VMware by Broadcom has a licensing portability win with Microsoft

VMware by Broadcom and Microsoft have announced a new agreement that enables greater licensing flexibility and portability for mutual customers using VMware workloads on Microsoft Azure. This partnership is significant as it allows organizations to move their VMware workloads between their on-premises data centers and Microsoft Azure without having to re-license or repurchase software. Here are some key points about this agreement:

1. Licensing Portability: With this agreement, customers can move their existing VMware workloads to Microsoft Azure without having to re-license or repurchase software. This means that they can take advantage of the cloud benefits while maintaining their existing VMware licenses and subscription agreements.

2. Seamless Migration: The partnership also provides a seamless migration experience for customers moving their workloads to Azure. VMware's Cloud Provider Program allows Azure to offer VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) on Azure, which provides a consistent operating environment for running VMware workloads in the cloud.

3. Cost Savings: By allowing customers to maintain their existing licenses and avoid the cost of purchasing new licenses for their workloads in Azure, this agreement can help organizations save money on their cloud migrations. Additionally, Azure offers various pricing models and discounts that can further reduce costs for customers.

4. Improved Agility and Flexibility: The licensing portability agreement enables organizations to more easily move workloads between their on-premises data centers and Azure based on business needs. This can help improve agility and flexibility in response to changing business requirements or market conditions.

5. Enhanced Security: Azure offers robust security features and compliance certifications that can help organizations meet their security and compliance requirements when running workloads in the cloud. The partnership between VMware and Microsoft also includes enhanced security features for VMware workloads in Azure, such as NSX-T Data Center for Azure and vSphere with Tanzu for Azure.

Overall, this agreement between VMware by Broadcom and Microsoft is a significant step forward in enabling organizations to more easily and cost-effectively move their workloads between on-premises data centers and the cloud. It provides greater flexibility and licensing portability, as well as improved security and cost savings for customers.