--- title: What SMEs Need to Know About VMware Changes in 2025 description: VMware’s licensing and product changes in 2025 are impacting SMEs across New Zealand. 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Are You Ready?** 2025 has brought major changes to VMware, changes that are already affecting small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) across New Zealand. If your business runs any part of its infrastructure on **[VMware](https://www.vmware.com/)**, whether that’s virtual machines, **[backup environments,](https://nsp.co.nz/backup/)** or **[cloud workloads](https://nsp.co.nz/cloud/)**, you need to be aware of what’s shifting, what it means, and why now is the time to review your setup. At NSP, we’re seeing a wave of SMEs caught off guard by licensing changes, support limitations, and reduced partner access. This isn’t just about pricing, it’s about visibility, compliance, and ensuring your business continuity isn't disrupted.   **1. Licensing Changes: What’s Going Away** Following VMware’s acquisition by Broadcom, the company has shifted to a **subscription-only licensing model**. Here’s what that means for SMEs:   - **Perpetual licences are no longer available.** - **Entry-level bundles (like vSphere Essentials Kits) have been discontinued.** - **Minimum licence quantities have increased**, pushing smaller businesses into larger packages than they need. - **Price structures have changed**, making long-term budgeting harder. These changes can lead to SMEs paying more for capabilities they don’t use, or worse, losing access to the support and tools they relied on. **Why it matters:** Many SMEs are discovering they’re on the wrong licence model or have no clear roadmap for renewal. This opens your business up to unnecessary risk, financially and operationally.   **2. Partner and Support Disruption** Broadcom’s revamp of the VMware partner program has significantly reduced the number of certified partners globally, and New Zealand is no exception.   For SMEs, this could mean: - Your current IT partner may no longer have access to VMware support channels or resale rights. - You might be dealing with overseas vendors for renewals or changes. - Local, personalised support is harder to access at a time when expert advice is more critical than ever. **Why it matters:** If your provider can’t access official support or escalate issues, you may face delays in resolving infrastructure problems or make misinformed decisions about licensing and compliance.   **3. Product Streamlining: Less Flexibility, More Complexity** VMware has consolidated many products into bundled offerings, including: - VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) - vSphere+, vSAN+, and other “+” versions This might seem like a simplification, but for smaller organisations, it often introduces unnecessary complexity and costs. **Why it matters:** If your business only uses a handful of core features, you may now be required to adopt broader bundles, leading to inflated costs or overprovisioned environments.   **4. Why a VMware Health Check Is More Important Than Ever** The pace and scale of VMware’s changes mean it’s not enough to “wait and see.” We strongly recommend that SMEs **[book a VMware health check](https://3soch.share-ap1.hsforms.com/2ioRuy2-VSXu1Y53UmilCwg)** to: - **Understand your current entitlements:** Are you using the right version? Is it supported? - **Validate your compliance:** Are you aligned with current licensing and security standards? - **Assess your exposure:** What risks could arise from expired licences, unsupported tools, or partner limitations? - **Review your roadmap:** How does your infrastructure align with business goals for the next 12–24 months? Even if you’re not planning major changes right now, understanding your current position helps avoid costly surprises down the line.   **5. A Strategic Discussion, Not Just a Technical One** This isn’t just an IT issue, it’s a business issue. Infrastructure impacts everything from your ability to serve customers to how well you recover from incidents. Licensing and platform changes like these affect:   - **Business continuity** - **Data security** - **Compliance with regulations** - **Operational costs**   A conversation now could save you time, money, and operational headaches later.   **Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone** Change is rarely easy, especially when it’s unexpected and out of your control. But you don’t have to navigate this shift alone. NSP works with businesses across New Zealand to make sense of change and guide you through it, not with pushy sales tactics, but with straightforward advice based on what’s right for your environment.   **Let’s Talk.** If you’re unsure where your business stands with VMware in 2025, we can help. [**Book a VMware Health Check with NSP**](https://go.nsp.co.nz/helping-smes-navigate-the-future-of-vmware) - no obligations, just honest insights. 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