AWS and Broadcom are teaming up to offer VMware Cloud Foundation customers a native version of VMware on AWS, following a previous arrangement that made VMware services exclusively Broadcom’s.
Amazon Elastic VMware Service (EVS) lets customers run VMware Cloud Foundation workloads directly within Amazon Virtual Private Cloud, providing a customer-controlled option different from VMware on AWS, which is now managed and sold solely through Broadcom channels. Existing VCF customers can use their licenses to shift VMware workloads into AWS and tap into other AWS services. The public preview of this service kicks off on December 2 during AWS re:Invent 2024.
Since acquiring VMware last year, Broadcom intensified its approach to selling and licensing the platform, but recent months have seen a shift, according to Scott Sinclair from TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group. He points out that Broadcom still prioritizes partnerships with major cloud providers to retain customers in the VMware ecosystem, rather than letting them switch to different hypervisors or fully modernize their applications.
Broadcom had initially planned to restrict AWS channels from selling VMware Cloud on AWS and put its managed service under its control. Even though Broadcom’s VMware Cloud on AWS service is still available, EVS offers key features for hybrid cloud users, like seamless integration with AWS services, a direct lift-and-shift capability for VMware workloads, and the option to use existing VMware tools to manage those workloads in AWS, according to an AWS blog.
Broadcom’s transition to an all-inclusive subscription model for VMware angered some enterprise customers, particularly those with existing VMware setups. According to Steve McDowell of NAND Research, Broadcom seems to be recalibrating its approach, making changes to the VCF offerings like expanding storage licensing and introducing a new base virtualization tier while still aiming for success with its private cloud strategy.
As customers consider migrating from VMware or explore alternatives through offerings like AWS cloud services, they find themselves facing the substantial capabilities VMware has built over time. Meanwhile, Microsoft Azure also competes with its own Azure VMware Solution, which connects VMware to Azure cloud without the need for re-platforming. Both AWS and Azure can offer access to their respective ecosystems, but neither can replicate VMware’s functionality entirely without Broadcom’s involvement, according to Sinclair. He notes that despite frustrations with Broadcom, a straightforward alternative to VMware isn’t available.
Tim McCarthy reports on cloud and data storage for TechTarget Editorial.