VMware alternatives, UAE
VMware alternatives: is Sangfor HCI the right move for your renewal?
Since the Broadcom acquisition, many UAE organisations have seen VMware licensing change and renewal costs rise. We are a Sangfor Gold Partner. An industrial-city operator and a multi-brand food group already run their business systems on our UAE-based Sangfor HCI private cloud instead of their own data centre.
Case studies: private cloud hosting on Sangfor HCI and a UAE manufacturer's production workloads on Sangfor HCI with FortGrid backup. 22+ years in the UAE.
Your options
Three realistic paths off VMware.
The right answer depends on your workloads, skills and budget. We lay them side by side.
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Option 1
Sangfor HCI on premises
Compute, storage and networking virtualised on one platform in your server room, managed from one console.
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Option 2
Private cloud hosting
Your virtual machines run on our UAE-based Sangfor HCI cluster, so you do not buy new hardware.
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Option 3
Public cloud for some workloads
Suitable workloads move to Microsoft Azure and the rest stay on premises.
What the assessment covers
Facts before a decision.
- Inventory of hosts, VMs and storage in your VMware estate
- Your renewal terms and dates
- Sizing for an equivalent Sangfor HCI platform
- Migration approach and downtime windows
- Backup and DR design for the new platform
Sangfor Gold Partner
Local design, migration and support
We design, deploy and support Sangfor platforms from the UAE, so the team that migrates you is the team you call afterwards.
Get a VMware exit assessmentHow it works
How a migration runs.
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Step 1
Assess
We document your VMware estate and renewal position.
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Step 2
Compare
You get a side-by-side of the options and an indicative cost for each.
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Step 3
Migrate
Workloads move in planned waves, each with a tested rollback.
FAQ
What infrastructure managers ask about leaving VMware.
Why are companies leaving VMware?
After Broadcom acquired VMware, licensing moved to subscription bundles and many customers reported higher renewal costs. That has pushed organisations to evaluate alternatives.
Is Sangfor HCI a full replacement?
For most general virtualisation workloads, yes. The assessment checks compatibility for your specific applications before you commit, and flags anything that should go elsewhere.
Can we migrate without long downtime?
Migrations are done in planned waves, usually outside working hours, with a rollback plan for each wave. The VMware hosts stay in place until the new platform has run your workloads cleanly.
Our VMware renewal is due soon. Is there enough time?
Send us the renewal date with your enquiry. If the date is close, the assessment tells you whether a short renewal to cover the migration is cheaper than rushing it.
Do you also provide backup and DR?
Yes. Backup and disaster recovery, including FortGrid, is designed alongside the new platform. The UAE manufacturer in our secure private cloud case study runs production on Sangfor HCI with FortGrid-protected backup.
Who supports the platform after migration?
We do. Missan is a Sangfor Gold Partner and supports Sangfor platforms from our Sharjah head office, so the team that migrates you is the team you call afterwards.
Related: Sangfor private cloud & HCI · FortGrid backup & DR · Private cloud case study · Microsoft end of support · IT infrastructure
Request a VMware exit assessment
Tell us roughly how many hosts and VMs you run and when your renewal is due. We reply within one business day.
Planning a project? Get it scoped first.
Send us the brief, the deadline and what you have today. An engineer reviews it and we reply within one business day with next steps.