Our VMware renewal is looking much more expensive, and hardware quotes are up too. We're weighing a move to another hypervisor against keeping VMware, extending hardware life, or shifting some workloads to the cloud. How are others approaching it?
What are you doing with VMware after the Broadcom price increases?
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9th-stop-no-transfer
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Proxmox is worth a serious look, especially if your team already knows Linux. It may feel less polished than VMware, but that doesn't mean it can't handle substantial workloads. XCP-ng is another option to evaluate if you want a different virtualization stack.
Before picking either, test the parts around the VMs too: backup and restore, storage integration, automation, and how your team will support the cluster. A cheaper license won't help much if those pieces need a major rebuild.
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Hyper-V is another route, particularly for a Windows-heavy shop. Check the Windows Server licensing cost, including whether Datacenter makes sense for your hosts, before assuming it will be cheaper.
For migration, Veeam Instant Recovery is one option to investigate. Also budget for reworking automation and potentially keeping new backup chains alongside the old ones. Those transition costs can be large enough to change the decision.
-not-entirely-convinced:
And check the management setup you actually need. A failover cluster and its management tools aren't a direct one-for-one replacement for every VMware feature.
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Staying put for a renewal can be reasonable. If the estate is complex or the price increase is manageable, paying more for now may cost less than rushing a migration. Some teams keep VMware for part of the estate while testing alternatives elsewhere.
I'd still get quotes and model a few years of costs. If a hardware refresh is due, review the core count and negotiate the licensing term rather than treating the current layout as fixed.
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Don't assume cloud wins on price. Compare actual workload requirements against the full on-prem costs, including hardware, storage, licensing and support. Some workloads may fit cloud or software as a service, while steady workloads stay local.
A migration is also a good chance to retire unused VMs and consolidate what remains. You don't necessarily have to move the entire estate to one destination.
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Nutanix is another option, though its cost needs a close look rather than assuming it's a budget escape from VMware. On the hardware side, extending support on existing servers or using refurbished equipment can buy time, but plan the eventual refresh so everything doesn't come due at once.
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u4__scan:
The in-house Linux skills question is a big one for Proxmox. Factor in training or outside support if that's a gap.