Service providers and customers of VMware’s end-user compute products are bracing themselves for significant changes in the near future, as Broadcom continues to cause waves in the technology industry. Recent emails obtained by The Register have revealed that VMware’s Horizon range is set to undergo substantial modifications, leaving users with tough decisions ahead.
According to reports, affected Horizon service providers have been presented with two options. The first choice involves purchasing licenses for VMware Cloud Foundation and for Horizon, which may lead to increased costs due to the requirement of subscribing to Broadcom’s software bundle. On the other hand, the second option entails acquiring licenses for VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI from a distributor and reselling them to clients, a move that would necessitate architectural adjustments and potentially incur additional expenses.
Despite being granted permission to seek exemptions, users are facing a challenging timeline as the system for managing exemptions is scheduled to go offline by the end of April. This comes as part of a series of changes introduced by Broadcom since its $69 billion acquisition of VMware last November, stirring discontent amongst customers and partners globally.
Various Broadcom executives, including CEO Hock Tan, have acknowledged the concerns raised by the recent disruptions, with Tan addressing the prevailing unease in the industry. However, despite these apprehensions, investors have shown confidence in Broadcom, as evidenced by the company’s stock prices rising by a significant 53.9% over the past six months leading up to the acquisition.
As VMware users prepare for the upcoming alterations driven by Broadcom, the tech industry is closely watching how these changes will impact the virtualization landscape and the broader ecosystem of end-user computing.
