All size organizations must prepare for a significant change in their IT infrastructure that few saw coming up until recently. This change involves moving from VMware vSphere to a viable vSphere alternative hypervisor.
However, this move involves identifying an alternative hypervisor from solutions often unknown to many organizations. To assist those oranizations, and due to the avalanche of changes occurring in the hypervisor marketplace, DCIG has initiated a refresh of its research into VMware vSphere alternatives. Based on that research, DCIG plans to produce multiple TOP 5 reports on that topic in late 2025.
VMware Software Licensing Upheaval
Many VMware customers, industry analysts, and VMware competitors suspected that once Broadcom acquired VMware, major changes would occur. Yet no one fully foresaw the extent of the VMware software licensing changes that have occurred and continue to transpire.
These software licensing changes have prompted many organizations of all sizes to actively explore identifying viable VMware vSphere alternatives. In response, VMware competitors have upped their game. Multiple new products and providers have already come to market with existing providers introducing multiple new features into their solution.
To help organizations sort out this rapidly changing hypervisor market, DCIG has initiated a refresh of its research into vSphere alternatives. Normally DCIG waits 18-24 months to refresh its research on a specific topic. However, current market conditions warrant that DCIG update its research on vSphere alternatives sooner than normal.
Taken Aback…even Stunned
Many VMware customers have found themselves taken aback – dare I say stunned? – by Broadcom’s VMware software licensing changes. Yet VMware vSphere users do not represent the only ones in disbelief over Broadcom’s changes. VMware vSphere’s competitors also find themselves in a similar situation, but for a different reason.
Normally to gain an audience with many organizations, they would have to fight tooth and nail to do so. Now, many current VMware customers whose hypervisor door was previously closed have swung the door wide open.
They now routinely invite VMware competitors into high-level meetings to pitch their alternative vSphere hypervisor solution. In doing so, current VMware customers see a lot to like. However, these same customers also identify deficiencies in competitive hypervisors when compared to VMware vSphere.
Yet rather than promptly closing the door to providers of vSphere hypervisor alternative solutions, they extend an olive branch. If the provider makes necessary upgrades and introduces needed features, they will again entertain acquiring their solution. This has prompted increased levels of innovation in VMware vSphere alternatives not seen in many years.
An Avalanche of Changes in vSphere Alternatives
I have made the following comment in jest more than once in the past year. I have observed more innovation in the past year in vSphere alternatives than I have seen in the past decade. While I cannot authoritatively substantiate that comment, I ponder its accuracy. These represent just some of the changes that have occurred in the hypervisor market in the past year or so.
- StorMagic introduced its SvHCI hypervisor in June 2024.
- HPE also introduced its own HPE Morpheus VM Essentials (VME) hypervisor in November 2024.
- Proxmox has transformed from a nascent server virtualization provider to being labeled as a “disrupter” and routinely comes up in analyst briefings.
- Nutanix went from essentially swearing off support for external storage systems to now entering into a partnership with Pure Storage to support its storage systems. Further, it has announced plans to support other external storage systems in the future.
- Verge.io continues to gain momentum within enterprises with its VergeIQ announcement, an on-premises AI solution with a wizard-like deployment.
- Scale Computing has re-focused its SC//Platform hypervisor to optimize it for deployment in edge and remote sites as I discussed in a recent DCIG blog post.
These examples only scratch the surface of the innovation that DCIG has seen occurring. Notably, these innovations have occurred since DCIG released its inaugural VMware vSphere Alternatives TOP 5 report in 2024.
That first report neither captured these changes nor some of the new entrants in the market. The avalanche of changes in VMware vSphere alternatives since DCIG published its inaugural report has prompted DCIG to initiate refreshing its research into this topic.
Hypervisor Coverage
There is no charge for any provider to participate in this research. To do so, please contact DCIG’s Senior Storage Analyst, Todd Dorsey, at this email address. Alternatively, please fill out this contact form on DCIG’s site and someone from DCIG will contact you.
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