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VMware launches vSphere Express, a lower-end tier for smaller customers

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VMware launches vSphere Express, a lower-end tier for smaller customers

Broadcom's VMware has announced vSphere Express, a lower-end virtualization offering for organizations that need "cost-effective essential virtualization." The move follows the alienation of many long-time small and mid-sized business (SMB) customers. Many of them reported that VMware was pushing them toward VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), the flagship private cloud bundle, which is expensive and has many features SMBs do not need. Some SMB users also said VMware sales representatives had told them that vSphere Standard, the prior entry-level offering, was no longer available.

On pricing, a VMware spokesperson told The Register that the company will sell a per-core subscription license at a price "significantly lower" than the VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) bundle and VCF, but would not give a price quote. IT distributor TD Synnex lists vSphere Express at $9,600 a year for running on up to 128 cores. The price does not get cheaper with fewer cores, which Ars Technica notes still presents a challenge to the smallest use cases.

The product covers the basics. VMware's announcement says it includes vMotion for "live migration of running virtual machines with improved migration speed and efficiency," and high availability for the "automated restart of failed virtual machines." There is a clear limit, though: according to The Register, Prashanth Shenoy, VP of product marketing for VCF, said the product only supports discrete instances, and organizations will not be able to manage them centrally.

Shenoy explained the thinking to SDxCentral: "We started listening to a lot of our lower-end customers who didn't really want the VVF but wanted the core virtualization capability, and [vSphere Express is] really meant for that market." The Register also reported that vSphere Standard has not seen a meaningful update in years, whereas vSphere Express will be updated as frequently as VCF and VVF are.

Key facts

  • VMware (Broadcom) announced vSphere Express, a lower-end virtualization offering for organizations needing "cost-effective essential virtualization."
  • IT distributor TD Synnex lists it at $9,600 a year for up to 128 cores, with no discount for fewer cores; VMware itself gave no price quote and said only that the per-core subscription will be "significantly lower" than VVF and VCF.
  • It includes vMotion live migration and high availability, but supports only discrete instances with no central management, per Prashanth Shenoy, VP of product marketing for VCF.
  • It follows customer complaints that VMware pushed SMBs toward the expensive VCF bundle and told some that vSphere Standard was no longer available.
  • According to The Register, vSphere Express will be updated as often as VCF and VVF, while vSphere Standard has had no meaningful update in years.

Why it matters

VMware's pricing and packaging under Broadcom pushed many SMB customers toward VCF, a bundle with features they did not need and a price they found high. vSphere Express is the company's answer: a cheaper entry point built around core virtualization. It also arrives against the background of vSphere Standard, which some SMB users were told was no longer available and which has not seen a meaningful update in years.

Who it affects

Small and mid-sized businesses that run VMware and want core virtualization without paying for VVF or VCF. It is aimed at the lower-end customers Shenoy described, who wanted the core virtualization capability but not the larger bundle. The smallest users may get less relief, since the TD Synnex listing does not get cheaper with fewer cores.

How to use it

The product includes basic capabilities such as vMotion for live migration of running virtual machines and high availability for automated restart of failed virtual machines. Each instance is managed on its own: it supports only discrete instances, with no central management across them. VMware describes a per-core subscription license, while TD Synnex lists $9,600 a year for running on up to 128 cores. Buyers should treat the distributor listing as the only price figure available so far.

How solid is it

The announcement itself is solid: VMware made it, and Ars Technica reports its stated contents. The price is less firm. The $9,600 a year figure is a TD Synnex listing, not a VMware-published price, and VMware declined to give a quote. Details on limits and update cadence come from The Register's reporting of VMware's spokesperson and Shenoy, and the Shenoy quote is taken from SDxCentral. The source gives no exact announcement date beyond "Today."

Risks and caveats

The price does not get cheaper with fewer cores, which Ars Technica says still presents a challenge to the smallest use cases. The lack of central management means organizations running several instances must handle each one separately. The source says only that VMware's price will be "significantly lower" than VVF and VCF; it gives no VVF or VCF prices for comparison. It also does not state availability dates, regions or minimum purchase terms.

“We started listening to a lot of our lower-end customers who didn’t really want the VVF but wanted the core virtualization capability, and [vSphere Express is] really meant for that market”

— Prashanth Shenoy, VP of product marketing for VCF, per SDxCentral