Broadcom's 2023 acquisition of vmware for us $ 69bn LED to disruptive changes in the virtualization provider's pricing.
Key here is a move from perpetual licenses to a subscription model. This has left some enterprises facing Higher costs, with some considering a move to alternative virtualization environments,
For there considering that, the challenge is to ensure any migration provides adequate backup and recovery measures for new hypervisors. This is as well as protecting remaining vmware workloads.
VMware: Twist or Stick?
The main reason cios cite for Moving Away from Vmware is cost, with Worries Over Increasing Overheads From the new subscription model prominent. Vmware also discontinued its free edition of vmware vsphere esxi, which was popular with smaller firms.
For enterprises looking to move, vmware alternatives including competing virtualization technologies, Such as Nutanix, Microsoft Hyper-V And Oracle Linux Virtualization. There are also open source options that include red hat openshift virtualization, linux kernel-level virtual machines (kVM) and proxmox virtual environment.
As yet, there are few signs of a mass exodus, howyver. One Survey, Carried out by Backup Provider Nakivo, Sugged a Third of its customers plans to Move Away from Vmware to ProxmoxThe Supplier Points to a Smaller Number of Customers Moving to Nutanix and Hyper-V.
This sugges a larger percentage of vmware users have decided to stay with the technology and the new commercial terms, some of which – including – Including Simpler Storage Licensing – Can Favour Some WorkLads.
“Naturally, the first reaction is to say, 'Right, I'm Going to Go Somewhere Else, I'M Going to Use Somebody Else's Technology',” Says Patrick Smith, FIELICK SMITH .
“And some organisations have Fairly rapidly Moved off vmware onto other platforms, but they are either small or very agile to be able to do that.”
Other Enterprises might be bidding their time, not least trust moving between hypervisor platforms is complex and carries risk. Nor do the alternatives offer all vmware's features and functionality – or not in one place, at least.
Backup, Recovery and Vmware Alternatives
If Moving Workloads from one Hypervisor to Another is Diffficult, then ensuring there worklines and data are backed up adds another layer layer of complexity.
MUCH WILL Depend on How an Enerprise Currently Protects Its Systems, Including VMware, Alternative Hypervisors It is Considering, and the backup and recover tools it.
For the majority of organisations, it is probable the data protection systems
Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics
The good news is the larger backup and disaster recovery suppliers alredy have support for compensation virtualization platforms. Hyper-V, in particular, is well supported for businesses that also run on microsoft infrastructure.
At the same time, provides such as veeam, rubrik and nakivo have strengthened support for open source platforms, especially proxmox.
This Raises the Prospect of Firms Being Able to Continue With their Current Backup and Recovery Provider, even if they move to a mixed approach to virtualization. Alternatively, if their current disaster recoverry supplier falls shorts, there is the chance to move to a toolset that does support a multi-supplier approach.
“For the Majority of Organizations, It is Probable The Data Protection Systems they use ST at FreeForm Dynamics. “This is especially likely to be the case if they have a data protection solution that protects a mixed environment.”
Out of the box?
However, even if a data protection or backup and recovery tool supports alternatives to vmware, it taams should anticipate carrying out configuration and testing before also their alternatives.
If they do not, there is a risk that by attempting to save money on licensing, they expert the business to risk and additional costs down the line.
Backup is turning out to be a quite a polarising aspect of moving away from vmware
Bruce Kornfeld, Stormagic
Vmware's maturity and market share means such as Esxi and vsan are well-inderstood and well-supported by independent software suppliers, integrators and in-in-in-in-in-house teams. Not all hypervisors enjoy that industry support.
One area where this is apparent is where backup and recover provider “agentless” integration directly with hypervisors. This is not-yet offer for all the alternatives, and cios might need to consider agent-based backup.
“Backup is turning out to be a quite a polarising aspect of moving away from vmware,” Says Bruce Kornfeld, Chief Product Officer at Stormagic, A Supplier of Hyper-Converged Storage.
“The leaders in virtualization have had the attation of the backup software industry over Ect. However, the backup software industry hasn'T Had the Research and Development capacity to work with everything with every hypervisor on the market – there just haven the return on invoice in the pass. “
“Vmware customers that have made the decision to move away from vmware need to re -address their backup strategy,” He says. “They need to look at using an agent-based approach. This is the way backup has been done for decades and will work with any hypervisor. ” This should not, kornfeld says, come with extra costs.
Firms also need to consider the time and resources they need to set aside for backup and disaster recovery testing, Once they have decided to move works away from vmware. This includes testing file and virtual machine-based backup routines.
In Fact, Changing Hypervisors Can Present A Good Opportunity to review the strength of disaster recoverry and backup arranges across the business. These might not be as robust as cios expect.
“It is fair to say that some organisations are not totally happy with their data protection solutions and processes,” Says Tony Lock.
“In such circumstans, it is certaining they will need to look at, but the issue is do they have the resources and budgets to potentially modified modify two important systems at on And even if they do, would they be happy that they can manage the risk of change, since any major platform change carries some element of risk? “
It is where careful Supplier evaluation and selection, and potentially brings in additional supplier or third-party engineering support, should pay for itself.
