Montana’s small and mid-sized organizations are facing a virtualization crossroads. Broadcom’s sweeping changes to VMware’s licensing model are driving up costs and complexity—especially for businesses with fewer than 72 CPU cores. If your organization relies on VMware, now is the time to rethink your infrastructure strategy.

What’s Changed with VMware?

Broadcom’s new licensing model includes:

  • 72-Core Minimums: Even if you only use 16 cores, you’re now paying for 72.
  • Subscription-Only Licensing: No more perpetual licenses—everything is recurring.
  • Bundled Offerings: You may be forced to pay for features you don’t need.
  • Late Renewal Penalties: Miss your renewal date? Expect a 20% penalty—and possibly a cease-and-desist notice.

These changes are hitting Montana’s IT budgets hard, especially in sectors like education, healthcare, and local government.

Why Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) Makes Sense Now

Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platforms like Scale Computing offer a smarter, more scalable alternative to VMware. HCI combines compute, storage, networking, and virtualization into a single, software-defined platform—ideal for lean IT teams.

Key benefits include:

  • Lower Total Cost of Ownership: Pay only for what you use.
  • Simplified Management: Manage everything from a single interface.
  • Scalability: Add capacity as you grow—no overbuying.
  • Built-In Resilience: Redundancy and failover reduce downtime.
  • Vendor Flexibility: Many HCI platforms are VMware-compatible but not VMware-dependent.

Final Thought: Don’t Let Licensing Dictate Your Strategy

Broadcom’s changes are a wake-up call. Instead of adapting to a model that no longer fits, consider modernizing with HCI. ISM is helping Montana organizations assess their environments and explore VMware exit strategies that align with their mission and budget.

Are you attending INTERFACE Montana 2025 in Helena on July 30?

Stop by the ISM booth to see how we’re helping Montana organizations simplify IT, strengthen cybersecurity, and meet compliance standards like CMMC, HIPAA, and NIST.

We’ll be showcasing solutions built for:

  • Aerospace & defense contractors
  • Local government & education
  • Healthcare & manufacturing
  • Montana State University

Strand Union Building | July 30 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Let’s connect and explore how ISM can support your mission: https://f2fevents.com/evite/mnt25-scale-computing/