Why look beyond VMware

VMware has been a foundational technology for enterprise virtualization and private cloud deployments for decades. Its product suite, including vSphere for server virtualization, vSAN for hyperconverged storage, and NSX for network virtualization, provides a comprehensive platform for managing virtualized environments and hybrid clouds. VMware also offers solutions for container orchestration with Tanzu and cloud management with the Aria Suite (formerly vRealize Suite) which helps organizations manage multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments Broadcom VMware Cloud Management.

Despite its extensive capabilities, organizations may consider alternatives for several reasons. The licensing and pricing structure, particularly after its acquisition by Broadcom, has led some users to explore other options that may offer different cost models or more predictable expenditure Broadcom VMware Pricing. Another factor is the desire for greater flexibility or vendor diversification, especially for companies looking to avoid single-vendor lock-in or to integrate more tightly with specific public cloud ecosystems. Open-source alternatives may appeal to organizations prioritizing cost control and community-driven development, while hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solutions from other vendors might offer simpler deployment and management for certain use cases. Additionally, some enterprises may seek alternatives that provide a more unified platform for both virtual machines and containerized workloads, or those that offer specialized features for specific industry verticals or operational models.

Top alternatives ranked

  1. 1. Microsoft Azure Stack — Extend Azure services to any environment

    Microsoft Azure Stack is a portfolio of products that extends Azure's services and capabilities to your chosen environment, from the datacenter to edge locations and remote offices. It enables organizations to build, deploy, and operate hybrid cloud applications consistently across Azure and on-premises environments. Azure Stack Hub provides a fully integrated system of software and validated hardware, offering a subset of Azure services, including IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service), directly in your datacenter Azure Stack documentation. This allows for disconnected operations, meeting regulatory requirements, and low-latency scenarios.

    Azure Stack HCI is a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution that runs Windows and Linux virtualized workloads on-premises. It consists of a cluster of servers running the Azure Stack HCI operating system, connected to Azure for cloud-based services, monitoring, and management. It leverages Storage Spaces Direct and Hyper-V for virtualization, providing a software-defined infrastructure that simplifies management and scales easily Azure Stack HCI documentation. Azure Stack also integrates with Azure Arc, which extends Azure management to servers and Kubernetes clusters running anywhere, including other clouds and on-premises Azure Arc overview.

    Best for: Organizations requiring consistent Azure services and application development across hybrid environments, compliance-driven industries, edge computing scenarios, and those heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.

    Learn more on the Microsoft Azure Stack profile page.

  2. 2. Nutanix Enterprise Cloud — Hyperconverged infrastructure for simplified cloud operations

    Nutanix Enterprise Cloud provides a software-defined hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution that integrates compute, storage, and networking into a single, unified platform. This architecture simplifies datacenter operations, reduces total cost of ownership, and provides a scalable foundation for virtualized workloads, private clouds, and hybrid cloud deployments. Nutanix AHV is its native hypervisor, offering a viable alternative to VMware vSphere, alongside support for other hypervisors like ESXi and Hyper-V Nutanix AHV details.

    The Nutanix platform includes a suite of products for various cloud infrastructure needs. Nutanix AOS (Acropolis Operating System) provides the core HCI capabilities, while Nutanix Prism offers centralized management for infrastructure, applications, and operations Nutanix Prism overview. Nutanix also provides solutions for file and object storage (Files and Objects), database management (Era), disaster recovery (DR), and multi-cloud management (Flow and Calm), aiming to deliver a complete cloud platform experience. Its focus on simplicity and ease of use positions it as a strong contender for organizations seeking to streamline their infrastructure management.

    Best for: Enterprises seeking to simplify datacenter operations with hyperconverged infrastructure, organizations looking for a unified platform for private and hybrid clouds, and those aiming to reduce operational complexity and costs associated with traditional virtualization.

    Learn more on the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud profile page.

  3. 3. Red Hat OpenShift — Enterprise Kubernetes platform for hybrid cloud development

    Red Hat OpenShift is an enterprise-grade Kubernetes platform designed for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications across hybrid cloud environments. It provides a comprehensive solution for developers and operations teams, integrating Kubernetes with additional services for application development, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), and security. OpenShift is built on open-source technologies, including Kubernetes, CRI-O, and Fedora CoreOS, and is supported by Red Hat's enterprise expertise Red Hat OpenShift overview.

    OpenShift offers various deployment options, including OpenShift Container Platform for on-premises deployments, OpenShift Dedicated for managed services on public clouds, and OpenShift Service on public cloud marketplaces. It includes developer tools, a built-in image registry, and a robust ecosystem of operators for managing applications and services. For organizations transitioning from virtual machines to containers, OpenShift provides a platform for modernizing applications and adopting cloud-native development practices. Its integration with Red Hat OpenStack Platform also allows for unified management of virtual machines and containers within a single infrastructure OpenShift Container Platform features.

    Best for: Enterprises adopting containerization and Kubernetes, organizations building and deploying cloud-native applications, and those seeking an open-source, vendor-neutral platform for hybrid cloud application development and management.

    Learn more on the Red Hat OpenShift profile page.

  4. 4. Amazon Web Services — Comprehensive suite of cloud services

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a broad and deep cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. It provides a comprehensive set of infrastructure and platform services, including compute (EC2), storage (S3, EBS), networking (VPC), databases (RDS, DynamoDB), analytics, machine learning, and developer tools AWS Documentation. AWS enables organizations to migrate existing workloads to the cloud, build new cloud-native applications, and scale infrastructure on demand.

    While VMware focuses on on-premises virtualization and hybrid cloud management with its own software stack, AWS offers a public cloud model where infrastructure is consumed as a service. For organizations looking to move away from managing their own hardware and datacenters, AWS provides a scalable, pay-as-you-go alternative. AWS also offers services like AWS Outposts, which extends AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools to virtually any on-premises facility for a truly consistent hybrid experience AWS Outposts details. This allows enterprises to run AWS services locally while seamlessly connecting to the broader AWS cloud.

    Best for: Organizations seeking to fully embrace public cloud infrastructure, those requiring highly scalable and flexible computing resources, enterprises developing cloud-native applications, and companies looking for a broad range of integrated cloud services.

    Learn more on the Amazon Web Services profile page.

  5. 5. ServiceNow — Digital workflow automation and IT operations management

    ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform that provides a wide range of digital workflow solutions, primarily focused on IT service management (ITSM), IT operations management (ITOM), and IT business management (ITBM). While not a direct virtualization or infrastructure provider like VMware, ServiceNow offers capabilities that are critical for managing the operational aspects of any IT infrastructure, including virtualized environments and cloud resources. Its ITOM suite helps organizations discover, monitor, and manage their infrastructure, including virtual machines and cloud instances, providing visibility and automation for IT operations ServiceNow IT Operations Management.

    ServiceNow's platform can integrate with existing virtualization platforms like VMware to provide a unified view of IT assets, automate provisioning, and manage incidents and changes. For organizations that rely on VMware for their underlying infrastructure, ServiceNow can act as the management layer, providing service catalogs, orchestration, and reporting across the hybrid IT landscape. Its focus on workflow automation and service delivery complements infrastructure providers by streamlining IT processes and improving operational efficiency.

    Best for: Large enterprises needing comprehensive IT service management, IT operations management, and workflow automation across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and those looking to integrate infrastructure management with broader IT processes.

    Learn more on the ServiceNow profile page.

Side-by-side

Feature VMware Microsoft Azure Stack Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Red Hat OpenShift Amazon Web Services ServiceNow
Primary Focus Virtualization, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud Management Hybrid Cloud, Azure Services On-Premises Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI), Private Cloud Enterprise Kubernetes, Container Platform Public Cloud Infrastructure & Services IT Service Management, IT Operations Management, Workflow Automation
Hypervisor ESXi Hyper-V (for Azure Stack HCI) AHV (native), ESXi, Hyper-V KVM (underlying for OpenShift Container Platform) Xen, KVM (for EC2) N/A (management platform)
Deployment Model On-premises, Hybrid Cloud On-premises (Hub, HCI), Hybrid Cloud On-premises, Hybrid Cloud On-premises, Public Cloud (managed), Hybrid Cloud Public Cloud, Hybrid (Outposts) Cloud (SaaS)
Core Capabilities Server Virtualization, SDDC, Storage, Networking, Cloud Management, Container Orchestration Azure IaaS/PaaS on-premises, Edge Computing, Hybrid Management Integrated Compute, Storage, Networking, Virtualization, Cloud Management Container Orchestration, CI/CD, Application Development Platform Compute, Storage, Database, Networking, AI/ML, Analytics, IoT, Serverless ITSM, ITOM, ITBM, Workflow Automation, Service Catalog, CMDB
Container Support VMware Tanzu Azure Kubernetes Service on Azure Stack Nutanix Karbon (Kubernetes) Native Kubernetes platform EKS, ECS, Fargate Integrates with container platforms for management
Management Console vCenter Server, Aria Suite Azure Portal (for connected scenarios) Nutanix Prism OpenShift Console AWS Management Console Now Platform UI
Pricing Model Perpetual/Subscription (enterprise) Subscription (hardware + software) Subscription (per node/core) Subscription (per core/socket) Pay-as-you-go (usage-based) Subscription (per user/module)
Open Source Elements Limited (proprietary) Windows Server, Hyper-V (proprietary) N/A (proprietary with open-source components) Extensive (Kubernetes, CRI-O, CoreOS) Limited (proprietary with open-source integrations) N/A (proprietary)

How to pick

Selecting an alternative to VMware involves evaluating your organization's specific needs for infrastructure, cloud strategy, and operational models. The right choice depends on whether you're looking to maintain an on-premises datacenter, embrace public cloud, or operate a hybrid environment, as well as your priorities regarding cost, management complexity, and vendor ecosystem.

Consider these factors:

  • Cloud Strategy:

    • If your goal is to extend public cloud services to your datacenter for a consistent hybrid experience, Microsoft Azure Stack is a strong contender. It allows you to run Azure services and develop applications on-premises with the same tools and APIs as the public Azure cloud.
    • If you are looking to fully transition to a public cloud model and leverage a vast ecosystem of services, Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides a comprehensive, scalable, and pay-as-you-go platform for virtually any workload.

  • Infrastructure Modernization:

    • For organizations seeking to simplify their on-premises infrastructure and reduce operational overhead, Nutanix Enterprise Cloud offers a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution that integrates compute, storage, and networking into a single, easy-to-manage platform.
    • If your focus is on modernizing application delivery through containerization and Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift provides an enterprise-grade platform for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications across hybrid environments.

  • Management and Operations:

    • If your primary need is to improve IT service delivery, automate workflows, and gain better visibility into your IT operations across various infrastructure types (including virtualized and cloud environments), ServiceNow offers a robust platform for IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM). It can complement existing infrastructure rather than replace it directly.

  • Cost and Licensing:

    • Evaluate the pricing models of each alternative. VMware's recent changes in licensing may prompt a review of per-core or subscription-based models offered by Nutanix or Red Hat. Public cloud providers like AWS operate on a consumption-based model, which can offer flexibility but requires careful cost management.

  • Ecosystem and Vendor Lock-in:

    • Consider your existing investments in specific vendor ecosystems. If you are deeply integrated with Microsoft technologies, Azure Stack might be a natural fit. If you prefer open-source solutions and community support, Red Hat OpenShift aligns with that philosophy.

  • Technical Requirements:

    • Assess specific technical requirements such as hypervisor preferences, storage needs, networking capabilities, and integration with existing tools. For example, if you require a specific level of performance for virtual desktops or strict data residency for compliance, these technical details will guide your selection.

By carefully weighing these factors against your organizational goals and technical requirements, you can identify the VMware alternative that best aligns with your long-term cloud and infrastructure strategy.