Thought Leadership
After years of focusing primarily on large enterprise customers under Broadcom, VMware is once again offering a product for smaller deployments. vSphere Express is limited to 128 CPU cores and is available exclusively through distributors.
VMware has introduced vSphere Express, a new entry-level offering for its virtualization platform. It targets organizations that need only basic virtualization capabilities and have little use for the extensive bundles VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF). The move addresses persistent criticism, particularly from small and midsize businesses.
vSphere Express provides customers with up to 128 cores across all environments with essential compute virtualization capabilities through a simplified user interface. The offering is designed to make modernization more accessible for smaller deployments. Many of these customers have reported in recent months that VMware was pushing them to migrate to VCF. This comprehensive private cloud package includes numerous features that smaller companies simply do not need, but comes with a correspondingly high price tag.
$9,600 per Year, Regardless of Core Count
VMware has not disclosed official pricing. A company spokesperson told The Register only that the per-core subscription would be significantly cheaper than VVF and VCF. IT distributor TD SYNNEX provides a more concrete figure: it lists vSphere Express at $9,600 per year for up to 128 cores. There is a catch: customers do not pay less if they use fewer cores. Companies running just one or two small hosts pay the same amount as those using the full allocation. This pricing model is likely to make the offering less attractive for the smallest deployments.
Live Migration Included, Centralized Management Excluded
In terms of functionality, vSphere Express focuses on the essentials. According to VMware, the package includes vMotion for live migration of running virtual machines, as well as High Availability, which automatically restarts VMs after a failure. However, centralized management is not included. As Prashanth Shenoy, VP of Product Marketing for VCF, told The Register, the product supports only individual, isolated instances. Shenoy said VMware had been listening more closely to smaller customers who did not want VVF but needed only the core virtualization features, according to SDxCentral.
A Change of Direction Following the Acquisition
The new offering marks a notable shift in strategy. Since Broadcom’s acquisition, VMware has focused primarily on large enterprise customers. The company has reduced the number of channel partners and streamlined its product portfolio to a handful of expensive SKUs. So far, this strategy has paid off financially for Broadcom. However, the return of a streamlined entry-level product suggests the company is concerned about losing smaller customers. Its licensing policies are also prompting businesses of all sizes to explore alternatives.
(Editorial Team)
