5 Things to Consider Before Your VMware ELA Expiration Date

When organizations plan for the future, refresh environments, or roll out new capabilities, they are often tied to software licensing agreements that exist or will need to be acquired. While an organization's requirements should drive the planning, the decision-making can often be guided or handcuffed by the limitations of products owned within a licensing agreement.

The process of extending, renegotiating, or ending an existing agreement, such as a VMware by Broadcom Enterprise License Agreement (ELA), can be time-consuming and complex. This is especially true since Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and the resulting shift in strategies that might not align with your organization's previous plans. To help navigate this process, I've broken down five critical considerations to dig into when preparing for the expiration of a VMware ELA.

1. Assess Current Usage and Future Needs

It's essential to evaluate your existing use of VMware products and services. Look closely and discuss with all applicable teams within your organization to determine any changes in your organization's needs or infrastructure since the agreement was signed. You'll need to consider how expansion in virtualized environments, new projects, or changes in your technology strategy may affect future requirements.

2. Evaluate Licensing Options

With changes to VMware's licensing model, many previous bundles are no longer available. You'll need to carefully explore the various licensing options available from VMware. This could include renewing the ELA, transitioning to a different licensing model, or considering alternatives such as subscription-based licensing.

If your previous licensing method or bundle is no longer available, you'll need to identify what is available that will deliver what you need with the minimal amount of unneeded products and expenses. Consider each choice based on cost, flexibility, and compatibility with your organization's goals.

3. Explore Alternative Solutions and Vendors

Rather than taking the default path of automatically renewing the ELA with VMware, take the opportunity to explore alternative virtualization solutions and vendors in the market. There are other compelling enterprise-ready solutions available. Conducting a thorough evaluation of competing products from other vendors can open your eyes to real alternatives or further confirm your existing path.

Key factors include features, performance, scalability, support options, and total cost of ownership (TCO). Engage in discussions to ensure that your organization's current and future needs can be met with the investigated pricing and terms. This approach allows you to assess whether there are better-suited solutions available that align more closely with your organization's requirements and objectives, potentially providing cost savings or additional functionalities.

4. Evaluate Performance and Support

Has the performance and support experience and satisfaction degraded or improved over the course of a solution's lifespan? Do a thorough examination of VMware's performance and support quality over the course of the ELA. Consider aspects such as issue response time, technical resource availability, and overall vendor satisfaction. This evaluation might help you decide whether to stick with VMware or explore alternatives.

5. Planning for the Future - Not Just a Renewal

Create a transition and migration strategy in case you decide not to renew the ELA, change vendors, or adopt a dual-vendor approach. By this stage, you should have identified how to map the product to product pairings.

Your strategy should include incremental steps for migrating to alternative solutions and your organization's future IT roadmap. It should also incorporate workloads (e.g., cloud-native and AI applications), resolve any dependencies on VMware products, and minimize the impact on your organization's operations and budget.

Make informed decisions for your VMware ELA renewal or transition

By proactively considering these factors, you can make informed decisions and effectively manage the transition or renewal of your VMware ELA. For additional options and considerations, please refer to www.nutanix.com/vmware-alternative.

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