VMware’s vSphere Express signals a possible shift in Broadcom’s strategy back toward smaller businesses after VMware spent much of the post-acquisition period targeting enterprise-scale customers. The streamlined, lower-end virtualization products arrive as Broadcom has reduced its channel-partner network, consolidated its products into fewer and more expensive SKUs, and canceled plans to sell directly to its largest customers.
Broadcom turns back toward smaller businesses
VMware has been financially successful under Broadcom, but vSphere Express suggests the company may be concerned about losing smaller customers. More broadly, the changes made since the acquisition appear to have prompted organizations of various sizes to consider alternatives.
In September, VCF chief product officer Paul Turner told The Register that Broadcom had introduced sales incentives to encourage teams to sell VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), while also previewing what would become vSphere Express. Turner said VMware was “too focused on VCF.”
Nick Watson, chief engineer at UK-based technology advisory firm C4C Group, told TechTarget: “My interpretation is that Express exists because customers looked at VCF, crunched the numbers, and started packing. This is Broadcom putting the doors back in the building.”
A simpler alternative to migration
Migrating away from VMware can be expensive and time-consuming, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. For organizations with limited resources or those unable to run a migration alongside other projects, vSphere Express could offer a simpler path than switching to a different virtualization platform.
However, some smaller businesses may be difficult to win back. Thousands have already moved to VMware competitors, while other customers may no longer have access to their preferred resellers because those businesses are no longer affiliated with VMware.
“Broadcom has lost all credibility. No, thank you. We have two more locations to migrate from VMware and this nightmare is over. We will not be playing these games,” a Reddit user said in response to details about vSphere Express shared last week.
Trust remains a challenge
Speaking with Ars Technica in September, Dean Colpitts, CTO of Canadian managed services provider Members IT Group and a former VMware partner, said the transition to new lower-end virtualization products might be straightforward. However, he added that Broadcom had “already demonstrated that both customers and partners cannot trust it.”
Source: arstechnica.com