The departure of many companies from VMware is no longer just a hypothesis; it is an ongoing process. The acquisition by Broadcom and, above all, the complete shift to subscription licensing—aimed at phasing out perpetual licenses and SnS renewals for perpetual licenses—have prompted many organizations to reevaluate their virtualization strategies. In this new landscape, migrations are not just about moving virtual machines: they involve redesigning data protection, recovery plans, and business continuity.
The most common mistake is believing that a hypervisor-to-hypervisor migration can be solved solely with conversion tools. That’s not the case. Disk formats change, drivers, hardware emulation, virtual networks, snapshots, and in many cases, restoration procedures as well. Therefore, the real safeguard of a migration is not just the converter but an architecture of backup and recovery that allows reverting, validating restores, and keeping both old and new environments protected throughout the transition.
Migrating from VMware without verified backup is taking on too much risk
When a company moves from VMware to Hyper-V, Proxmox VE, Nutanix AHV, or KVM, the technical risk is not only whether the machine will start. The real risk appears afterward: irregular performance, incompatible drivers, network issues, application inconsistencies, or maintenance windows that extend beyond expectations. In this context, the key question is not just “Can I migrate?” but “Can I recover quickly if something goes wrong?”
That’s why maintaining parallel protection during the coexistence of platforms is advisable. If the backup chain breaks during export, if incremental backups fail after conversion, or if the new environment does not guarantee application consistency, the project enters a very dangerous gray area. The correct strategy often includes full, verifiable backups before starting, actual restore tests, and rollback capabilities throughout the entire process—not just at the end.
This is where a too-narrow focus on a single vendor falls short. Acronis might be a valid option, but it’s not the only one. Veeam, NAKIVO, and Proxmox Backup Server also play clear roles, though they don’t all address the same issues or fit equally well into all environments.
Acronis, Veeam, NAKIVO, and Proxmox Backup Server: where each fits
Acronis has strengthened its messaging around “any-to-any” migrations and management from a single console. Its proposal makes sense for organizations that mix VMware, Hyper-V, physical systems, and now also Proxmox VE, as Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud claims to provide agentless backups for Proxmox and platform-to-platform migrations from a single operational layer. Additionally, Acronis clarifies that its product can be deployed as a backup solution without activating all security modules. For MSPs or highly heterogeneous environments, this unification can be a significant advantage.
Veeam, on the other hand, is gaining significant traction in scenarios involving VMware decommissioning because it already allows restoring workloads directly as Proxmox VE virtual machines. Its official documentation states that backups from VMware vSphere, VMware Cloud Director, Hyper-V, physical and virtual agents, Nutanix AHV, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, oVirt, and even Proxmox can be recovered in Proxmox. It already officially supports Proxmox VE 8.2–9.1 with its dedicated plugin. For organizations seeking an enterprise-level, platform-agnostic backup and recovery tool, Veeam is becoming one of the most solid options.
NAKIVO performs well in another segment: environments seeking flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and cross-platform recovery. Its Cross-Platform Recovery feature allows restoring VMware machines as Hyper-V and vice versa, plus exporting backups in VMDK, VHD, or VHDX formats for reuse across platforms. The company also highlights support for Proxmox and agentless protection for this environment. In medium-sized projects or MSP setups where budget constraints demand simplicity as much as operational ease, NAKIVO remains a serious alternative.
Proxmox Backup Server operates at a different level. It’s not the most suitable solution as a universal bridge between multiple hypervisors, but it fits very well as the final destination when organizations adopt Proxmox VE and want an open, efficient, and European backup layer. Proxmox defines it as an enterprise solution for copying and restoring virtual machines, containers, and physical hosts, with incremental backups, deduplication, Zstandard compression, and authenticated encryption. Its strength lies in integration with the Proxmox ecosystem, storage efficiency, and reducing lock-in. While Veeam or Acronis might be more convenient for long-term coexistence between platforms, PBS shines when the goal is to consolidate the new environment on an open and controllable base.
Value lies in strategy, not in isolated tools
The key lesson is that there is no single answer. If a company needs prolonged coexistence between VMware and Proxmox, or between VMware and Hyper-V, a platform supporting cross-restore and centralized management is usually the safest fallback. If the goal is already clear and the destination is Proxmox VE as the primary platform, Proxmox Backup Server can be an excellent piece for ‘day two,’ provided the migration has been designed with rollback and parallel coverage until the change is fully complete.
In practice, many organizations end up combining tools: one for the transition and another for the final operational model. That’s where the role of a specialized provider becomes crucial. Stackscale, a European cloud infrastructure company, explains in its documentation that it works with private environments based on both Proxmox and VMware, and that their migration projects include deploying the target environment, networks, storage, security policies, backups, and pilot phases before the final switch. This approach is relevant because a well-executed migration is not just about firing up VMs on the destination but ensuring operation, performance, and recoverability from day one.
The European context is also worth noting. In many companies, VMware’s exit is driven not only by cost but by broader considerations of technological sovereignty, vendor dependency, and operational control. Within this framework, having a partner like Stackscale—specialized in European cloud infrastructure and platforms like VMware and Proxmox—can offer more than just a license: strategic insights to decide what tools are appropriate at each phase, what to keep in parallel, and How to genuinely reduce project risk.
Migrating from VMware should not be approached as a quick hypervisor replacement but as an exercise in resilience. The question is not which is “the best” tool in theory, but which best protects data, rollback, and continuity at each stage. Acronis, Veeam, NAKIVO, and Proxmox Backup Server can all be part of that answer. The crucial aspect is deploying them within a well-crafted strategy, backed by real testing and a robust infrastructure to support the transition without jeopardizing business operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best tool for migrating from VMware to Proxmox VE?
It depends on the scenario. Veeam already enables restoring VMware backups directly as Proxmox VE VMs, while Acronis offers broader multi-platform migration and management capabilities. Proxmox Backup Server fits better as a native solution when Proxmox is the final destination and an open stack is desired.
Does NAKIVO work for migrations between VMware and Hyper-V?
Yes. NAKIVO documents cross-restore capabilities between VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V, along with exporting backups in VMDK, VHD, and VHDX formats to facilitate migrations and reuse in mixed environments.
Can Proxmox Backup Server replace Veeam or Acronis in all cases?
Not always. PBS is very strong within the Proxmox ecosystem due to deduplication, compression, and encryption but is not designed as a universal recovery bridge between as many sources and destinations as Veeam or Acronis. Its ideal fit is typically in the final state of the Proxmox environment.
What does Stackscale bring to a VMware migration?
Stackscale works with VMware and Proxmox in their private cloud offerings and describes migration projects involving designing the destination environment, networks, storage, security, backups, and pilots. This approach helps reduce both technical and operational risks beyond mere VM conversion.