VMware, a leader in cloud infrastructure and virtualization solutions, has announced significant changes to its product offerings, marking the end of availability for certain perpetual licenses and SaaS services. This move is part of a strategy to simplify its portfolio and transition to a subscription-based model, previously announced on December 11, 2023.
New subscription-based offerings
The new solutions, VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation, will be available only as subscription software, accompanied by optional advanced add-ons. This change is in response to the need to simplify VMware’s portfolio and make it easier for customers to adopt technological innovations more quickly, as well as improve the implementation and management of VMware solutions.
Changes in the product portfolio
As a result of this simplification, many VMware software solutions will be offered only as part of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) or VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) and will not be available for purchase as standalone individual solutions. This includes popular products like VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus, which will now be part of the VCF and VVF offerings.
Important clarifications
To provide greater clarity about these changes, VMware has specified that some products that have reached End of Availability (EOA) may still be available for consumption as part of the VCF or VVF offerings.
Additionally, the EoA of Aria’s SaaS services has been announced, although VMware will continue to support current Aria SaaS customers until the end of their subscription term. Afterward, customers will need to transition to VCF or VVF.
“Bring Your Own License” and continued support
VMware by Broadcom also plans to offer the capability of “Bring Your Own License,” allowing customers to purchase VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions from Broadcom and deploy them flexibly on both VMware-validated hybrid endpoints and their own on-premise data centers.
For current customers who own products that have reached EoA but are not yet in the renewal period, no immediate action is required. VMware will continue to offer active support for the duration of their support contracts.
In summary, this announcement underscores VMware’s commitment to innovation and adaptability, ensuring that its customers can maximize their investment in VMware. As the IT world continues to evolve, VMware is adapting to provide solutions that not only address the current needs of its customers but also pave the way for the future of cloud infrastructure and virtualization.
source: Vmware