Significant price hikes, degrading support, a mandatory subscription to software bundles and the acquisition of VMware by Broadcom resulted in a shift in VMware’s customer base. As it’s predicted that 20% of them will move VMware workloads to the cloud, it’s critical to select the optimal cloud migration strategy that will not only reduce the cost but also enable enterprise AI by providing access to the high-performance compute, GPU acceleration, scalable storage and advanced analytics needed for modern applications.
This article provides enterprise leaders with a comprehensive overview of four top migration options for VMware workloads, the benefits of each of them, key considerations and best practices needed for successful migration.
Four migration options for VMware workloads
There are several strategic approaches available for migrating your VMware workloads to the cloud. Let’s explore four key options that can help you significantly reduce reliance on costly VMware licensing and prepare your enterprise for AI-enabled growth.
Rehosting using third-party migration tools
Rehosting leverages specialized migration tools tailored to your unique workload requirements to move current VMware workloads to cloud environments such as AWS EC2, Azure Virtual Machines, or Google Cloud Compute Engine. This “lift and shift” approach minimizes changes to your existing architecture. Despite its simplicity at first glance, rehosting should not be considered a purely technical effort. If properly planned and executed, this approach can be a catalyst for a greater digital transformation by opening up access to the flexible computing infrastructure needed to drive AI initiatives.
Benefits of this approach:
- Simplicity. Minimal modifications are needed to reduce migration complexity.
- Speed. Automated tools streamline the process and accelerate the transition.
- Cost savings. The shift to a flexible, consumption-based pricing model eliminates expensive VMware licensing fees.
Replatforming to a native cloud environment
Replatforming involves making slight modifications to optimize your applications for a native cloud environment without a complete redesign. This approach lets you transition your VMware workloads to cloud services with minimal disruption, while the core architecture of the application is preserved. The most demanding element of this strategy is to identify the best native cloud services for your application. Examples include leveraging managed database services, container services and other native cloud services that were typically operated within a virtual machine in your VMware environment. This will ensure a smooth transition that maximizes performance and cost savings while enabling enterprise AI initiatives.
Benefits of this approach:
- Performance optimization. Native cloud services offer enhanced performance, scalability, and security.
- Cost efficiency. VMware migration reduces licensing costs and leverages a consumption-based pricing model.
- Future-proofing. Paves the way for adopting advanced cloud-native technologies, including AI and machine learning services.
Refactoring or re-architecting
In contrast to replatforming, refactoring, or re-architecting involves redesigning your applications to harness modern cloud features such as container orchestration, microservices and serverless computing. Though refactoring requires a larger initial investment than other approaches, it provides the greatest long-term savings through efficient use of resources. It’s the best option when existing architecture is not scalable or has technical debt, there is a demand for high performance, and active development of AI and analytics capabilities.
Benefits of this approach:
- Agility. Cloud-native architectures allow for rapid scaling and iterative development.
- Resilience. Designed for high availability and fault tolerance, reducing potential downtime.
- Optimized AI deployment. Cloud-native solutions can be optimized for AI workloads, enabling faster training and deployment of models.
Hybrid cloud approaches
A hybrid cloud strategy is a mix of on-premises and cloud-based resources. When following it, some workloads remain in local data centers, and some are moved to the public cloud, but with a single management and the communication channels are secured between the cloud and on-premises infrastructure using technologies such as VPN, Direct Connect, or ExpressRoute. This approach is particularly useful for organizations that want to mitigate risk during the transition and move workloads to the cloud gradually.
Benefits of this approach:
- Flexibility. Gradual migration reduces risk and allows you to test cloud capabilities without full-scale disruption.
- Continuity. Ensures that mission-critical applications remain operational during migration.
- Cost management. Manages expenses effectively while transitioning away from costly VMware licensing.
Best practices for migrating to the cloud
When the decision to migrate is made and the migration approach is chosen, the only question is where to start? To avoid wasting extra resources and missing out on important steps, we provide a few steps below that help you structure your migration workflow.
Conduct a thorough assessment
Analyze your current VMware environment to identify workload dependencies, performance metrics, and compliance requirements.
Develop a detailed migration roadmap
Create a comprehensive plan outlining each phase of the migration, from pilot testing to full deployment.
Pilot and test
Initiate a pilot migration to validate your selected approach and identify any potential issues.
Monitor and optimize
Utilize advanced monitoring tools to track post-migration performance, making necessary adjustments to optimize resource utilization.
Engage stakeholders
Maintain clear and consistent communication with all stakeholders to ensure alignment and promptly address concerns.
Quick checklist before starting the migration process
- Cost analysis. What are the long-term savings from reducing VMware licensing fees against the upfront investment required for migration?
- Complexity & risk. What are the technical challenges and potential downtime during the migration process? How to deal with it?
- Compliance & security. Does your migration strategy meet regulatory requirements, particularly if you operate in highly regulated industries?
- Scalability & performance. Is your migration approach aligned with future growth and the performance demands of AI workloads?
- Vendor support. Can you navigate the complexities of migration with internal expertise only or do you need support from cloud providers and trusted partners?
Bottom line
The shift away from VMware is a strategic choice to modernize, innovate and build a future-proof IT landscape. With proper planning and a clear understanding of your current environment, business goals and technical capabilities, the transition can be both smooth and transformative.
