Hello everyone! I'm part of a mid-sized team, and we're currently facing a change in our VMware renewal costs due to Broadcom's acquisition. As a result, I'm exploring the possibility of using Azure VMware Solution (AVS) along with HCX to avoid the typical renewal cycle. We're crunching numbers using the Azure pricing calculator and I'm curious about the potential pitfalls of migrating VMware to Azure. I came across this article that mentions AVS as a way to transition VMware to Azure without immediate app rewrites. If anyone here has experience with this type of migration, I would really appreciate any insights or warnings about issues you've encountered.
6 Answers
Honestly, I would think twice about just lifting and shifting everything to IaaS. Have you considered alternatives like Azure Stack, Hyper-V, or Proxmox? Sometimes migrating to a solution like Hyper-V can be easier and more cost-effective, especially if you don't have tons of VMs to manage.
When you decide to lift and shift to Azure, be prepared for potentially high hidden costs, especially in networking. My experience showed that getting data out from Azure can be super expensive. My team switched from VMware to local Hyper-V, and while it was a smooth transition, we found that even with the costs of new hardware, it was cheaper than migrating to Azure with all its hidden expenses.
Just a heads-up—if you go down the AVS route, the migration itself isn’t too complicated, but be ready for some network redesigns. You'll also want to factor in storage differences and licensing costs properly because it can vary based on your agreement with Azure. If you’re able to pilot a few critical VMs before fully committing, that could save you a lot of headaches.
I started a similar migration project recently. We ran into issues right off the bat—specifically related to availability in the UK region. In the end, we might just stick with renewing VMware for a while longer.
I’m not surprised, honestly. Microsoft really seems to be dropping the ball with capacity in the UK. It's turning out to be a race to retain clients.
AVS isn't exactly the VMware you might be familiar with. Think of it as being kind of limited; more like a guest in someone else's digital space. Plus, the networking can get pretty tricky with NSX-T. If you're looking for a more economical approach, I recommend checking out Azure Migrate. It'll save you some serious cash compared to AVS. If you want to avoid operating expenses on Azure altogether, sticking with on-prem might be your best bet.
AVS Gen2 has made strides in fixing the networking issues. Check out the Microsoft docs for the details!
If your idea is strictly about moving to Azure, understand that if you forklift migrate without re-architecting, you might just end up with a hefty bill. I mean, one company I knew went from 5-figure monthly costs to seven figures just from a 1:1 lift-and-shift! It’s essential to weigh all your options carefully before diving in.
Totally agree! It’s better to do thorough planning and possibly hire some help to avoid a costly mistake in the long run.
Proxmox is really similar to VMware feature-wise, but Hyper-V tends to be more straightforward if the VM count is manageable. Just be careful with that pay-as-you-go model in the cloud—it's easy to be surprised by the costs!