Table of Contents
Background
Everyone is looking at VMWare Alternatives. Why? Here is a bit of background. Broadcom’s $61 billion acquisition of VMware in late 2023 has significantly impacted the tech industry. Post-acquisition, Broadcom rebranded VMware as part of its software group, focusing on private and hybrid cloud environments. This shift led to VMware discontinuing some products and transitioning others to subscription-based models, including VMware ESXi, a popular Type 1 hypervisor.
The increased licensing fees and changes prompted many organizations to explore alternatives. Some viable options include Proxmox VE, an open-source platform integrating KVM and LXC, and XCP-ng, a high-performance hypervisor with enterprise features. Other alternatives are Hyper-V, Nutanix, and KVM. These solutions offer various features, such as live VM migration, high availability, and advanced security, making them suitable replacements for VMware ESXi.
The transition from VMware ESXi to these alternatives involves significant planning and investment, but it provides organizations with more flexibility and potentially lower costs in the long run.
Broadcom
VMware by Broadcom the first 100 days – https://www.broadcom.com/blog/vmware-by-broadcom-the-first-100-days
Statement on the 15th of April: https://www.broadcom.com/blog/a-changing-market-landscape-requires-constant-evolution-our-mission-for-vmware-customers
KKR to acquire End-User Computing Division (Workspace One & Horizon) – Link1 – Link2
Broadcom’s approach to Sovereign Cloud: enabling innovation and control for customers
Citrix
Minimum Requirements for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops: https://docs.citrix.com/en-us/citrix-virtual-apps-desktops/system-requirements.html#hosts–virtualization-resources
Xen Server free download – https://www.xenserver.com/downloads
Heise News on the new Xen Version
Citrix steigert Lizenzkosten massiv
Links on how to migrate from VMWare to another platform
How to migrate from VMware and Hyper-V to OpenStack – Superuser (openinfra.dev)
Migrate to AVS using Azure Migrate
Links to articles with VMWare Alternatives products
OpenStack vs. VMware: Open-Source-Lösung vs. proprietäre Plattform – Blog – HostZealot
OpenStack vs VMware: A Comprehensive Comparison (heatware.net)
Microsoft Hyper-V and Azure Local as VMWare Alternatives
Tutorial: Create a VM-based lab for Azure Stack HCI
Migrate VMware VMs to Azure Local using Azure Migrate
Introducing Azure Local: cloud infrastructure for distributed locations enabled by Azure Arc
New capabilities to aid Migration and Hybrid Cloud Management
Proxmox
vSphere ESXi-Import für Proxmox
Proxmox Pricing for Subscriptions PVE
Proxmox Pricing for Backup Server
Veeam Support for Proxmox researched by Oracle
Veeam Forum Feature Request for Proxmox Support Discussion
Proxmox Guide to migrate to PVE
Proxmox Home Labs
Build a Proxmox Test Lab on Consumer Hardware – Blogging Brothers
PatrickTerlisten/Homelab: How to build a decent homelab – economic, quite, powerful (github.com)
Other VMWare Alternatives
Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager – OLVM
oVirt – Open Source Virtualization
Recommended Stories and other Blogs
German
Quo vadis, Proxmox und weitere Alternativen? – FOCUS ON: Linux – Podcast (podigee.io)
International / English
Personal Opinion – Andreas Hartig
When you see a large organisation or private equity acquiring a company, you need to be aware that it is not about adding customer value, it is always and only about shareholder value.
This very often means that you will see the outsourcing of support and non-core business functions (IT) to a third party and very often this will result in a poor support experience.
The other thing you can expect is that your costs as a customer will go up. This may be called “portfolio optimisation” or “operational rationalisation”, but in the end you can look at the service delivered and your monthly bill.
My experience is that you will see a shift from a partnership with your IT service, software or infrastructure provider to a goal of helping to create the most shareholder value.
To cut a long story short, … implement or at least develop a Plan B and look at the market very closely so that you can take action if your costs go up. The links above give you a lot of content to absorb to see if you can build a Plan B without disrupting your IT world.
My personal recommendation is to focus on leveraging the technology and known VMWare Alternatives, licences and solutions you already have and are not using to their full potential. This is most likely true if you evaluate your options and current licensing with Microsoft and Hyper-V.
The second best option is to move to a new technology. If I had to consider anything, I would start a proof of concept with Proxmox today. This is especially true if you are already using Veeam backup.
If you have to stay with VMWare ESXi, I would recommend investigating the Azure VMWare option and checking licensing and pricing with your Microsoft partner or representative as soon as possible.
