Microsoft and Broadcom to support license portability for VMware Cloud Foundation on Azure VMware Solution

Microsoft and Broadcom have partnered closely for many years to support our mutual customers, and we continue to build and innovate together as customer needs change. Today, we are pleased to share that Microsoft and Broadcom are expanding our partnership with plans to support VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions on Azure VMware Solution. Customers that own or purchase licenses for VMware Cloud Foundation will be able to use those licenses on Azure VMware Solution, as well as their own datacenters, giving them flexibility to meet changing business needs.

This provides an additional purchase option for Azure VMware Solution, which has been sold and operated by Microsoft since 2019. Customers can currently purchase the solution with VMware licenses included, and this option will continue to be available for customers that prefer to purchase their VMware licenses as part of their solution from Microsoft.

Azure VMware Solution delivers a fully managed VMware environment that is operated and supported by Microsoft. Customers can move VMware workloads to Azure “as is” with minimal to no refactoring. This streamlines migration and allows customers to continue using familiar skills while learning new Azure skills.  

By migrating to Azure VMware Solution, now available in 33 regions around the world, organizations can take advantage of Azure’s scalable and high-performance cloud infrastructure. Customers can deploy with business-critical capabilities such as backup, high availability, threat protection, and performance monitoring. Moreover, workloads running on Azure VMware Solution can be integrated with Azure’s portfolio of more than 200 cloud services to accelerate innovation, gain deeper insights from data with advanced AI services, and to modernize business applications. 

VMware Cloud Foundation delivers a private cloud platform that is ubiquitous, flexible, and integrated across cloud endpoints. By deploying VMware Cloud Foundation ​on​​ ​Azure, customers benefit from a highly optimized cloud operating model that provides the scale and agility of public cloud with the security and performance of private cloud. Running VMware Cloud Foundation ​on ​Azure enables organizations to modernize IT infrastructure with demonstrable TCO, provide developers a self-service private cloud experience resulting in greater productivity, and achieve better cyber resiliency and security.

With​​​​​​ improved license portability for customers with eligible VMware Cloud Foundation entitlements, customers will be able to purchase subscriptions of the new VMware Cloud Foundation software and have complete mobility to and from their on-premises environment to Azure VMware Solution. VMware customers that have already purchased and begun deploying the new VMware Cloud Foundation will be able to transfer the remaining value of an existing subscription to Azure VMware Solution. Additionally, customers will be able to move their VMware Cloud Foundation subscription between on-premises and Azure VMware Solution as their needs and requirements evolve over time. ​​​​​​Customers will retain the rights to their software subscription when moving their VMware Cloud Foundation subscription to Azure VMware Solution. 

VMware Rapid Migration Plan: Reduce your migration time and cost

In addition to the new VMware license portability benefit, the VMware Rapid Migration Plan provides an additional and comprehensive set of licensing benefits and programs to reduce the cost and time it takes for organizations to migrate to Azure VMware Solution.  

The plan includes:

• Price protection: With reserved instances customers can lock in pricing for one, three, or five years.  
• Savings for Windows Server and SQL Server: Windows Server and SQL Server are common workloads on VMware environments. With Software Assurance for on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses, organizations can qualify for the Azure Hybrid Benefit discount to use existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses in Azure VMware Solution. Free Extended Security Updates are available for older versions that face end of support.
• Migration support: Use Azure Migrate and Modernize to get resources, expert help, and funding from Microsoft and its partner ecosystem. 
• Azure credits: Customers that purchase a new reserved instance for Azure VMware Solution can get additional Azure credits valid for Azure VMware Solution or other Azure services. 

Supporting your cloud journey with Microsoft and Broadcom

We are committed to continued partnership and innovation to support our mutual customers as they adapt to changing business needs. VMware Cloud Foundation license portability to Azure VMware Solution will be available later this year, so now is a great time to contact your account team or Microsoft partner to start planning your move.

Source: microsoft.com

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Dynatrace and the Microsoft commercial marketplace: AI-powered cloud transformation

In today’s digital landscape, the cloud has become a cornerstone for over 90% of organizations. This widespread adoption brings a growing complexity to cloud portfolios as companies navigate the challenges of migrating on-premises environments, managing hybrid workloads, and modernizing their cloud estate—all while operating under current business imperatives of speed and scale. To overcome this, organizations need to arm themselves with advanced tools that streamline manual processes as well as offer insightful analytics.

Microsoft Azure is the world’s most trusted cloud, allowing customers to build intelligent apps and solutions while seamlessly unifying technology to simplify platform management and deliver innovations efficiently and securely. To support customers in getting the most from their cloud portfolio, Microsoft works with partners such as Dynatrace. Dynatrace, an analytics and automation platform powered by causal AI, was recognized as a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Performance Monitoring and Observability.

Azure and Dynatrace, better together

With Dynatrace, customers can simplify their IT ecosystems at scale to adjust to market conditions more quickly. The Azure Native Dynatrace Service simplifies the process for businesses to migrate and optimize their cloud estate, and because the solution is available through the Microsoft commercial marketplace, customers can click-to-deploy and adjust investments based on usage.

Dynatrace recently unveiled its latest advancement in cloud management: the Dynatrace Grail Data Lakehouse. This innovative technology is part of the Azure Native Dynatrace Service, designed to adeptly manage vast amounts and types of data across cloud-native, hybrid, and multicloud environments. Grail unifies observability, security, and business data while maintaining crucial context, delivering precise and efficient analytics instantly and cost-effectively.

One of Grail’s standout features is its capability to process various logs and events without the traditional burdens of indexing, re-indexing, or schema management. This removes the preliminary requirements of creating custom scripts, tags, and indexes before data ingestion, streamlining the process significantly.

The Dynatrace platform is fully compatible with all Azure services, including Azure Spring Cloud, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Linux, and Azure Functions. This compatibility enhances its functionality and provides near real-time monitoring capabilities.

AI-centric innovation with Dynatrace

AI is at the core of the Dynatrace platform, using predictive, causal, and generative AI together to provide root-cause analysis and deliver precise answers, intelligent automation, accurate predictions, and increased productivity. The ability to leverage AI and AIOps ensures customers can accelerate innovation and maximize automation as IT environments continue to evolve.

“Thriving in the digital era requires a unified approach to observability, security, and business data analytics. Bringing our latest platform technologies to Microsoft Azure enables more customers and teams within organizations to harness our industry-leading AI, analytics, and automation capabilities to modernize cloud operations, expedite releases of high-quality and secure software, and ensure flawless digital experiences for their users.”

—Steve Tack, SVP of Product Management, Dynatrace.

Reducing time-to-value through the Microsoft commercial marketplace

Dynatrace offerings are readily accessible through the Microsoft commercial marketplace, streamlining the process from acquisition to implementation. Marketplace simplifies the journey for businesses seeking the right cloud solutions, offering a user-friendly platform for discovery, purchase, trial, and deployment. It’s a one-stop shop where customers can explore and select from a variety of vetted solutions, like Dynatrace, that seamlessly integrate with existing technology stacks.

As IT budgets grow with increased reliance on the cloud, customers are seeking better value from their investments. Microsoft helps its customers achieve more by automatically counting eligible marketplace purchases towards their Azure consumption commitment—a contract that empowers customers to get discounts on their cloud infrastructure after agreed upon spending thresholds are achieved.

“Many of our customers have cloud commits, and we’ve identified the [Microsoft] commercial marketplace as a significant opportunity for them to become more efficient with their IT budgets and increase growth by using those commits to purchase Dynatrace.” 

—Ayla Anderson, Microsoft Alliance Manager, Dynatrace.

Many Microsoft customers are turning to the marketplace as their go-to resource for managing their cloud portfolios efficiently and confidently while empowering customers to buy how they want. The marketplace supports many buying scenarios, whether it’s a digital purchase, a private offer from a solution provider, like Dynatrace, or a deal procured by their channel partner with a multiparty private offer.

Recently, IT strategy firm Trace3 procured Dynatrace’s solution on their customer’s behalf with a multiparty private offer sold through the marketplace. Because Dynatrace’s solution is Azure benefit eligible, the purchase counted towards the customer’s Azure consumption commitment, and they received the benefits of simplified purchasing while getting more value from their cloud dollars.

Source: microsoft.com

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