Unlocking New Possibilities: Microsoft’s VCF License Mobility Unveiled!

This Week in IT, Microsoft announces license portability for VCF customers, stepping up to an agreement announced between Broadcom and GCP earlier this year. I look at what the new deal involves and how it might help VMware customers.

Links and resources

• Broadcom and Google Cloud Announce License Portability Support for VMware Cloud Foundation on Google Cloud VMware Engine – VMware News and Stories
• AWS ‘Disappointed’ It’s No Longer A VMware Cloud On AWS Reseller; Future Of Product In Doubt (crn.com)

In this week’s episode:

• Microsoft and Broadcom offer license portability for VMware customers: Microsoft announced that VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) customers can now use their licenses on Azure VMware Solution, a cloud-based service that runs VMware software on Azure.
• Microsoft competes with Google and AWS for VMware market: Microsoft’s offer of license portability is a response to a similar deal that Google Cloud Platform (GCP) made with Broadcom, the owner of VMware, earlier this year. Microsoft aims to attract more VMware customers to its Azure platform.
• Microsoft claims benefits of running VMware on Azure: Microsoft argues that running VMware software-defined data centers on Azure has advantages such as avoiding over-provisioning, having a fully managed and supported service, and leveraging the fast pace of innovation that Azure offers.
• Broadcom changes VMware licensing and partner policies: Broadcom, which acquired VMware in 2019, has made several changes to VMware’s products and licenses, such as eliminating perpetual licensing, removing affordable SKUs, and requiring direct purchase from Broadcom for some solutions. These changes have caused debate and dissatisfaction among VMware customers and partners.