At the end of 2023, Broadcom, the global leader in technology, completed its acquisition of VMware, a software company specializing in virtualization and cloud computing that holds a 41.5% market share in the sector.
This acquisition is impacting many Managed Service Providers (MSPs) by changing VMware’s licensing model. Users wishing to implement VMware solutions will now need an annual subscription, as perpetual licenses—used until now—are being phased out. Furthermore, the free version of VMware vSphere Hypervisor is no longer available, and there is currently no equivalent product to replace it.
OpenStack with the Right Provider
This change introduces a more expensive model than before, pushing many businesses to explore alternatives that offer flexibility and cost savings.
One such option is OpenStack, an open-source platform designed to create and manage cloud infrastructure services. OpenStack is a fully functional counterpart to VMware that operates under the philosophy of “build-it-yourself” and “support-it-yourself.” While it requires a knowledgeable and experienced provider, it enhances business independence and significantly reduces solution costs.
OpenStack vs. VMware
Here are five reasons why OpenStack could be an advantage over VMware in this context:
1. Licensing and Costs
While VMware’s licensing policies can be restrictive and costly, OpenStack offers an open-source alternative with no per-core or per-virtual-machine fees. This can lead to significant savings in licensing costs.
2. Flexibility
OpenStack provides a highly flexible and modular architecture that can adapt to the specific needs of your infrastructure. This allows you to customize and scale your environment according to your requirements without being tied to a specific provider.
3. Portability
As an open-standards-based platform, OpenStack offers greater portability for workloads across different clouds and providers. This means you can avoid vendor lock-in and retain the freedom to migrate your applications and data as needed.
4. Community and Support
OpenStack has a large community of developers and users actively collaborating to improve and evolve the platform. Additionally, numerous service providers and consultants offer professional support and services to help implement and manage OpenStack environments.
5. Automation and Orchestration
OpenStack includes built-in tools for automation and orchestration, simplifying infrastructure resource management and deployment. This improves operational efficiency and reduces costs associated with manual management.
Explore OpenStack with Adam
If your company uses VMware solutions and you’re considering an open-source alternative, Adam offers you the opportunity to request a free trial of our IaaS services based on OpenStack. This trial includes access to full production resources, allowing you to experience the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of OpenStack firsthand.
This article has been written by
Emilio Moreno
Arquitecto Soluciones Cloud - IaaS