Infrastructure / VMware alternative
The VMware alternative for Swiss companies
Since the Broadcom takeover, new licence models, minimums and partner terms apply, and every renewal falls under them. This page shows what a move to Proxmox means technically, organisationally and in day-to-day operations.
What has changed since 2023
Nov 2023
Broadcom closes the VMware acquisition
Product lines, pricing and partner programmes are reorganised within weeks.
Dec 2023
Perpetual licences end
Licences become subscription only, and product bundles (VCF, VVF) replace more than 160 individual SKUs.
2024
Bundles and per-core licensing
Licensing moves to CPU cores with a 16-core minimum per CPU. Features you did not use are now part of the bundle you pay for.
2025
Minimums and penalties
A 72-core minimum per order is announced and withdrawn after protests; a late-renewal surcharge stays. European customers report price increases of several hundred percent.
Jan 2026
Cloud partners lose licensing rights
More than 400 European cloud service providers can no longer buy licences for existing customers. Swiss MSPs lose their white-label route.
Oct 2026
vSphere Standard returns
Broadcom announces a simpler entry tier for SMEs. Price and terms are not published at the time of writing.
As of publication. Check your own contract and renewal date.
Three paths
There is no single right answer. These are the three we see in practice, and what each one asks of you.
Natron Cloud
You no longer run servers of your own. VMs and Kubernetes sit in our Swiss datacenter on Proxmox VE and Ceph; we operate them and bill by consumption.
Learn moreProxmox on your hardware: Natron Flex Stack
The servers and the datacenter are yours; the operations are ours. We run Proxmox VE, Ceph and Proxmox Backup Server as a platform with an SLA.
Learn moreStay on VMware
This makes sense if you really use VCF features and the minimums fit your size. Budget with the new price basis.
| Natron Cloud | Natron Flex Stack | VMware | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Ours, in a Swiss datacenter | Yours, in your datacenter | Yours |
| Operations | Natron | Natron | Your team or partner |
| Licence | Included | Proxmox subscription per socket | VMware subscription per core |
| Data location | Switzerland | Where you are | Where you are |
| Entry | Weeks, VM by VM | Weeks, cluster build then migration | Renewal date |
How the migration runs
- 1
Assessment
We inventory VMs, dependencies, network segments, storage (SAN, vSAN, NFS) and backup. Then we decide which VMs are business-critical and which can move first.
- 2
Target platform
We build a Proxmox VE cluster with Ceph or ZFS, Proxmox Backup Server, network zones, monitoring and SSO access. Everything is code, so the build is reproducible.
- 3
Import
We move VM by VM with the Proxmox ESXi import, install VirtIO drivers for Windows and Linux and run a parallel test phase per system. Nothing is switched off before it has proven itself on the new side.
- 4
Cutover and operations
We cut over in agreed windows and keep a rollback path until acceptance. Afterwards backups run, monitoring is live and patching happens monthly in stages.
Per socket instead of per core
The cost basis
A Proxmox subscription counts CPU sockets, not cores. A server with two large CPUs costs the same licence as one with two small ones.
No minimums, no bundles
You buy the support level you want per socket. There is no minimum order, no mandatory suite and no surcharge for renewing late.
The honest counterweight
Proxmox has fewer guard rails than vSphere. The price advantage only holds with an operating concept: monitoring, backup and restore, patch windows. That is what our whitepaper is about.
Frequently asked questions
Is Proxmox really cheaper than VMware?
The licence is almost always cheaper: per socket instead of per core, no bundles, no minimums. The total cost is lower only if operations are solved, because Proxmox has fewer guard rails than vSphere. That is why we sell it as an operated platform rather than as a licence.
How long does a migration of 100 VMs take?
That depends on storage, dependencies and how many systems can move in parallel. Typical projects take a few weeks from assessment to the last cutover. Most of that time goes into the parallel test phase rather than into copying.
What replaces vSAN and NSX?
Ceph replaces vSAN as hyperconverged storage with three-way replication. Proxmox SDN and the built-in firewall cover the VLAN and segmentation part of NSX; advanced NSX features such as distributed firewalling need a case-by-case look.
Can we run both platforms in parallel?
Yes, and we recommend it. Both sides run until every migrated system is accepted. VMs can be moved back during that phase.
What about Windows VMs?
Windows Server runs on Proxmox VE with VirtIO drivers and, where needed, a virtual TPM. Windows licensing does not change with the hypervisor.
Who operates the platform afterwards?
Either we do, as Natron Flex Stack on your hardware or in Natron Cloud, or your team with our support. In both cases the automation, monitoring and patch process are the ones we run our own cloud with.
Why Organizations Are Not Moving to Proxmox
- 3 years of production Proxmox experience with 1000+ VMs
- Honest assessment of what VMware migrations actually require
- HA, monitoring, and Ceph storage lessons learned the hard way
Talk to us about your VMware renewal
Bring your host count, your renewal date and your storage setup. You leave with a realistic picture of the three paths.