VMware to Azure migration, planned, rehearsed, and cost-modelled.
VMware to Azure migration is the planned re-platforming of vSphere workloads onto Microsoft Azure — typically driven by Broadcom's 2024 acquisition, 10x licensing increases, or end-of-support timelines. GR IT Services runs the discovery, builds a TCO model that includes Azure VMware Solution vs Azure native rehost, rehearses the cutover, and delivers under a written SLA.
- 40+VMware estates assessed
- 60-80%License cost cut
- AVSOr native rehost
- ZeroData-loss SLA
Nine capabilities for a VMware-to-Azure programme.
Discovery & dependency mapping
Inventory every VM, application, network dependency, and storage workload. Output: a written assessment with risk-flagged migration waves and a cost-to-migrate range.
TCO and Broadcom-exit modelling
Model your current VMware spend against AVS, native Azure rehost, and stay-on-VMware scenarios over 1, 3, and 5 years. Output: a board-ready TCO comparison and licence-rationalisation plan.
Azure VMware Solution (AVS)
For workloads that benefit from minimal re-engineering: AVS gives you a vSphere environment inside Azure with VMware tools intact. We provision, configure, and govern.
Azure native rehost (lift-and-shift)
For workloads ready to leave VMware: Azure Migrate-driven rehost to Azure IaaS with right-sized VMs, managed disks, and modernisation candidates flagged for phase 2.
Network & security re-architecture
Azure Virtual Network, ExpressRoute, Azure Firewall, NSGs, application gateways. Lift the NSX rules from on-prem into Azure-native policy where appropriate.
Storage migration
vSAN, VVOLs, NFS shares mapped to Azure Managed Disks, Azure NetApp Files, or Blob storage with cool/archive tiers. Latency-sensitive workloads kept on Premium SSD v2.
Identity, RBAC, governance
Entra ID integration, Azure RBAC role design, Azure Policy guard-rails, Defender for Cloud baselines. Day-1 governance, not bolted on later.
Cutover orchestration
Wave-based cutovers, Azure Site Recovery replication, dress rehearsals, and a rollback plan. Production cutovers run with senior engineers on-call.
Post-migration optimization
FinOps tagging, right-sizing reviews, Reserved Instance / Savings Plan strategy, Hybrid Benefit application, autoscale design. 25-40% cost cuts in the 90 days after cutover.
Four reasons US enterprises pick us for the Broadcom-exit programme.
40+ VMware estates assessed
Pattern recognition matters. We have seen the application portfolios, the storage anti-patterns, the network-dependency surprises. We tell you what is hard to migrate before the project ramps.
TCO is the deliverable
Most VMware-exit projects fail at the budget stage. We model AVS vs native rehost vs stay-on-VMware before you commit; the TCO model survives leadership change because it is a written artefact.
US delivery, Azure-certified bench
Azure-certified engineers (AZ-104, AZ-305, AZ-700) on the US delivery bench. ExpressRoute, AVS, and Azure Migrate hands-on, not just slide-deck familiarity.
No reversibility surprises
We document what we change, where data lands, and what the rollback path is. If the cutover wave goes wrong at 02:30, the rollback is in the runbook, signed off in advance.
Where we see the strongest Azure migration case.
Financial services
Mid-market banks, broker-dealers, and asset managers running 200-2,000 VMs facing 3-5x VMware renewal quotes. AVS for regulated workloads, native rehost for the rest.
Healthcare & life sciences
Hospital systems and biotech with EHR, PACS, and lab-informatics workloads. HIPAA-compliant migration paths with PHI sensitivity preserved through cutover.
Professional services
Law firms, accountancies, consultancies running practice-management and document systems on VMware. Often paired with an M365 SharePoint migration in the same programme.
Manufacturing & supply chain
Mid-market manufacturers running ERP (SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365 FO), MES, and warehouse-management on VMware. OT/IT segmentation preserved through migration.
Retail & hospitality
Retailers and hospitality groups running POS back-of-house, inventory, and CRM systems on VMware across many sites. Centralisation to Azure with edge gateways.
Tech & SaaS
SaaS companies migrating multi-tenant workloads off VMware to Azure-native (AKS, App Service, Cosmos DB) to escape VMware costs and gain platform-engineering velocity.
Three viable paths — which one is right for your estate?
| Feature | Stay on VMware Renew with Broadcom | Azure VMware Solution (AVS) vSphere on Azure | Azure-native rehost IaaS / PaaS |
|---|---|---|---|
Re-engineering required | None | Minimal | Moderate |
Time to first workload | 0 (already running) | 4-8 weeks | 8-16 weeks |
Licence cost trajectory | Rising 2-5x at renewal | Microsoft-bundled, predictable | Pay-as-you-go + RI savings |
Best for workloads | Frozen / no roadmap | Lift-and-shift, low-touch | Cloud-native candidates |
VMware tools / NSX / vSAN | Native | Native (Microsoft-managed) | Replaced with Azure equivalents |
Modernisation runway | Limited | Good | Excellent |
Operating-model change | None | Minimal | Significant |
Typical 3-year TCO vs status quo | Baseline | −20 to −40% | −40 to −60% |
Assessment to cutover in five phases.
- 1
Discovery & TCO model
3-5 weeks
Inventory every VM, application, and dependency. Build the TCO model: AVS vs native vs stay-on-VMware. Output: written assessment, target-state architecture, board-ready cost-and-risk case.
- 2
Foundation build
3-5 weeks
Azure landing zone, network architecture (ExpressRoute or VPN), identity integration, governance baselines, monitoring and backup tooling. AVS clusters or AKS provisioning where required.
- 3
Wave migration
8-24 weeks
Migrate in 4-12 workload waves grouped by application affinity. Azure Site Recovery or Azure Migrate replication per workload. Cutover rehearsals before every production wave.
- 4
Hypercare
4 weeks
Senior engineers on-call for the four weeks after final cutover. P1 incident SLA cut to 5 minutes. Daily check-ins until incident volume normalises.
- 5
Optimization & handover
Continuous
FinOps tagging review, right-sizing, RI/Savings Plan strategy, Hybrid Benefit application. Handover to your team or transition into our managed Azure operations.
“Broadcom's renewal quote came in at 4.2x our previous VMware spend. We had 280 VMs across two datacentres and 60 days to decide. GR IT built the TCO model in three weeks, recommended AVS for 80 VMs of latency-sensitive workloads and native Azure rehost for the rest. We finished migration in six months and our year-2 run-rate is 31% below the old VMware baseline.”
VMware to Azure migration, frequently asked.
Cloud-migration resources from our team.
Cloud migration services (Azure / AWS / GCP)
Our general-purpose multi-cloud migration pillar covering AWS and GCP alongside Azure.
Learn moreManaged IT services USA
Ongoing operations of your post-migration Azure estate: monitoring, optimization, governance.
Learn moreDisaster recovery & business continuity
Azure-native DR designs (Azure Site Recovery + Azure Backup) for post-migration resilience.
Learn moreBook a Broadcom-exit assessment.
Sixty-minute discovery call. Output: an initial TCO range, AVS-vs-native recommendation, and engagement scope. No obligation.