What happened, and what now?
Changes since the Broadcom – VMware acquisition. Whether they affect you depends on your current provider.
Many VMware providers worldwide lost their authorization following Broadcom’s partner restructuring. Only a handful retained the status needed to deliver VMware beyond the transition deadline. Your current partner may not be one of them. Start planning well ahead of your next contract deadline.
We at NetNordic retained our authorization – and can help you out!
- VMware is still VMware
The platform isn’t going away. It runs 80% of enterprise workloads for reasons that haven’t changed, like security, maturity, ecosystem.
- Many existing providers can no longer deliver it
Of an estimated 4 500 providers worldwide, only a handful kept top-tier pinnacle authorization to deliver VMware past the March 2027 transition deadline. Your current provider may not be one of them.
For the full chronology, read The American Reset- Check your exposure!
The VMware Assessment below maps your situation against the deadline. Many businesses face urgent deadlines as the partner ecosystem shrinks.
- VMware customers, stay on VMware. Switch Partner.
Technical risk is unchanged. Business model is new. Licensing terms, provider relationships, and contract structures now follow rules that didn’t exist two years ago. NetNordic can help you stay on VMware.
Start your free VMware AssessmentWhy act now?
What happens if your VMware partner loses authorization? These risks can impact your operations, budget and long-term strategy:
- Increased transition costs
- Limited access to VMware expertise
- Time pressure before contract deadlines
- Forced to change to another platform i.e non VMware
What is included in the
free VMware Assessment?
The VMware partner ecosystem is shrinking. Do not leave your VMware future to chance. Get control now. Organizations that wait face fewer options and higher transition pressure. The free NetNordic VMware Assessment can help you make the right decision.
The 60-minute session will go through:
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PARTNER RISK ANALYSIS – potential authorization issues.
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STRATEGIC OPTIONS – should you stay, optimize or transition.
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HEALTH CHECK – a second view on your current outsourced setup.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – recommendations for teams and management.
Questions we keep getting!
Many providers are pushing customers to migrate. Why is NetNordic different?
Honestly? Because migration isn’t the right answer for most of our customers. The platform still works. What’s changed is the model around it, and helping customers navigate that is exactly what a good partner is for. Companies need someone who can keep things running properly, not someone pushing them toward a different platform. That’s what a best companion does.
How is switching partner different from migrating?
It’s much smaller in scope. Migration changes your platform: different hypervisor, different management tools, different operational model. Industry analysts estimate a full platform migration takes 6 to 12 months, with real business risk along the way. A partner switch keeps your platform exactly as it is. Your VMs run the same way. Your management tools work the same way. Your team keeps working with familiar systems. What changes is who provides the infrastructure underneath, and who supports you. For most environments, we’re talking weeks, not months.
What’s the most common mistake you see customers making right now?
Waiting. The deadline feels far away (March 2027) but partner-switching takes longer than most expect. Evaluating new partners, negotiating contracts, completing the technical transition. It all adds up. Customers who started planning in 2024 have options. Those starting later have fewer. We’d rather have an early conversation than a panicked one. We can help you with a VMware Assessment.
Start your VMware AssessmentWhat this means for you?
CISO / IT
- Your VMware platform isn’t going away. Whether your provider can still deliver it is the real question.
- An unauthorized provider is more than an operational risk. For regulated workloads it can become a compliance gap under DORA and NIS2.
- Data sovereignty matters. Nordic hosting under Nordic jurisdiction keeps you clear of foreign access laws like the US CLOUD Act.
CFO
- If your outsourcing partner is not authorized to operate VMware after 01.04.2027, the risk of business disruption, migration complexity, and unexpected costs increases significantly.
- The total cost isn’t just licensing, it’s the cost of disruption, panic migration, and productivity loss while your team learns new systems.
- Strategic transitions cost a fraction of forced ones. Time matters.
CEO
- 80% of enterprise workloads run on VMware. The platform is proven. The commercial model around it has changed.
- The risk isn’t VMware itself, it’s whether your current delivery partner can still deliver it after 2026.
- Boardroom-level question: do you have a documented continuity plan for your virtualization layer?
Your VMware Action List
Where do you stand on the March 2027 deadline?
For most organizations, the challenge is not the VMware platform itself. The challenge is understanding the implications of the new partner model and making the right decisions before renewal deadlines.
The checklist divides organizations into three urgency levels, and helps you understand what you need to do now, based on authorization status and the contract timeline:
- ACT NOW
- PLAN AHEAD
- LOWER URGENCY
Download the checklist and get back a prioritized list for your specific situation – what’s urgent, what can wait, and what your options are. Yours to keep, share, or act on.
80% of enterprise workloads run on VMware for a reason. It’s the most proven, most secure, most reliable virtualization platform in the industry.
A practical, step-by-step checklist for navigating the
VMware and Broadcom transition.
Your safe harbor through the reset.
VMware delivery: pricing locked through at least 2032.
Start your VMware AssessmentWhile most providers lost their VMware authorization, NetNordic kept ours, able to provide VMware Outsourcing after 01.04.2027. We can continue deliver VMware-based services properly, with full support, ISO 27001 and ISAE 3402 certified. NetNordic have over 650 specialists across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
Keep your VMware platform. VMware remains the foundation, with native AI and container capabilities built on top. You don’t trade modernization for stability. You get both. Do a VMware Assessment with NetNordic.
Continuity, not migration.
You stay on VMware. We become your secure infrastructure partner. No platform change, no operational disruption. Your VMs run the same way, your team works with familiar systems. The only thing that changes is who runs the infrastructure underneath.
Service shaped to your reality.
NetNordic Private Cloud comes in three layers. You choose the depth, we keep things running.
- IaaS – You keep operational control.
- PaaS – We handle the OS and patching.
- SaaS – We manage your Microsoft applications and-to-end.
Nordic sovereignty.
Data stays within national borders, not subject to foreign legislation like the US CLOUD Act. ISO 27001 and ISAE 3402 certified. For organizations in regulated industries like finance, public sector and healthcare, this is more than a preference. It’s a requirement.
Cloud built for reliability.
- 24×7 monitoring of core services.
- One-hour response on priority incidents.
- Daily backups with 24-hour recovery points.
- 99,95% single-site availability, 9,995% dual-site.
- Monthly SLA reporting that you can take to your board.
Trusted by great brands
VMware Partner Changes. Why this matters now and what it means for your business!
What you need to know and do next. NetNordic’s guide to protecting continuity, controlling cost, and choosing the right next step for your VMware environment.
Download eBook
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about switching VMware partner.
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Does this mean I have to leave VMware?
No. VMware as a platform isn’t going away. What’s changed is who is authorized to deliver it. If your current provider is still authorized, you have less to worry about. If they’re not, you need a new delivery partner before your contract expires.
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How do I know if my current provider is authorized?
Ask them directly if they can provide VMware outsourcing on VMware after 01.04.2027. If your provider can’t conform this in writing, that is an answer in itself.
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What does “switching partner” actually involve?
Less than a platform migration. Typically 3–4 months for standard environments: partner onboarding, environment setup, workload transfer, validation. You’re not changing VMware. You’re changing who runs it for you.
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We’re already considering moving off VMware. Is this relevant?
It can be. Many organizations evaluating alternatives also want a stable VMware delivery partner during the evaluation period, so the deadline doesn’t force a rushed decision. Buying time is a legitimate strategy.
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How much does NetNordic’s Private Cloud service cost?
Pricing depends on environment size, complexity, and service level. The cost picture is rarely worse than your current renewal quote and is often significantly better when total cost of ownership is included. The 60-minute session covers this in detail.
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What if our outsourcing agreement doesn't expire until after 2027?
If your service provider is affected by VMware authorization changes, you could face a forced platform migration to an alternative platform before your contract ends. This can introduce unplanned costs, increased complexity, and potential business disruption. Review your contractual obligations carefully and assess whether these changes may provide grounds for potential breach of contract, allowing you to evaluate alternative providers and solutions.
The American Reset
How the Broadcom–VMware acquisition reshaped the European provider landscape, and what it means for the companies running on it.
In late 2023, Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware, one of the largest software deals in history, financed in part by roughly $28 billion in new debt. The platform itself didn’t change. The business model around it did.
Through 2024 and 2025, perpetual licences gave way to subscription-only bundles. Minimum commitments rose, including a 72-core floor per order from April 2025, and independent analysts documented renewal increases ranging from 150% to well over 1,000% for affected customers.
The sharpest shift for European organisations came as Broadcom moved to wind down its cloud service provider programme for most partners, sending non-renewal notices and asking that open opportunities be closed by the transition deadline.
From an estimated 4 500 cloud and service providers worldwide, only a handful kept top-tier Pinnacle authorization, to keep delivering VMware. For everyone else, and for their customers, the ability to provide VMware outsourcing services, receive support and access security patches is no longer guaranteed.
The shift hasn’t gone unchallenged. CISPE, the association of European cloud infrastructure providers, has filed a formal competition complaint with the European Commission and is pursuing the matter through the courts. But regulatory processes take years, not months.
For most organisations, the practical question isn’t whether VMware still works. It does, running a majority of enterprise workloads worldwide. The question is who is still authorized to deliver it, and whether your current provider is one of them.
Get a free assessment of your VMware situation
There is still time to prepare to handle the VMware partner changes, but planning should begin now. Organizations should engage proactively with their providers to understand how the ongoing market changes may impact their environments and identify the necessary steps to ensure long-term continuity, stability, and success.
The VMware Assessment provides the clarity you need to make the right decisions, rooted in deep analysis, practical recommendations, and our proven framework. We review contract status, authorization issues, and scope – so you can make choices based on strategy, not time pressure. The assessment is non-binding.
Whether you are planning to maintain, modernize, or transform your architecture, we help you to make a controlled, informed, and confident decision. Developed with control and certainty, and gain confidence.
Start your VMware Assessment