Why organisations are leaving VMware
Following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, perpetual licences were replaced with subscription bundles, product lines were consolidated and partner programmes changed. Many UK organisations reported significantly higher renewal quotes. If your renewal is within the next 12 months, now is the time to price the alternatives.
Two routes from VMware to Azure
Route 1: Native Azure virtual machines
Azure Migrate discovers your vSphere VMs agentlessly and replicates them to Azure VMs. You stop paying for VMware licences and hardware entirely.
- Pros: lowest long-term cost, no VMware dependency, full use of Azure-native backup, monitoring and security tools.
- Cons: each VM is converted, so some testing is needed. Your team manages Azure rather than vCenter.
Route 2: Azure VMware Solution (AVS)
AVS gives you a private VMware cloud (vSphere, vSAN and NSX) on dedicated bare-metal hosts inside Azure. VMware HCX moves VMs across, often without changing IP addresses.
- Pros: fastest exit from a data centre, minimal change for your team and applications, and eligible Windows Server/SQL Server VMs get ESUs.
- Cons: you pay for whole hosts, and you still run VMware.
Side-by-side comparison
| Native Azure VMs | Azure VMware Solution | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to exit | Moderate | Fast |
| Change for IT team | Learn Azure tooling | Minimal |
| Licensing | No VMware licences | VMware stack on Azure hosts |
| Cost model | Pay per VM, scale to zero | Pay per dedicated host |
| Best for | Long-term cost and simplicity | Hard deadlines and complex estates |
How we run a VMware to Azure migration
- Discover: Azure Migrate appliance connects to vCenter and profiles every VM's performance.
- Compare: we model the cost of renewing VMware, moving to AVS and rehosting to native Azure VMs side by side.
- Plan waves: dependency mapping groups VMs that need to move together.
- Build the landing zone: networking, identity, security and backup in Azure.
- Migrate and decommission: VMs move in waves, then the old hosts and licences are retired.
Planning a migration? Get a free assessment covering scope, ballpark cost and funding eligibility.
Get my free assessmentFrequently asked questions
Should I move to Azure VMware Solution or native Azure VMs?
Choose Azure VMware Solution if you need to exit a data centre or hit a renewal date quickly, or you rely heavily on VMware tooling. Choose native Azure VMs if you want the lowest long-term cost and simplest operations. Many organisations use AVS as a stepping stone, then move to native VMs over time.
Do I still need VMware licences with Azure VMware Solution?
AVS runs VMware's software stack on dedicated Azure hosts. Licensing terms for AVS have changed since Broadcom's acquisition, so we confirm the current position for your situation during the assessment.
How long does a VMware to Azure migration take?
For up to around 100 VMs, a rehost to native Azure VMs typically takes 2–4 months including discovery and landing zone. An AVS migration with HCX can be quicker because VMs move without re-platforming.
When should we start if our VMware renewal is coming up?
Ideally 4–6 months before renewal. That leaves time for discovery, a cost comparison and migration, or at least gives you a credible alternative to negotiate with.