The recent acquisition of VMware by Broadcom has caused many organizations to reevaluate their VMware investments. Migrating VMware workloads to Microsoft Azure is a compelling option for organizations looking for an alternative. Our experts are also casting their votes for Azure migration. They think now's the perfect time to rethink your VMware strategy by exploring flexible, cost-effective options like Azure.
In our recent webinar “Obstacles to Opportunity: Migrate VMware to Azure”, James Spignardo, Strategic Solutions Consultant at ProArch and Greg Dodge, Strategic Solutions Architect at ProArch addressed the changes facing customers and gave a complete overview of the Azure migration options.
Keep reading for a summary of the discussion and click here to watch the full webinar.
VMware Licensing Changes Explained
According to Jim, a major change to VMware licensing is transition from perpetual licensing to a subscription-based model. On one hand a subscription-based model is nothing new but what’s happening at the same time is VMware is bundling solutions together into offerings like VMware Cloud Foundation, leading to potential price increases up to 1200%. More on those changes here.
What is clear is that these changes demonstrate a business strategy shift for Broadcom to cater more towards enterprise.
As Broadcom emphasizes those larger customers, the smaller and medium-sized businesses, again, should consider migrating to Azure to avoid the steep price increases.
The transition from perpetual licenses could make the Azure cloud solution more appealing, depending on an organization's needs. Organizations requiring bundled VMware solutions may find them less expensive under the new model, but evidence points to higher costs in most cases.
James Spignardo, Strategic Solutions Consultant at ProArch suggested that "It is very important that you start preparing for that renewal, to avoid any early surprises or to avoid surprises in general."
Azure Migration: Explore Your Options
Greg explains that Azure offers a range of migration options to meet diverse business needs. Whether you're seeking a seamless transition, a comprehensive modernization journey, or a hybrid approach, Azure solutions provide flexibility and scalability.
Option 1: Azure VMware Solution (AVS) - The "Lift and Shift" Approach
For those looking to move their existing VMware workloads as-is, the Azure VMware Solution (AVS) presents a straightforward path. This approach allows you to migrate workloads without the need for retraining or significant architectural changes. By running VMware on Azure, you can continue leveraging your existing VMware tools, processes, and workforce skills, ensuring a smooth transition.
You can mix and match reserved instance terms - one year for some workloads, three years for others, and five years for more long-term workloads. This flexibility allows you to align reserved instances with your migration plans. The key benefit of the VMware rapid migration approach is predictable costs without surprises.
Option 2: Azure Migrate - A Full-Featured Migration Solution
Are you looking for a more comprehensive migration strategy? Azure Migrate is the right option. Greg says, "With Azure Migrate, you can migrate any physical or virtual workloads to the cloud in manageable chunks. One key tool is the assessment analysis, which provides a budgetary estimate for the Azure Migrate option, since you're switching hypervisors."
This option facilitates the migration from the VMware hypervisor to the Azure Hypervisor, enabling you to move physical, virtual, and any other workloads through the Azure Migrate service.
Option 3: Azure Stack HCI - Combining On-Premises and Cloud
For organizations that need to keep specific workloads on-premises due to compliance, financial data, or legacy system requirements, Azure Stack Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) offers a hybrid solution.
The nice thing about this is it is a hybrid solution, so you don't have to go all or none. You can work with your hardware vendor get an appropriate Azure Stack HCI solution put together to run a quarter of your workloads, half your workloads, three quarters or all whatever you need.
The CapEx model of purchasing HCI hardware provides a cost-effective option, with the flexibility to move OpEx workloads to Azure as needed.
Seize the Opportunity to Migrate VMware to Azure
Migrating your VMware environment to Azure presents a significant opportunity to modernize your infrastructure, enhance scalability, and leverage the full range of cloud services. As you evaluate your migration options, consider these three alternatives:
- Engage stakeholders across the organization, including decision-makers and operational teams, not just IT.
- Conduct pilot testing with tools like Azure Migrate to assess your environment before making changes.
- Collaborate with OEMs to obtain loaner hardware for testing purposes, such as Azure Stack HCI.
Don't delay in deciding whether to continue with your current approach or explore alternative solutions by migrating to Azure.
For more insights, download the full recording and slide deck of the webinar.
ProArch is a top Microsoft Partner with advanced specialization in Azure. Our Azure Migration Services have helped hundreds of organizations successfully move to the cloud. Contact us.