In September 2025, Gartner research VP Julia Palmer predicted that 35 percent of VMware workloads will move to another platform by 2028. Changes to VMware’s license program prompted this prediction.
As of Nov. 1, 2025, major cloud providers cannot sell VMware subscriptions to users directly. Customers using hosted VMware services must buy licenses directly from Broadcom and use VMware licensing portability entitlements to move workloads between on-premises environments and the public cloud.
Before the change, cloud providers could bundle the VMware subscription with other solutions. The new “Bring Your Own License” (BYOL) model severely restricts their ability to act as the primary, all-in-one provider of VMware services. Instead, they act as the infrastructure provider, while Broadcom controls the licensing and customer relationship.
Palmer suggested that cloud providers would continue to support customers under the BYOL model. Over time, however, they will likely guide customers toward cloud-native technologies.
A Mix of VMware Alternatives to Choose From
This change won’t happen quickly. In January 2025, Gartner VP Analyst Michael Warrilow estimated that migrating VMware virtual machines (VMs) would take customers 18 to 48 months. Simply scoping the project and evaluating potential VMware replacements could take six or seven full-time employees up to 10 months.
There are a number of alternatives to choose from. Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) is a popular option thanks to its unified management, deployment flexibility and support for various hypervisors. There are also other hyperconverged infrastructure solutions, open-source hypervisors and cloud-based options.
Moving to the public cloud eliminates the upfront costs associated with the other platforms. However, the ongoing monthly fees can quickly add up. That makes the public cloud an expensive solution over the long term for relatively static workloads.
Additionally, the cloud may not deliver the performance organizations need. It’s possible to scale public cloud instances in terms of the number of processors, but that won’t help most applications. The cloud can also be slow in terms of storage performance.
Where VMware Migrations Go Wrong
One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is comparing VMware alternatives based on their features. They look at the management interface and the supported hardware and software, when they should be considering their internal skills and toolsets, software licenses, and migration risks. They also tend to focus on upfront investments rather than the long-term operational cost of the solution.
Often, organizations find it’s much more difficult than expected to transfer VMware workloads to a new platform. Many applications rely on VMware’s proprietary features and configurations. They may lose functionality or suffer unacceptable performance degradation after migration.
Under pressure to complete migrations quickly, IT teams may rush through testing. Without rigorous pre-migration testing, however, IT teams may wind up spending more time troubleshooting issues that become apparent after the migration is complete. A well-defined testing process should encompass the entire IT ecosystem that supports each workload and verify that performance and functionality are not affected.
How to Minimize VMware Migration Risk
Many organizations fail to recognize the security risks associated with migration. However, incorrect configurations and access controls can easily expose sensitive systems and data to cyber threats. Firewall rules may have to be changed and data protection systems reconfigured. A thorough security assessment is essential to identifying potential risks and bolstering defenses.
Perhaps the biggest challenge organizations face is the learning curve involved. IT teams may not understand all the steps involved with migration and may be unfamiliar with the target platform. That’s where a partnership with Technologent can help.
Our team has executed VMware migrations for a wide range of organizations. We can help you select the right alternative and develop a strategic plan for completing the migration with minimal business disruption. Technologent has also developed our own unique solution that orchestrates the process of migrating from VMware to Nutanix AHV. Let’s sit down and discuss your VMware migration plans and how Technologent’s experts can help.
Comments