VMware users continue to grapple with cost, licensing headaches

VMware customers are still weighing their options three years after Broadcom acquired the virtualization software vendor, according to a report published this month by managed services firm Rimini Street. Roughly one-third of more than 250 VMware user organizations surveyed by Unisphere Research plan to move all their assets onto competing hypervisors within three years, while 48% indicated they are not adopting the VMware Cloud Foundation private cloud bundle. 

Broadcom’s shakeup of VMware’s partner ecosystem, along with licensing costs and product changes, are driving migrations and VCF adoption hesitancy, Rimini Street found.

Nearly half of respondents said they expect to run some workloads on VMware alternatives in three years and 82% foresee using a competing solution for at least some assets.

Unisphere Research surveyed 269 VMware users from December 2025 through February 2026, just over two years after the Broadcom acquisition. The study did not disclose recruitment methods or response rates. Only 31% of respondents were primary virtualization decision-makers. The final report’s three-year figures describe intentions, not completed…