Microsoft Partners with Broadcom to Streamline Cloud Migration for VMware Customers

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft and Broadcom have announced an expanded collaboration that will allow VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) customers to use their licenses on Azure VMware Solution.
• This new partnership provides VCF license holders with the ability to use their licenses across both Azure VMware Solution and their own data centers.
• It provides IT professionals with enhanced flexibility and efficiency in managing and migrating VMware workloads.

Last week, Microsoft announced an expansion of its partnership with Broadcom, poised to bring significant benefits to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) customers. This new collaboration will enable seamless migration and flexibility by allowing VCF license holders to use their licenses on Azure VMware Solution.

Understanding Azure VMware Solution and VMware Cloud Foundation

Microsoft launched Azure VMware Solution in 2019, enabling customers to extend and migrate their existing VMware Private Clouds to run natively on Azure. This service offers a dedicated infrastructure, VMware vSphere clusters, and managed services, ensuring seamless integration of VMware workloads with Azure.

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is an integrated software platform that combines compute, storage, networking, and management services to create software-defined data centers. It is designed for both private and hybrid cloud environments. VCF simplifies IT operations with automated provisioning, offers intrinsic security, and supports multi-cloud strategies.

Broadcom enables VCF portability to Google Cloud VMware Engine

Microsoft aims to attract more customers, especially those using VMware Cloud Foundation, amidst growing competition, notably from Google Cloud’s VMware Engine. In February, Broadcom announced plans to support license portability of VMware Cloud Foundation to Google Cloud VMware Engine.

This capability will enable commercial customers to use their VMware Cloud Foundation software subscriptions on both the Google Cloud VMware Engine and on-premises data centers. Moreover, new customers will be able to purchase a fully integrated Google Cloud VMware Engine environment from Google.

Additionally, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AWS channel partners will no longer resell VMware Cloud on AWS. Customers will need to purchase the solution directly from VMware.

Microsoft and Broadcom collaborate to enhance cloud offerings

To address this challenge, Microsoft has partnered with Broadcom to support license portability for VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) subscriptions on Azure VMware Solution. This partnership allows customers to run VCF workloads either on-premises or in Azure to meet their changing business needs. Azure VMware Solution currently offers support for vSphere, HCX, NSX, and vSAN.

“Customers that own or purchase licenses for VMware Cloud Foundation will be able to use those licenses on Azure VMware Solution, as well as their own data centers, giving them flexibility to meet changing business needs,” Microsoft and Broadcom execs explained. “Customers can currently purchase the solution with VMware licenses included, and this option will continue to be available for customers that prefer to purchase their VMware licenses as part of their solution from Microsoft.”

What are the benefits of the new license portability solution?

This new partnership not only provides VMware customers with additional options but also strengthens Microsoft’s position in the cloud market. It would potentially facilitate the transition of VMware customers to native Azure virtualization in the future.

Microsoft and Broadcom plan to offer VMware Cloud Foundation license portability to Azure VMware Solution for commercial customers later this year. In the meantime, organizations should contact a Microsoft partner or VMware account representative for more details.