VMware users warned to brace for the next big upheaval as the latest Broadcom changes emerge
VMware’s end-user computing products will soon undergo substantial changes, with service providers and customers bracing for the impact of yet another potentially colossal shakeup by Broadcom.
An email seen by The register is reportedly warning service providers of VMware’s Horizon series to face higher costs or an architecture change.
The changes were also reportedly discussed on a conference call βin recent weeks,β but affected users have had less than ideal time to prepare.
Horizon service providers have been told they must make one of two choices. The first, buying licenses for VMware Cloud Foundation and for Horizon, could be expensive because you have to subscribe to Broadcom’s software bundle.
The second choice, acquiring licenses for the VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI from a distributor and reselling them to customers, requires architectural changes that can also impose unwanted (and frankly unnecessary) costs.
While those affected have reportedly been allowed to apply for exemptions, a separate notice reveals that the system used to manage exemptions will go offline at the end of April.
Since acquiring VMware last November for $69 billion, Broadcom has made a series of significant changes to the virtualization company’s portfolio, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of customers, clients and partners around the world.
Several Broadcom executives have come online in recent weeks to address these concerns, including CEO Hock Tan who acknowledged the “unease.”
However, investors appear to be less phased by the changes. Over the past six months, which covered a brief period leading up to the acquisition, Broadcom’s share prices are up a pretty respectable 53.9%.