Broadcom Ends VMware Standard and Enterprise Plus: What’s Next for You
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If you’re running VMware, your licensing options just changed…again.
As of the publication of this article, vSphere Standard and Enterprise Plus are no longer for sale. That means no renewals, no upgrades and no support path beyond vSphere 8 unless you move to vSphere Foundation (VVF) or vCloud Foundation (VCF).
So what does that mean for you?
Long story short: it means your next renewal will cost more—potentially four times more per core. You’ll need to decide whether to renew under Broadcom’s new model, migrate to another hypervisor, or use this as a chance to rethink your infrastructure strategy altogether.
Broadcom’s VMware Licensing Changes
Broadcom is retiring VMware’s traditional licensing model and moving fully to subscription. That means:
- vSphere Standard and Enterprise Plus are discontinued. No new sales or renewals.
- Existing contracts will run through their current term, but no renewals will be issued at those license levels.
- vSphere 9 will only be available for VVF or VCF customers.
- Multi-year renewals are on hold, with only one-year options expected through at least the end of 2025.
- Pricing will rise sharply—VVF is expected to cost roughly four times more per core than Standard.
For context, vSphere Standard currently runs around $50 per core. The new VVF model jumps to $190 per core.
What Happens When Your VMware License Expires
When a subscription-based VMware license expires, your environment becomes unmanageable.
- Virtual machines can’t be powered on, edited, or moved.
- Rebooted VMs won’t start again.
- Normal backup processes may fail.
Obviously, this puts organizations at serious risk of downtime or data loss if renewals or migrations aren’t completed before expiration.
For customers still using perpetual (socket-based) licenses, these technically won’t expire, but they’ll lose support and updates once the associated subscription ends.
VMware Support and End-of-Life Timeline
Customers with multi-year agreements will be supported until roughly October 2027, aligning with the end of life for vSphere 8.
After that, upgrading to vSphere 9 will only be possible with VVF or VCF licenses.
Meanwhile, vSphere 7 is already end of general support as of October 2, 2025, meaning no future patches or technical assistance from Broadcom.
What to Do Before Your VMware License Expires
You’ll need to make a decision soon. Broadly, there are three paths forward—but every organization’s environment and goals are different; there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
- Renew with Broadcom’s New Offerings (VVF or VCF)
- Best for customers that are within 30–45 days of renewal.
- Extends support and buys time to plan your next move.
- Expect significant cost increases.
- Transition to a New Hypervisor
- For customers that are 60+ days out from renewal.
- HBS recommendations: Hyper-V, Nutanix or Azure Local.
- In-place migrations are possible depending on environment size and hardware.
- Cisco UC and Mitel on VMware are supported on VMware, Nutanix and Hyper-V.
- Rethink Your IT Strategy
- For many, this change presents an opportunity to step back and re-evaluate.
- Consider whether your long-term strategy might include cloud migration, modernized endpoint management (like Entra ID and Intune), or a broader infrastructure refresh.
Steps to Take Right Now
- Check your renewal date. If it’s within 45 days, reach out immediately.
- Know your current license type. Standard and Enterprise Plus are impacted; perpetual licenses will soon lose support.
- Plan your path. Whether renewing with Broadcom, migrating, or modernizing, work with experts to determine the best strategy.
HBS Helps You Make Sense of VMware’s Licensing Shift
HBS engineers, architects and licensing specialists are already working with clients to navigate these changes.
We can help anyone:
- Review current VMware environment
- Evaluate migration feasibility for Hyper-V, Nutanix, or Azure
- Develop a transition roadmap that fits your budget and business goals
- Execute that migration plan that minimizes downtime and disruption
Schedule a conversation with HBS to explore your VMware renewal and migration options before your license expires.
Questions about VMware licensing? Curious about your virtualization options? Let HBS help.
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