Watch Desk posted an update
Gartner predicts that 55% of enterprise VMware users will start proofs of concept for alternative hybrid-cloud platforms by 2029, up from 25% in 2026, The Register reports.
Why it mattersThe analyst firm links the expected shift to rising customer frustration over per-core subscription costs, communication problems and support delays under Broadcom. Gartner still rates Broadcom’s business unit as a leader in distributed hybrid infrastructure and server virtualisation, so this is not a declaration that VMware has suddenly fallen off a cliff. It is a useful warning for IT leaders, though. More customers investigating alternatives could mean years of migration planning, vendor comparisons and expensive bargaining before workloads actually move. Is VMware’s pricing strategy creating a genuine exit wave, or merely giving rivals a very persuasive sales pitch?
Discuss: Is VMware’s pricing strategy creating a genuine exit wave, or merely giving rivals a very persuasive sales pitch?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedGartner now puts the share of enterprise VMware users expected to investigate replacement platforms at 55% by 2029, up from 25% in 2026. The forecast concerns proofs of concept, not confirmed migrations, but it points to a much larger pipeline of potential workload moves than the earlier account established.
In its Magic Quadrant for Distributed Hybrid Infrastructure, Gartner still identifies VMware’s core technology and AI-native infrastructure as strengths. The same assessment warns of worsening customer sentiment around communication, commercial practices, support delays and the higher costs associated with per-core subscriptions.
That combination matters for IT teams: VMware is not being written off as technically obsolete, yet more customers may spend the next few years testing alternatives because the commercial relationship has become harder to stomach. The exit door is being investigated, not necessarily used. Gartner’s forecast is a signal about procurement pressure, rather than proof that 55% of users will leave.
Sources and evidence
- Gartner predicts 55% of enterprise VMware users will be investigating an exit by 2029: Gartner forecasts that 55% of enterprise VMware users will initiate proofs of concept to replace their deployments by 2029, while continuing to recognise VMware’s core technology and AI-native infrastructure as strengths and flagging worsening customer sentiment and higher subscription costs.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.