VMware-routes
The market around VMware has been shifting since its acquisition by Broadcom. In a short period of time, the partner landscape has been reorganized, licensing models have been revised, and the number of parties allowed to offer shared cloud environments has been significantly reduced. This raises questions for both service providers and end customers.
On this page, you will learn why VMware is so widely used, what is actually changing, and how you can manage these changes in a controlled way.
Why is VMware so widely used?
VMware did not become dominant by coincidence. For many years, the platform has proven itself as the foundation for enterprise and service provider environments where availability, security, and scalability come together. It combines virtualization, networking, storage, and lifecycle management into one controlled stack. This makes it not only powerful, but above all predictable.
Alternatives are developing rapidly, and that is healthy. Competition accelerates innovation. That is why Fundaments always evaluates the most suitable technology for each specific use case. At the same time, in many scenarios where multi-tenant workloads, strict security requirements, and operational manageability converge, VMware remains demonstrably best-in-class.
Where is the real change?
Not every organization is affected in the same way by the new partner structure of Broadcom. If we reduce everything we know so far to its essence, the key difference lies in the setup of dedicated versus shared environments. The real impact is in shared environments.
Private and dedicated VMware environments
When infrastructure and licenses are registered in the customer’s name, the environment can often be continued in a controlled manner. Governance and ownership are clear. The primary challenge here lies in lifecycle management and compatibility, not in access to the platform itself.
Shared and multi-tenant VMware environments
This is where the real shift is occurring. Many SMB organizations run VMware within shared cloud environments. They are too small for their own infrastructure, yet still benefit from enterprise-grade functionality.
Under Broadcom’s new partner program, these shared models may now only be offered through selected partners: Pinnacle partners.
In practical terms, this means shared and multi-tenant environments require an infrastructure partner with the appropriate partner tier and direct access to lifecycle support within Broadcom. Without that position, continuity becomes more complex, both technically and commercially.
What are the options?
The question is not whether your VMware environment can continue under the new rules, but how it can do so in a controlled manner. It is essential to assess your current position now, to prevent rushed migrations and time pressure later.
Fundaments is a Broadcom VCSP Pinnacle Partner and offers organizations two clear routes:
1. Migration
For organizations that strategically want to consolidate or modernize within the VMware ecosystem, workloads can be migrated to the Fundaments platform. This applies to both shared and dedicated scenarios and is particularly suitable when your infrastructure is end-of-life and you are looking for full operational relief for the VMware platform.
2. Hybrid
For organizations that wish to retain their existing infrastructure but require support within the new partner landscape, we can perform a technical assessment in line with Broadcom compatibility guidelines. From there, we determine what VMware support and lifecycle management may be required to remain compliant with the new licensing and partner framework.
This route is appropriate if you want to retain VMware and continue delivering services to your customers without a full platform migration.
Would you like to know where you stand?
Whether you serve shared customers or run dedicated workloads, the first step is gaining insight into your current situation. We are happy to clarify what the new partner structure specifically means for your environment.
Contact us for an exploratory discussion or request our VCF 9 Readiness Assessment.
