an open-source hypervisor integrated with Nutanix’s platform. It\u2019s the best and most cost-effective for Nutanix setups. This makes management easier, and it\u2019s included with Nutanix Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) pricing. Consider the total cost of ownership for Nutanix and whether its complexity suits your organization\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n Red Hat Virtualization, based on free and open-source Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), offers flexibility and works well with Red Hat products. That said, it could be tricky to manage if your team isn\u2019t familiar with Red Hat. Support is solid but costs more.<\/p>\n Oracle VM is feature-rich, open-source, and free to use. It\u2019s optimized for Oracle applications with centralized management through Oracle VM Manager. This option is ideal for Oracle-heavy environments, but be aware that it doesn\u2019t have extensive third-party ecosystem integration or advanced management tools.<\/p>\n When you migrate your VMware to cloud-native alternatives, you can still keep nearly all the capabilities of VMware Cloud and gain all the benefits of the public cloud.<\/p>\n Benefits of VMware migration to AWS<\/a>, Azure, or Google Cloud<\/p>\n When you migrate VMware to the cloud, calculating ROI involves more than just subscription costs.<\/p>\n Migrating VMware workloads to the cloud will take an upfront investment of time, money, and resources. Planning and executing the migration and overlap of new and old workloads during the transition are all costly. Organizations must also allocate resources to train staff to manage new cloud environments effectively.<\/p>\n Over time, cloud migration can lead to significant cost savings and improved operational efficiency. Cloud providers offer scalable resources, which can reduce the need for expensive on-premise hardware and maintenance. The pay-as-you-go pricing models allow for ad-hoc scalability with better cost management, aligning expenses with actual usage and growth. Cloud platforms also offer automation and managed services that reduce the burden on IT staff, freeing up resources.<\/p>\n The competitive cloud market supports ongoing innovation and adaptability. Cloud platforms continuously update their services, offering the latest technologies and improvements. Moving VMware to the cloud will give you access to cutting-edge tools and capabilities without the need for frequent, costly hardware upgrades.<\/p>\n Once you have migrated your VMs to the cloud, you\u2019ll find yourself with more options. If you get rid of VMWare without moving to another hypervisor, you\u2019ll be able to remove the virtualizer line item from your budget altogether.<\/p>\n Since every business has a different tech stack, budget, and business requirements, there\u2019s no single best platform for VMware Cloud migration.<\/p>\n Source: Vembu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Let’s examine the pros and cons of migrating to each major cloud provider: AWS, Azure, and GCP.<\/p>\n Amazon was the first of the cloud services<\/a> giants and maintains the largest share of the cloud market. Amazon Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2) has high availability, scalability, and advanced security features to support VMware applications.<\/p>\n VMware to AWS migration was previously supported with VMware Cloud on AWS<\/a>. As of April 30, 2024, AWS and its channel partners stopped selling VMware Cloud on AWS. VMware Cloud migration to AWS is now only available through Broadcom<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve outlined the pros and cons of migrating VMware to AWS:<\/p>\n Potential Benefits of migrating VMware to AWS:<\/strong><\/p>\n Azure VMware Solution<\/a> (AVS) is Microsoft\u2019s tool for migrating VMware to Azure.<\/p>\n Consider these pros and cons of putting VMware on Azure<\/a>:<\/p>\n Potential Benefits of migrating VMware to Azure<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Considerations for migrating VMware to Azure:<\/strong><\/p>\n Google\u2019s innovation-first infrastructure<\/a> stands out for high-speed performance, transformative solutions, and ease of use. GCP takes care of deployments, upgrades, and health monitoring of VMware components, including vCenter, NSX, and ESXi.<\/p>\n Google Cloud offers an effortless migration path through its Google Cloud VMware Engine service<\/a>. Potential benefits of migrating VMware to GCP<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Considerations for migrating VMware to GCP<\/strong>:<\/p>\n The first thing you\u2019ll need to do is make a comprehensive inventory of your existing VMware workloads.<\/p>\n Use tools like VMware vCenter Server or other inventory utilities to gather detailed information about your infrastructure. Identify:<\/p>\n Include stakeholders from all affected departments to help inform your migration strategy. With their input, you\u2019ll outline the goals, timelines, and resources required for the migration. Your migration plan should also address potential risks and how to mitigate them.<\/p>\n A well-defined plan ensures all affected parties are on the same page, so there are no surprises.<\/p>\n In the earliest stages, pre-migration preparation looks the same whether you intend to migrate VMware to Azure or are planning a VMware to GCP migration.<\/p>\n Follow these steps to prepare for any kind of VMware migration to the cloud:<\/p>\n There are many cloud migration strategies<\/a> to choose from for your VMware Cloud migration process. Let\u2019s look at three main key cloud migration approaches.<\/p>\n Definition<\/strong>: Rehosting, also known as lift-and-shift, involves moving applications to the cloud without changing the underlying architecture or code.<\/p>\n This is the simplest and quickest migration method: transferring VMs to the cloud as-is. This approach minimizes downtime and risks. Your VMs and workloads won\u2019t be optimized for the cloud yet, but they\u2019ll be on the cloud, and you can make adjustments as needed.<\/p>\n Definition<\/strong>: Replatforming involves moving applications to the cloud with some modifications.<\/p>\n Replatforming is sometimes called \u201clift, tinker, and shift\u201d because it involves making some modifications. By optimizing your VMs and workloads for cloud infrastructure before migrating them, you\u2019ll be better able to take advantage of cloud benefits like managed services.<\/p>\n Definition<\/strong>: Refactoring involves re-architecting and rewriting applications to take full advantage of cloud-native features and services.<\/p>\n Refactoring when you move VMware to the cloud could involve breaking down monolithic applications running VMs into microservices or converting them into containers. This \u201cfull rebuild\u201d approach is resource-intensive but can significantly improve performance.<\/p>\n Moving VMware workloads to the cloud can be tricky, even when migrating to VMware Cloud on AWS<\/a>. Here are some of the VMware to cloud migration challenges we\u2019ve seen organizations struggle with:<\/p>\n The last thing you want is to find out is that your VMs don’t work well in the new environment. Check that the cloud platform supports all aspects of your current VMware setup, including any older or customized applications in your stack.<\/p>\n Keep your network secure during migration by setting up the cloud environment with measures to prevent breaches and ensure data stays safe. Use strong encryption, control access, and monitor the network continuously.<\/p>\n Migration shouldn\u2019t stop your business. Plan carefully to avoid disruption\u2014schedule migrations during quiet times, break the process into phases, expect the unexpected, and make contingency plans.<\/p>\n Depending on your migration method, your workloads may need adjustments to run efficiently in the cloud. To improve performance, tweak resource settings, adjust VMs, and use cloud services. Skipping this step could lead to higher costs and delays.<\/p>\n Cloud migration<\/a> is one of our specialities at Intellias. Whether you decide to migrate to VMware Cloud on AWS or move VMware to another host, we provide end-to-end services including initial assessment, planning, execution, and post-migration support.<\/p>\n We solve challenges like speeding up time to market, scaling business, securing infrastructure, optimizing costs, and streamlining collaboration. We\u2019ve helped leading companies across telecom, healthcare, finance, and banking with services, including cloud development<\/a>.<\/p>\n Take a look at two companies that recently needed to migrate infrastructure and VMs from on-premises data centers to the cloud.<\/p>\nUnderstanding the VMware landscape after acquisition<\/h2>\n
![\"Key](\"https:\/\/d17ocfn2f5o4rl.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BP-VMWare-to-AWS-Migration-02.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIntroduction of subscription model<\/h3>\n
Loss of security and support for on-premise customers<\/h3>\n
Unit model change to per-core licensing<\/h3>\n
Short-lived subscription upgrade program<\/h3>\n
Chaotic changes to VMware partner program<\/h3>\n
End of free edition and uncertainty about VMware\u2019s roadmap<\/h3>\n
Customer options: Navigating the new VMware ecosystem<\/h2>\n
Option 1: Keep using VMware on-premises<\/h3>\n
Option 2: Switch to a competing hypervisor<\/h3>\n
Microsoft Hyper-V<\/h4>\n
Citrix Hypervisor<\/h4>\n
Nutanix AHV<\/h4>\n
Red Hat Virtualization (RHV)<\/h4>\n
Oracle VM VirtualBox<\/h4>\n
Option 3: Migrate VMware to AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"Long-term](\"https:\/\/d17ocfn2f5o4rl.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BP-VMWare-to-AWS-Migration-05.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMigration and modernization vs. long-term costs<\/h2>\n
Initial investment and resources for VMware to cloud migration<\/h4>\n
Cost savings and operational efficiency of VMware migration to cloud<\/h4>\n
New opportunities for innovation with VMware on GCP, Azure, or AWS<\/h4>\n
Option to retire hypervisor license costs after migration<\/h4>\n
Choosing the right cloud platform for VMware migration: AWS, Azure, or GCP<\/h2>\n
![\"Since](\"https:\/\/d17ocfn2f5o4rl.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BP-VMWare-to-AWS-Migration-06.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAmazon Web Services (AWS)<\/h4>\n
\n
Microsoft Azure<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\n
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)<\/h4>\n
\nVMware to GCP migration has its pros and cons, too:<\/p>\n\n
\n
Preparation for VMware migration to the cloud<\/h2>\n
Inventory of current VMware workloads and dependencies<\/h3>\n
\n
Creating a migration strategy and plan<\/h3>\n
Steps for effective pre-migration preparation<\/h4>\n
\n
VMware Cloud migration process<\/h2>\n
Rehosting<\/h3>\n
Replatforming<\/h3>\n
Refactoring<\/h3>\n
![\"Migration](\"https:\/\/d17ocfn2f5o4rl.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BP-VMWare-to-AWS-Migration-07.jpg\")
\nDevOps Fastdev<\/a><\/p>\nChallenges of VMware migration to cloud<\/h2>\n
Ensuring compatibility<\/h3>\n
Protecting data during transfer<\/h3>\n
Minimizing operational disruption<\/h3>\n
Optimizing performance post-migration<\/h3>\n
Cloud migration case studies and success stories<\/h2>\n
Guided infrastructure migration for an AgriTech corporation<\/h3>\n
![\"Guided](\"https:\/\/d17ocfn2f5o4rl.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BP-VMWare-to-AWS-Migration-08.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Cloud](\"https:\/\/d17ocfn2f5o4rl.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/BP-VMWare-to-AWS-Migration-09.jpg\")
<\/p>\n