How organizations can tackle Trade-offs needed by clients looking for VMware alternatives

Introduction

The virtualization landscape shifted dramatically when Broadcom acquired VMware for $61 billion in November 2023. This acquisition created significant market disruption through bundling solutions, price increases, and subscription model transitions.

Key Changes Post-Acquisition

• Skyrocketing costs: minimum purchases of 72 cores with core-based subscriptions and 3–5 year commitments lock in higher expenses.
• Reduced partner access: the new Pinnacle partner program excluded many former VMware Cloud Partners, limiting MSP support.
• Complex transitions: moving from perpetual licenses to subscriptions across public cloud, on-premises, and hybrid creates slow, risky migrations.

Complexities Faced by MSPs

• Reduce risks for clients during complex, downtime-sensitive migrations.
• Support future plans with tailored public cloud, on-premises, or hybrid destinations.
• Streamline execution beyond traditional tools that require months of assessment.
• Migrate with limited staff or budget under tight timelines.
• Maintain profitability as soaring VMware costs pressure margins.

Reimagine VMware Migrations with DartIQ Glide

Organizations can view market changes as opportunities to support clients with a hyper-automated, end-to-end migration solution. By adopting VMware alternatives, MSPs can reduce costs, streamline operations, and support modernization plans.

Scenario 1: Storage — Balancing Performance vs. Cost

A healthcare provider with 300 VMs on vSphere 7.0 and vSAN serves a patient-records system requiring 50,000 IOPS and 99.99% uptime. Cloud storage may not match vSAN's low-latency integration, while Azure AVS retains VMware licensing and Premium SSDs cost 30–50% more than standard tiers.

• Azure: Azure NetApp Files delivers ~460,000 IOPS with vSAN-like performance and HIPAA compliance, saving ~20% versus AVS long-term.
• AWS: Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP with Storage Gateway avoids VMC licensing ($150K+/year).
• Nutanix: AOS with AHV replicates vSAN deduplication and encryption (2–3 weeks training).
• IBM Cloud: Block Storage for VPC, ~40% cheaper than AVS at lower IOPS.
• GCP: Persistent Disk (pd-extreme) up to 100,000 IOPS; GCVE retains vSAN but incurs licensing.
• OCI: Block Volumes up to 75,000 IOPS; File Storage abstracts VMFS to reduce complexity.

Scenario 2: Networking — Continuity vs. Reconfiguration

A manufacturing firm with 400 VMs on NSX-T relies on distributed firewall (DFW) rules and port groups for low-latency ERP connectivity. Retaining NSX-T via AWS VMC or Azure AVS ensures continuity but adds $100K–$200K/year, while cloud-native redesign saves 30–50% but requires 6–8 weeks of topology mapping.

• Azure: Virtual Network + Azure Firewall replicate NSX-T DFW with ExpressRoute for <5ms latency, saving ~40% versus AVS.
• AWS: Transit Gateway + Network Firewall with Direct Connect, ~30% cheaper than VMC NSX-T.
• Nutanix: Flow microsegmentation replaces NSX-T DFW with AHV networking.
• IBM Cloud: VPC Security Groups + Direct Link at ~35% lower cost.
• GCP: Cloud VPC + Cloud Armor with Cloud Interconnect for low latency.
• OCI: VCN Security Lists + FastConnect match NSX-T functionality.

Conclusion

Are you ready to start your VMware transformation? Organizations can execute migrations in an informed manner using hyper-automated, end-to-end solutions. All cost figures vary depending on client circumstances and negotiated plans with cloud and solution providers.