The Future of VMware Workloads on AWS: Insights from AWS re:Invent 2024

At the beginning of the session, Sean Lewis, Director of Enterprise Applications, Migration, and Modernization at AWS, introduced the discussion by highlighting the growing number of enterprises reassessing their VMware strategies. He noted that, according to industry analysts, 74% of organizations are considering alternatives to their existing VMware environments, while 95% of new workloads are expected to be cloud-native by next year.

Sean emphasized that AWS offers multiple migration pathways for VMware workloads, catering to different business needs, whether relocating, rehosting, containerizing, replatforming, or fully modernizing applications.

Migration Pathways for VMware Workloads

With purpose-built migration services such as Amazon Q Developer or AWS Application Migration Service, you can automate undifferentiated migration tasks and expedite your cloud journey with minimal business disruption. We also offer guided migration and modernization experience with Migration Hub and ISV offerings can help you across your migration and modernization journey depending on your business needs

Sean outlined five key migration pathways that AWS provides:

1. Relocate with Amazon Elastic VMware Service (EVS): He introduced Amazon EVS, a new, native AWS service for customers to run VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) within their Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC)while maintaining existing VMware tools and operations.

2. Rehost on Amazon EC2: Sean explained that some enterprises prefer a lift-and-shift approach, rehosting VMware workloads on Amazon EC2 to enable quick migration with minimal modifications. AWS provides cost optimization tools to help customers right-size their EC2 instances.

3. Containerize with Amazon ECS & EKS: He noted that many customers are leveraging Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS to transition VMware workloads into containerized environments, allowing for greater scalability and efficiency.

4. Replatform to Managed AWS Services: He mentioned that some businesses are moving VMware workloads to AWS-managed services such as Amazon RDS, FSx, and Elastic File System (EFS) to reduce operational overhead and enhance performance.

5. Refactor into Cloud-Native Applications: Sean also spoke about enterprises opting to modernize applications by adopting AWS Lambda, AWS Fargate, and microservices architectures, often with support from AWS’s Application Modernization Lab (AML).

Migration Tools and Support Programs

Following Sean’s overview, Rusik Mundhe, Director of Migration and Modernization at AWS, provided insights into AWS’s migration tools and support programs. He highlighted several key services designed to simplify VMware migrations:

• AWS Q Developer: Rusik introduced this AI-powered tool that assists with application dependency mapping, network translation, and migration execution, making VMware workload migration more efficient.
• AWS Application Migration Service (MGN): He explained that MGN enables automated rehosting of VMware VMs with minimal downtime, making it ideal for businesses needing a fast transition.
• AWS Migration Hub & VMware-Specific Templates: He discussed Migration Hub as a centralized tool for tracking and managing migration progress, including newly introduced VMware-specific templates to guide customers through migration processes.
• ISV Partner Solutions: Rusik also spoke about AWS’s partnerships with Nutanix and Red Hat, which offer additional pathways for VMware customers to extend their existing infrastructure into AWS.
• AWS Training and Professional Services: He emphasized AWS’s focus on upskilling teams with training programs and professional services to support VMware migrations.

Cost Optimization and Incentives

Rusik then introduced AWS’s financial and technical support programs for VMware customers:

• AWS Optimization and Licensing Assessment (OLA): He encouraged customers to leverage OLA, a no-cost assessment that identifies potential cost savings and optimization strategies.
• AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP): He explained that MAP offers funding, technical resources, and partner support to simplify the migration journey.

Conclusion

As the session concluded, Sean and Rusik reiterated AWS’s commitment to helping organizations navigate their VMware migration journey. They encouraged attendees to start with an OLA assessment, leverage AWS Q Developer and Migration Hub, and engage with AWS Professional Services or AWS Partners for customized migration plans.

The session provided a comprehensive look at VMware migration strategies, tools, and support programs available through AWS, ensuring that businesses can transition their workloads efficiently while optimizing for cost and performance.