Organizations are adapting to a new era of IT virtualization and data center infrastructure management as VMware shifts to costly subscription models and ends support for vSphere 8 perpetual licenses in October 2027.
The end of VMware vSphere 8 general support will also mark the end of general support for all Broadcom VMware perpetual licenses. IT infrastructure and security leaders globally are re-evaluating their long-term road maps to balance budgets, minimize operational complexity, remain secure and maintain resiliency.
DBTA recently held a webinar, 2026 IT Virtualization Survey: What's Next for VMware Users, with industry experts who broke down the findings of the new “2026 IT Virtualization Survey: What's Next for VMware Users,” which gathered data from 269 global IT infrastructure and security leaders.
“It’s a significant inflection point,” said Joe McKendrick, author and analyst for Unisphere Research. “Making decisions these days on virtualization has moved from incremental or tactical overhauls on local servers to enterprise-wide transformation.”
According to the survey, VMware customers are reassessing their future, with 90% are considering leaving VMware/Broadcom due to higher licensing costs and 54% cite the October 2027 end of support deadline for perpetual licenses as a reason to evaluate alternatives.
“Organizations want to keep their current data requirements fully supported, they want them secured, and stable all while they’re evaluating their options,” said Renee Wells, VP product strategy, Rimini Street. “IT leaders are clear that they need an understanding of what the short term and long-term financial impacts are going to be.”
Within three years, organizations expect broader adoption of hybrid cloud, containers, and multiple hypervisors, survey respondents indicated.
“We’re looking at the trend in movement from a single source vender to a multiple vendor IT virtualization stack,” said Dee-Dee Atta, product marketing director, Rimini Street. “We’re also looking at the emergence of AIOps for virtualization.”
Other key findings include:
- 40% cite operational complexity as the biggest obstacle to virtualization success
- 38% cite multi-vendor management challenges
- 37% cite security concerns
- 37% cite skills gaps
- 77% see value in proactive protection against vulnerabilities instead of relying solely on vendor patching
The IT virtualization market is now at a critical inflection point, Wells and Atta explained. Rising costs, licensing changes, and the end of perpetual support under Broadcom’s VMware model are driving organizations away from traditional single-vendor environments.
Multi-hypervisor, hybrid cloud, and containerized architectures are gaining momentum as organizations seek greater flexibility, scalability, and cost control.
At the same time, complexity, security risks, and skills shortages remain key challenges, fueling demand for third-party support and proactive security strategies as organizations evaluate next steps. The future of IT virtualization will be defined by flexibility, cost efficiency, and reduced single vendor dependency, they concluded.
To access the survey, go here.
For the full webinar, featuring a more in-depth discussion, Q&A, and more, you can view an archived version of the webinar here.