Blog

VMware by Broadcom Program Changes Frequently Asked Questions

April 15, 2024 by Ntirety

Partner Program

What are the key changes Broadcom made to the VMware Partner Connect Program?

When Broadcom acquired VMware in November 2023, they discontinued all existing VMware Partner Programs and rolled them into their existing Broadcom Advantage Partner Program. This included the following changes:

Broadcom significantly reduced the number of authorized VMware reseller partners
Broadcom is changing the types of VMware licenses available from perpetual licensing to subscription-based licensing
Broadcom is changing from RAM-based pricing to CPU-based pricing for VMware users
Broadcom is streamlining the VMware portfolio of products, reducing the number of individual product SKUs offered and converting them into more solution-oriented bundles

What are the differences between Pinnacle and Premier VMware Cloud Solution Provider Partners?

The differences are primarily related to sales and marketing support between VMware and the partner. Pinnacle Partners gain access to a dedicated Partner Marketing Manager, a Regional Solution Architect, and Event Support. Although Ntirety does not receive this access as a Premier partner, we already have exceptional relationships with our channel partners, so this difference does not impact us in the same way it might a standalone, direct-to-customer business.

What is the impact of the reduction in the number of authorized VMware resellers and service provider partners?

The total number of global partners has been reduced by more than 80%. If your Cloud Service Provider is not among the new group of selected partners, this means you will need to migrate your workloads to a new Cloud Service Provider that was invited into the new program. If your current cloud service provider was invited into the program, you will be able to continue working with them since they can obtain VMware licenses.

Ntirety has accepted our invitation into the new Broadcom Advantage Partner Program. For our customers, Ntirety remains the trusted source for all your virtualization needs.

VMware Products

What are the changes to the VMware licensing structure, and what do they mean for you?

Broadcom will no longer be offering perpetual licensing for VMware. They are moving to a subscription-based model, which means you will need to update your VMware licenses.
Ntirety has always used a subscription-based billing model, so our current customers will not experience any change. For new or migrating customers, this model will ensure you not only stay current with the latest technology and functionality from VMware, but also have access to a larger portion of available tools and features in the VMware portfolio.

How is the pricing model for VMware changing?

VMware pricing is moving from being based on RAM to being based on CPU. Rather than determining price by the RAM available in the physical machines, the pricing will now be based on the physical CPU cores available.

Ntirety is uniquely equipped to optimize workloads to maximize value for customers. Highly skilled teams can size, migrate, and optimize each customer scenario to their unique needs.

What changes are being made to streamline the VMware portfolio, and what do they mean for customers?

The number of individual VMware product SKUs, or distinct products, being offered has been significantly reduced. Disparate VMware products have also been consolidated into solution-oriented bundles to provide customers access to a comprehensive product suite, as opposed to placing the burden of designing piecemeal solutions on customers. This change can also help optimize costs in the new pricing model.

For users unfamiliar with the additional capabilities a bundle will contain, it can be advantageous to partner with an experienced Cloud Service Provider or Managed Service Provider, such as Ntirety, who can help you maximize the value of your entire solution.

Is it true that the new product portfolio will be narrowed down to VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation? What are the differences between the two?

VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation will be the main bundles, but with additional add-ons available. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) serve different purposes and are designed for different use cases, as follows:

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)

VCF is an integrated cloud infrastructure platform that combines compute, storage, networking, and management into a single stack; it is designed for deploying and operating a private cloud or a hybrid cloud environment
It includes VMware’s advanced software-defined data center (SDDC) technologies, such as vSphere for compute virtualization, vSAN for storage virtualization, and NSX for network virtualization
VCF is aimed at organizations looking to streamline the deployment and management of their cloud infrastructure and is suitable for a wide range of applications and workloads

VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF)

VVF is a more basic offering that provides a foundation for running virtualized workloads with vSphere
It is typically aimed at small businesses or environments with limited virtualization needs
VVF includes the essential features of vSphere for server virtualization but lacks the full suite of SDDC technologies found in VCF

In summary, VCF is a comprehensive solution for building and managing a cloud infrastructure, while VVF is a more entry-level offering focused on virtualization for smaller environments. If you are looking for a solution to support a complex, scalable cloud environment, VCF would be the appropriate choice. If your needs are more modest and you are primarily interested in virtualization without additional cloud infrastructure features, VVF would be a better fit.

What is the timeline of the VMware/Broadcom changes?

November 22, 2023 – Broadcom officially acquired VMware
February 5, 2024 – By-invitation-only VMware by Broadcom Advantage Partner Program announced
Early March 2024 – Invitations to join the Broadcom Advantage Partner Program as a VMware provider sent
March 31, 2024 – All activity and support for VMware service providers under the legacy program ended
May 5, 2024 – Existing perpetual licenses expire

Impact to Customers

If I am a current Ntirety customer, what do these changes mean for me? What do I need to do next?

Ntirety is a Premier Partner in the Broadcom Advantage Partner Program, and we can still procure licenses for our customers. All of our customers are already on subscription-based billing. Moving forward, pricing will be determined based on CPU core count. The change in pricing will vary for each customer based on their unique use case. Pricing will depend on how a customer’s virtual machines are configured.

The Ntirety team of experts can help you navigate these changes and optimize for your unique needs. Our first priority is to minimize the impact of the pricing change. Then, we can discuss how to optimize additional functionality available in the bundle that can drive value for the customer’s business.

If my current provider can no longer provide my VMware licenses, what are my options?

If your current provider is unable to procure VMware licenses for you, you will need to migrate your workloads to an authorized VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) or continue working with your current Cloud Service Provider as long as they can obtain VMware licenses from an authorized VMware Cloud Service Provider.

First, you should check whether your current Cloud Service Provider or VMware reseller partner is an authorized VMware reseller or VCSP. From there, you have two options:

If your current Cloud Service Provider or VMware reseller cannot provide licenses or services for you going forward, you will need to find a new service provider that can, and then migrate your workloads to their cloud. Ntirety is an authorized VCSP and can help you migrate and optimize your environment.
If your current provider is unable to provide services for you, but you want to remain with them, Ntirety can white label services for legacy partners who are no longer able to provide them. We would welcome a conversation with former VMware partners to discuss how we can work together.

Is now a good time for me to migrate my infrastructure into hyperscale cloud environments such as AWS or Azure?

It is never recommended to rush major infrastructure changes, especially with a tight timeline, as migration is a massive undertaking that requires significant planning to execute well.

We recommend you instead work with Ntirety to optimize your existing environment in the short term. We will solve the immediate risk, which is to keep your business up and running optimally. After that, Ntirety can help migrate to AWS/Azure/Kubernetes/Serverless or many other architectures that might make sense and align with your unique needs in the long term.

Ntirety Services

What does Ntirety’s Premier Partner status in the Broadcom program mean?

Ntirety’s invitation into the Broadcom Advantage Partner Program is a result of our long-standing partnership and deep, 15-year expertise with VMware and allows us to continue supporting customers through these changes. Learn more about Ntirety’s status as a Premier Partner.

What cloud solutions does Ntirety offer for VMware users?

Ntirety offers private, public, and hybrid cloud options for hosting and migrating your workloads. We also provide managed infrastructure services to maximize the performance of your infrastructure while optimizing and securing your entire environment. This includes cloud optimization, refactoring, and futureproofing to ensure your applications run smoothly.