Infrastructure · Virtualization
VMware got expensive. Price every path before you renew.
A VMware alternative strategy compares the cost and effort of staying on VMware against moving to another platform after Broadcom’s licensing changes. Storcom models three paths (right-sizing your VMware subscription, moving to Storcom’s hosted private cloud, or re-platforming to Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV or OpenShift Virtualization) and prices all three before you commit.
Last updated
- Built for
- IT teams facing a VMware renewal quote that no longer fits the budget.
- What you get
- Three paths modeled and priced
- No rushed cut-over
- Hosted private cloud option
- Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV and OpenShift options
- Delivered from
- Geneva, Illinois, for Chicagoland and customers across the U.S.
What changed with VMware licensing?
Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware in late 2023, and in December 2023 it changed how the products are sold. This page reflects that model as of October 2026. Perpetual licenses were discontinued in favor of subscriptions, standalone products were folded into a smaller number of bundles, and pricing moved to a per-core basis.
For many teams, the result is a renewal that costs a lot more for the same environment, often with bundled features nobody uses, and less flexibility in what you can buy.
Staying can still be the right answer. The point is to make that decision with real numbers for every option, not under pressure from a renewal date.
The paths we model
Re-platforming has several destinations, so it gets more than one card. Every path is priced for your environment.
1. Stay and right-size VMware
Audit core counts, consolidate hosts and match the subscription to the features you actually use. The least disruption, and sometimes the lowest total cost.
2. Move to Storcom’s hosted private cloud
Run your virtual machines on dedicated infrastructure that Storcom hosts and manages. You stop owning hosts and the hypervisor lifecycle, and pay a predictable monthly cost.
3a. Re-platform to Microsoft Hyper-V
The hypervisor built into Windows Server, managed with Windows Admin Center or System Center. A natural fit for Microsoft-centric teams already licensed for Windows Server Datacenter.
3b. Re-platform to Nutanix AHV
The hypervisor included with Nutanix’s hyperconverged platform, which combines compute and storage in one cluster managed from Nutanix Prism. Nutanix Move helps convert VMware virtual machines.
3c. Re-platform to Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization
Runs virtual machines alongside containers on Red Hat OpenShift, based on the open source KubeVirt project. Best for teams already investing in Kubernetes.
3d. Refresh to a 3-tier design
Separate servers, shared storage and networking, sized for the hypervisor you choose. Often paired with a storage refresh so new hosts and a new array land together.
Stay, move or re-platform: how do the paths compare?
| Consideration | Stay and right-size | Hosted private cloud | Re-platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effort | Lowest. A licensing review and right-sizing, with no migration. | Moderate. Workloads move to Storcom’s environment in planned waves. | Highest. A new hypervisor, conversion of every VM, new tooling and retraining. |
| Cost profile | Usually a higher subscription cost than before, reduced by trimming cores and bundles you do not need. | Predictable monthly operating cost, with no host refresh or hypervisor licenses to buy. | Lower ongoing licensing in many cases, offset by one-time migration work and sometimes new hardware. |
| Skills needed | Your current VMware skills. | Fewer in-house infrastructure skills, since Storcom runs the platform. | New platform skills: Hyper-V tooling, Nutanix Prism, or Kubernetes for OpenShift. |
| Best fit | Large or deeply integrated VMware estates, or hardware mid-way through its life. | Lean IT teams that would rather not own hosts, storage and hypervisor upgrades. | Teams with a hardware refresh coming, Microsoft-centric shops, HCI-minded teams, or container-forward teams. |
Costs depend on core counts, contract dates and hardware age. Storcom prices all three paths for your environment during design.
How we migrate without a rushed cut-over
A renewal date is a deadline, not a migration plan. If timing is tight, a right-sized renewal can buy the time to move properly.
Inventory
We document hosts, cores, virtual machines, storage, backup and DR dependencies, and every renewal date. It starts with a discovery call.
Model and price
We price the three paths for your environment, including licensing, hardware, migration labor and ongoing support, so the comparison is like for like.
Decide and bridge
You choose a path. If the migration needs more time than your contract allows, we right-size the VMware renewal so the move is not racing the end date.
Pilot
We build the target platform and move a small group of low-risk workloads first, testing performance, backup and recovery before anything critical moves.
Migrate in waves
Workloads move in planned groups during maintenance windows, each with a rollback plan and your sign-off before the next wave starts.
Retire and manage
Old hosts and licenses are retired, backup and DR are re-pointed and tested on the new platform, and Storcom supports the result 24×7×365.
Technology we deploy for this
Dell PowerStore, PowerMax, PowerScale, ObjectScale and PowerVault storage, PowerProtect Data Domain, PowerEdge servers and Dell networking, quoted with deal registration and deployed by Storcom engineers.
HPE ProLiant servers, Alletra, MSA and StoreOnce storage, and networking, configured to your workloads by Storcom and kept under support through their lifecycle.
Lenovo ThinkSystem servers configured to order and quoted with deal registration for compute and virtualization refreshes.
Nutanix
Nutanix hyperconverged infrastructure and the AHV hypervisor, one of the re-platforming paths Storcom models for organizations leaving VMware.
VMware by Broadcom
VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation environments that Storcom supports and helps you right-size, keep or move away from after the Broadcom licensing changes.
Microsoft Azure infrastructure and Microsoft 365, with Storcom managing Azure resources and backing up Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams.
Sources
- VMware by Broadcom Dramatically Simplifies Offer Lineup and Licensing Model (December 11, 2023) Broadcom. Accessed .
- VMware End of Availability of Perpetual Licensing and SaaS Services (January 22, 2024) VMware by Broadcom. Accessed .
Frequently asked questions
Why did VMware renewals get so expensive?
After Broadcom acquired VMware, perpetual licenses were discontinued and products moved to subscription bundles priced per core. Many customers now pay for a larger bundle than they used before, and high core counts on modern servers push the total higher. The increase varies by environment, so price your own renewal before assuming the worst or the best.
Is it worth leaving VMware?
Sometimes. If your environment is large, tightly integrated or mid-way through a hardware cycle, right-sizing the subscription can cost less than migrating. If a hardware refresh is coming anyway, re-platforming or hosted private cloud often compares well. The only way to know is to price each path against your actual environment.
What is the best alternative to VMware?
There is no single best alternative. Microsoft Hyper-V suits Microsoft-centric teams, Nutanix AHV suits teams that want hyperconverged infrastructure, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization suits teams moving toward containers, and Storcom’s hosted private cloud suits teams that would rather not run a hypervisor at all. The right answer depends on your workloads, skills and hardware timing.
How long does a VMware migration take?
It depends on the number of virtual machines, their dependencies and how much testing each needs. A phased migration with a pilot and planned waves takes longer than a single cut-over, but it avoids extended outages and gives you a rollback point at every step. Storcom sets the timeline during design, working back from your renewal date.
Can we stay on VMware and still cut costs?
In many cases, yes. Reviewing core counts, consolidating hosts and matching the subscription bundle to the features you actually use can reduce the renewal. Storcom models a right-sized renewal as one of the three paths so you can compare it fairly.
What happens to backup and disaster recovery if we change hypervisors?
Backup and DR jobs need to be re-pointed and retested on the new platform. Veeam protects VMware, Hyper-V and Nutanix AHV workloads, which helps keep protection consistent through a migration. Storcom includes backup and recovery testing in every migration wave.
Related services
- Hosted private cloudDedicated hosted private cloud for steady, performance-sensitive workloads and teams leaving VMware licensing.
- ServersDell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant and Lenovo ThinkSystem servers sized to your workloads, then procured, deployed…
- StorageData storage from Dell, HPE, Everpure (formerly Pure Storage) and IBM: block, file, object and backup arrays,…
- NetworkingData center networking from Storcom: switching, routing and wireless on Cisco and Dell, designed, deployed and…
- Veeam cloud backupVeeam-based cloud backup with off-site, immutable copies, scheduled restore tests and reporting.
- DRaaS OverviewDisaster recovery as a service from Storcom: Veeam or Zerto replication, a stated RTO and RPO per application,…
Start with a discovery call.
Tell us what you run today, what is changing and what worries you. We listen, ask questions and tell you plainly whether and how we can help. No cost, no commitment.