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The transition from VMware environments to Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an opportunity for organizations to optimize infrastructure, lower operational costs, and realize the business agility benefits cloud platforms enable. However, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Each organization needs to chart a path based on business needs, existing investments, available resources, and IT strategy.
Migration is front-of-mind for many VMware customers. Recent surveys have found that about two-thirds are actively considering alternatives due to recent licensing and channel partner support changes. The good news is they have several options for migrating existing workloads and modernizing applications on a cloud IT stack.
AWS and its partners offer a comprehensive set of tools, programs, and incentives that meet customers wherever they are on the migration journey, providing choice and flexibility with comprehensive migration and modernization pathways that reduce risk and unlock the full potential of the cloud.
The case for migrating to AWS
Moving VMware workloads to AWS provides business and technical benefits.
Cost optimization: Running on-premises workloads involves costs and complexity that cloud providers absorb. Moving workloads to the cloud reduces administrative overhead and the need for costly technical skills, freeing businesses to invest in strategic projects rather than maintaining infrastructure.
Scalability: Cloud providers enable dynamic scaling, operational flexibility, and global infrastructure to adapt to variable business demands. Customers pay only for the capacity they use.
Resilience: Unlike traditional on-premises systems, cloud platforms distribute workloads across multiple data centers and geographic regions, reducing the risk of single points of failure. Automated backup and failover mechanisms ensure rapid recovery from outages, cyberattacks, and hardware failures. Customers can optionally replicate data and applications across multiple locations to prevent data loss. Cloud security frameworks leverage AI-driven monitoring and automated threat response to protect against cyber threats.
Innovation and modernization: Customers who choose to modernize applications around cloud native constructs can accelerate innovation by tapping into AWS’s rich trove of sophisticated analytics, AI, machine learning, and serverless architectures. These services are available on demand without the complexity and overhead of installation and testing or the cost of perpetual licenses. AWS and its partners offer many tools and professional services to streamline modernization, as described below.
Operational excellence: Hosting VMware operations in the cloud reduces complexity, minimizes disruption, and maintains consistency with existing VMware architecture. Customers benefit from the expertise of VMware specialists with extensive experience migrating, modernizing, and managing VMware workloads on AWS.
Simplifying the move
AWS and its partners offer readiness assessments that evaluate existing workloads and licenses to provide actionable insights. VMware customers can use these insights to estimate savings in licensing costs, right-sized computing resources, and optimized resource usage. Customers who leverage these assessments typically save one-third or more on the total cost of ownership of their IT infrastructure.
AWS has a rich ecosystem of tools and services to simplify migration and modernization. For example,
Amazon EVS (Elastic VMware Service), a new offering currently in preview, allows VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) users to continue running VCF and related tools directly within Amazon Virtual Private Cloud. It provides automated VCF deployment and operational consistency. Support for subscription portability and the ability to use familiar VCF tools, storage, and disaster recovery solutions help customers unlock flexibility as they transition to the cloud.
Amazon EVS facilitates seamless migration by automating VCF deployment in the cloud, allowing workloads to be migrated without changing IP addresses, retraining staff, or rewriting operational runbooks.
For VMware customers looking to migrate to and modernize in a fully cloud native environment, Amazon EC2 is the primary pathway to AWS. Powerful migration tools and innovative solutions are available.
Recently launched in preview, AWS Transform for VMware helps accelerate large-scale transformation of enterprise workloads with domain-expert generative AI agents supervised by modernization teams in a unified collaborative web experience. This solution helps accelerate large-scale transformation of enterprise workloads with domain-expert generative AI agents supervised by modernization teams. Organizations can use transformation agents to automate undifferentiated tasks, reduce costs, and
drive innovation.
The AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) helps customers quickly migrate virtual machines to
Amazon EC2 instances with continuous replication and non-disruptive testing. This service minimizes downtime and ensures reliable execution of lift-and-shift workloads without disrupting normal business operations. Customers can choose to modernize applications during migration with options such as disaster recovery and license conversion.
AWS partners offer assessments that provide a data-driven business case with recommendations to reduce costs and improve efficiency before migration begins. Numerous tools are available from AWS partners for functions such as continuous replication, cost optimization, security, and compliance. Partners also provide self-managed or fully managed options for maximum control and customization.
For more information, check out these VMware solutions from our AWS partners.
Charting an enhanced path to transformation
VMware modernization
with AWS
Transitioning from VMware-based workloads to AWS
Industrialized migration with Wipro FullStride Cloud Studio
This webinar will examine the options available to migrate from VMware to cloud-native services on AWS, including Cognizant’s approach to migrating to AWS Cloud Native Services.
From lifting and shifting workloads to moving entire data centers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides the organizational, operational, and technical capabilities you need for a successful migration.
Whether you know you’re ready to make the leap from VMware to AWS or if you’re just starting to explore possibilities, it’s important to understand why many organizations are actively making the transition from VMware to AWS.
Wipro FullStride Cloud Studio (WFCS) is a one-stop shop for migrations leveraging AWS Cloud that focuses on delivering secure, reliable, and accelerated migrations across workloads and enterprise applications.
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Accelerate VMware migration and modernization with AWS and partner services
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Modernizing in the cloud
Lift-and-shift migrations deliver only some of the benefits of moving to the cloud. Full application and infrastructure modernization gives customers the highest levels of performance, faster time to market, enhanced security, and streamlined operations.
AWS offers a variety of options to support incremental and full-scale modernization. They include application modernization using software containers, database modernization to one or more of AWS’s relational and NoSQL architectures, serverless options to run code without provisioning or managing servers, and infrastructure modernization in the cloud.
Once customers have modernized their workloads, they can access over 200 native AWS services that enhance decision-making, leverage artificial intelligence, and take advantage of emerging technologies.
AWS and its partners offer numerous assessment and migration services, as well as skills development programs for both cloud and VMware administrators and cloud and infrastructure architects.
Programs and tools
OLA: The AWS Optimization and Licensing Assessment (OLA) program delivers actionable insights to optimize resources and minimize costs. This complimentary offering helps organizations evaluate and improve their
on-premises and cloud setups by focusing on actual resource usage, third-party licensing, and application dependencies for better decision-making during cloud migration.
OLA identifies opportunities to right-size resources, ensuring workloads use the most suitable instances. The process also helps determine the optimal mix of on-demand and spot instances and the best approach for utilizing existing licenses or license-included instances.
Skills and certifications: AWS Skill Builder comprises over 600 free, on-demand, self-paced courses covering various cloud topics. Among these courses is the Migrating VMware Workloads to AWS course that guides IT business and technical professionals through the entire AWS migration process, from initial assessment to
post-migration optimization.
Tailored training programs include the new AWS for VMware Administrators Learning Plan, a comprehensive course of study that equips VMware administrators with the knowledge and practical experience required to transition to AWS seamlessly.
For those who prefer a structured learning environment, in-person and virtual classroom sessions led by accredited instructors are available.
AWS certification exams include Cloud Practitioner, Solutions Architect, Developer, and more. The AWS Cloud Institute is a comprehensive program designed to train cloud developers in as little as one year. AWS re/Start is a full-time, classroom-based training program that prepares individuals for cloud careers through real-world, scenario-based learning.
Customers can further accelerate their migration and modernization journey and bridge the cloud skill gap by seeking the help of AWS partners. AWS Competency Partner Program validates and promotes partners with demonstrated AWS technical expertise and proven customer success. More than 30 partner participants specialize in helping enterprise customers migrate VMware environments to AWS.
AWS is committed to meeting customers wherever they are on their migration and modernization journey. With 36 regions and 114 availability zones, AWS provides the most comprehensive and scalable global coverage.
The company’s continuous investments in AI, analytics, and serverless technologies deliver unmatched modernization choices and capabilities. AWS’s network of over 140,000 partners in more than 200 countries and territories ensures customers can access resources to meet their unique needs.
Migrating VMware workloads to AWS unlocks operational agility, cost savings, and access to transformative cloud services. By starting with a complimentary OLA, businesses can create a clear roadmap for migration and modernization before beginning the process. AWS and its certified partners and specialized tools ensure that expertise and automation are available at every stage of the journey.
Why AWS for VMware workloads
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1 “Are you rethinking your relationship with VMware in light of the changes Broadcom is making?” Gartner Peer Community, Jan. 23, 2024.
2 Reduce software licensing costs with an AWS Optimization and Licensing Assessment, AWS Cloud Operations Blog, April 9, 2024.
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3 Announcing Amazon Elastic VMware Service (Preview), AWS, December. 1, 2024.
MAP: The AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) leverages AWS’s vast expertise in migrating thousands of enterprise customers to the cloud. MAP offers a comprehensive suite of resources tailored for VMware migrations. AWS provides licenses for validated tools from partners that specialize in VMware migration. Eligible migrations may receive AWS service credits or partner investments to offset one-time migration costs. MAP also includes over 500 training courses that build cloud skills and prepare IT teams for migration.
Specialized workload support is available for VMware-based environments from AWS-certified partners with VMware expertise. Migration competency partners are available to support customers throughout migration and modernization.
By participating in MAP, organizations can leverage AWS's proven methodologies and best practices to build a strong cloud foundation, accelerate initiatives, and reduce both risks and costs associated with migration. This expansion underscores AWS's commitment to facilitating seamless transitions for VMware customers, which aims to enhance agility and drive innovation through cloud adoption.
4 AWS Global Infrastructure, AWS.
5 Innovate with AWS Partners, AWS.
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