End of VMware Perpetual License is not the End of vSphere

VMware has been trying to transit to subscription licensing for a long time which what all other software companies have already done. With Broadcom acquisition, the perpetual licensing availability is no longer available as announced here and a KB on this. There is a good blog article that just got release to show where each product packaging is replaced with. There are just some things I like to highlight. vCenter Server is no longer available as it is no longer selling as a standalone product but it comes free as part of the new subscription licensing. Another item, vCloud Director, which will only be available to Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and not to end user which this article is addressing to.

Many might say that why is VMware by Broadcom removing the perpetual licensing. Let's take a moment, it has been a long overdue move that just got accelerated. In fact, if not all, software companies such as Microsoft, Citrix, etc. are all on subscriptions and VMware has been one of the last if not the last to have transit to a subscription licensing model. This would not have come as a surprise. Since software would need to be constantly upgraded and perpetual licensing just would not help accelerate that growth and innovation. 

Even consumer software such as Adobe, Microsoft office are moving that direction. As a consumer myself, I also hate the idea but we have been in the perpetual brought for the longest time and the switch just make it feel unjust. But we do like to see more innovation and functions been brought into the software we keen to be using. So we will just have to accept the change.

Many might also got confused by many FUD on the media such as this article which was brought up to my attention which confuses one of my VMUG member thinking vSphere is gone. Poor and misleading write up that causes much confusion. So yes, VMware is no longer selling many product as a standalone product but that does not mean it is doing it away.

Let's just put it simple, vSphere is definitely still around and its still the best platform that industry trust. VMware's other solutions all revolve around vSphere and support nothing out of vSphere. vSAN and NSX are just to list some. They have no use case in MS Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer. It works only vSphere. So bundling it together with vSphere in a VCF (VMware Cloud Foundation) bundle make sense. If you think about it, supporting only one platform, makes the technology more mature on one and only platform. Just like iOS from Apple only works on iPhone and it has been doing just great on that.

With the bundle, it makes most sense for customer who are using more than just vSphere and pricing can be if not more attractive. I leave that to you to work out with your partner and VMware account team.

However, if you ain't using that much, there is the VVF (VMware vSphere Foundation). Still have the trustworthy vSphere and the trusted monitoring just for vSphere, Aria Operations. So you do not have to depend on non-trust worthy tools that doesn't really give you the true data from vSphere.

Honestly, many media channels are paid by competitive vendor/s to project uncertainty. I would encourage everyone to speak to the source, your account team from VMware to understand more than to judge a source with no backing of evidence but invaluable bluff.