How to Navigate Uncertainty Under VMware’s Changing Landscape
With VMware’s rapidly changing product offerings and pricing structure, businesses have begun to look for new solutions to enhance their operations and drive innovation. One of the most common migration journeys is from VMware to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
This transition requires careful planning, technical expertise, and the right partner to ensure a smooth and successful migration process. With this in mind, we will explore the benefits of partnering with an expert for your organisation’s transition and the key factors to consider when choosing a VMware to AWS migration partner.
Benefits of Partnering with a VMware to AWS Migration Expert
As we have outlined in our previous article, How to Migrate from VMware To AWS, migrations can be complex processes that require careful planning and budgeting.
By partnering with a VMware to AWS expert, you can leverage their in-depth understanding of both platforms to streamline the migration process and avoid common pitfalls, such as budget overspend and excessive business disruption..
A few of the most important benefits of partnering with a reputable VMware to AWS expert include:
- Significant professional migration experience: you can rest assured knowing that your migration is in the hands of experts who have successfully performed this process dozens (or even hundreds!) of times before.
- Less for you to do: you can leave all of the heavy-duty work to them, including the lengthy and detailed assessment of your current infrastructure, design of a customised migration plan, and execution of the migration with minimal disruption to your business operations.
- Help with FinOps (financial operations) and access to exclusive funds: the most reputable VMware to AWS partners are highly experienced in optimising budgets for both the migration itself and any ongoing costs. They also have specialised access to exclusive funds through AWS that will help reduce spend.
Utilising a reputable migration partner’s expertise means that you can not only ensure a successful migration, but also unlock the full potential of AWS to drive future growth and innovation.
VMware to AWS Step-By-Step: What Exactly Do Migration Partners Do?
We’ve talked about the general benefits of a migration partner, but what exactly will the migration process look like?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what your VMware to AWS migration partner might do:
- Provide an assessment for VMware to AWS migration, which helps you understand your organisation’s current environment and identify the best strategy for a successful transition.
- Develop a roadmap to effectively relocate VMware applications and workloads to AWS.
- Access specialised funds, such as the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP), for your migration.
- Rapidly migrate and optimise VMware workloads to AWS, allowing you to lift and shift your operations seamlessly as you embark on your cloud journey.
- Provide aftercare support to ensure your migration continues to benefit your organisation into the future.
This isn’t a fully comprehensive list of what a migration expert will do for your organisation, and some partners might provide different levels of support. This is why it’s crucial to research and interview multiple potential partners before choosing the best fit for you and your organisation.
You can read our migration guide to get a more extensive understanding of what we do at Cloud Bridge.
What to Look for in a VMware to AWS Migration Partner
You know what to expect during your migration experience with a skilled partner, but what are some key characteristics to look for when finding the right AWS expert for you?
Below are some of the most important considerations to keep in mind during your search:
Technical Expertise
One of the most critical factors to consider when selecting a VMware to AWS migration partner is their technical expertise.
A knowledgeable partner will be able to assess your existing VMware environment, identify compatibility issues, and recommend the best migration strategy to ensure a seamless transition to AWS.
Their technical skills should also extend to cloud architecture, security protocols, and the latest AWS services and features, ensuring that your migration adheres to best practices and industry standards.
Explore a partner’s AWS Tier and competency certifications before making your choice. Working with a partner that has earned AWS’s Migration Competency is crucial—it’s a trusted mark of quality, expertise, and proven experience, backed by AWS itself.
Migration Experience
Experience is key when it comes to VMware to AWS migrations. Choose a partner who has a wealth of experience in executing similar migration projects for organisations of varying sizes and industries.
They should have a proven track record of successfully migrating VMware workloads to AWS and possess certifications and accreditations from both VMware and AWS.
An experienced partner will also have encountered and overcome common challenges during migrations, allowing them to anticipate potential issues and proactively address them to keep the migration on track and within budget. Usually, this will be illustrated in case studies and client reviews.
FinOps Experience and Accessing Funds
A reputable VMware to AWS migration partner should have expertise in FinOps and be able to help you access funds and optimise your cloud spending during and after the migration. They should provide cost estimates, budgeting guidance, and ongoing cost management strategies to ensure that your migration to AWS is cost-effective and aligns with your financial goals.
This insight into budgeting and spending will empower you to make data-driven decisions and help you avoid unexpected costs throughout your migration journey.
Selecting the right VMware to AWS migration partner is crucial to the success of your cloud migration project. By partnering with experts who possess technical expertise, migration experience, and FinOps knowledge, you can ensure a seamless transition to AWS while effectively managing costs.
At Cloud Bridge, our team has completed hundreds of migrations. We are confident in our experience keeping the process smooth and efficient for businesses across different industries.
We’re so passionate about helping businesses navigate their migrations that we’ve created a detailed guide all about migrating from VMware to AWS. You’ll learn about the best practices for migration, including how to plan for seamless transitions and stick to your budget, plus a step-by-step overview of the migration process.
Click one of the options below to read all about VMware to AWS migration, or go ahead and book a complimentary migration assessment with us.
