Nutanix is targeting organisations across Asia-Pacific that are reassessing VMware after Broadcom moved the portfolio toward subscription and term licensing. The opportunity is genuine, but it is not a simple story of customers abandoning VMware for a cheaper product. Existing contracts, hardware cycles, application dependencies, security architecture and Nutanix’s own subscription model can make a migration expensive and lengthy.
The evidence available from the October 2024 APAC report shows Nutanix reporting double-digit growth in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, alongside customer examples including Computershare and SBS Transit. Those examples demonstrate interest and migration capability—not that Nutanix is displacing VMware everywhere.
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Why Broadcom’s VMware changes created an opening
Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware in November 2023. In December that year, VMware by Broadcom announced a major commercial reset: the company would focus on subscription and term-based offerings, stop selling affected perpetual licences and simplify the product portfolio around offers including VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation.
Broadcom’s licensing announcement did not mean every customer lost the right to use existing perpetual software immediately. Customers with perpetual licences and active support could continue using them under their contractual commitments. Broadcom also described trade-in and upgrade routes into subscription products, with pricing handled through VMware account teams or partners.
The financial impact therefore varies materially between organisations. It depends on the VMware products installed, processor or core counts, workload scale, renewal date, support tier, existing discounts, geography, partner pricing and whether the customer needs only vSphere or a broader Cloud Foundation capability.
That distinction matters. Some customers may face a substantial increase in recurring expenditure, while others may find that staying put remains less risky than funding a platform migration. Nutanix’s fiscal 2025 filing says VMware customers are exploring alternatives, but also warns that existing contracts, refresh cycles, switching risk and long enterprise sales processes can delay conversions.
Nutanix’s SEC filing is useful counterweight to the more bullish sales narrative: it identifies a market opportunity without claiming that every VMware customer is ready to move.
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Asia-Pacific is not one homogeneous market. Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia differ in regulation, procurement, skills, cloud availability, currency, partner coverage and infrastructure supply chains.
Nevertheless, several regional conditions can make the Nutanix proposition relevant:
- Hybrid-cloud adoption is uneven. Some organisations are still building private-cloud capability rather than moving everything to public cloud.
- Data sovereignty matters. Government, transport, defence and regulated-sector workloads may need local or isolated infrastructure.
- Cost sensitivity is significant. A recurring licensing change can prompt a fresh total-cost review, although it does not prove that Nutanix will be cheaper in every country.
- Infrastructure estates are heterogeneous. Long refresh cycles and mixed generations of servers can make an immediate, standardised cloud migration impractical.
- Some workloads need isolation. Air-gapped or tightly controlled environments may favour on-premises or private-cloud platforms.
These factors create space for an alternative private or hybrid-cloud platform. They do not, by themselves, establish that Nutanix is winning a regional mass migration.
What Nutanix is actually offering
Nutanix’s pitch is broader than replacing ESXi with AHV. Its main platform components include:
- Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI): a hyperconverged infrastructure platform combining compute, storage and networking management.
- Nutanix AHV: the company’s native enterprise hypervisor.
- Nutanix AOS: the distributed storage foundation supporting capabilities such as snapshots, replication, disaster recovery and multiple storage types.
- Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2): a way to deploy Nutanix software in selected public-cloud environments, including AWS and Microsoft Azure.
- Cloud-native and Kubernetes capabilities: intended for organisations operating both virtual machines and modern application platforms.
- Security and management: including micro-segmentation and hybrid-cloud administration features.
- AI tooling: including GPT-in-a-Box, which Nutanix has positioned as a way to simplify deployment of selected open-source machine-learning tools and models.
Nutanix says its software can run on qualified hardware from vendors including Cisco, Dell, Fujitsu, HPE and Lenovo, as well as in selected public-cloud environments. That gives buyers more deployment options than a single appliance family, but “qualified” is important: an existing VMware server is not automatically supported by Nutanix.
Nutanix has also moved to subscription-based sales. Its term-based software licences generally run from one to five years, with support and entitlements included according to the applicable offer and contract. That means Nutanix can provide an alternative to VMware’s current commercial model, but it is not a return to perpetual, subscription-free infrastructure ownership.
Evidence from APAC customers
Computershare: scale, but not a universal benchmark
Computer Weekly reported that Australian company Computershare migrated 24,000 VMware virtual machines to Nutanix within one year. The figure was cited in reporting on Nutanix’s APAC strategy and should be treated as a reported customer case study, not as a standard migration timetable.
The number does not disclose the total cost, the amount of temporary dual-running capacity, the proportion of applications requiring remediation, the tools and services used, or whether every VMware dependency was eliminated. A large enterprise with a relatively repeatable workload estate may achieve a very different result from a bank, government department or smaller company with complex application and security requirements.
Computer Weekly’s report is the source for the reported migration figure and the related APAC claims.
SBS Transit: a phased transformation
Singapore transport operator SBS Transit reportedly selected Nutanix as part of a five-year digital-transformation programme. The reported motivations included simpler operations, developer tooling, security and public-cloud interoperability.
The deployment began with lift-and-shift migration of planning applications, with plans to expand to other workloads and micro-segmentation. This is significant because it illustrates a phased transformation rather than a purely price-driven decision. The customer example combines infrastructure modernisation with operational and security objectives.
It still should not be read as independent proof that Nutanix is financially superior in every APAC environment. Customer outcomes depend on architecture, contract terms, staffing, service requirements and the amount of change accepted by the business.
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VM relocation is not the same as platform migration
Moving a virtual machine’s disks and compute state can be relatively straightforward for some workloads. Recreating the surrounding operating model is harder. The migration must account for application behaviour, storage, identity, backup, monitoring, networking, security and disaster recovery.
Complex firewall rules and micro-segmentation are common sources of difficulty. A VM migration tool does not automatically reproduce distributed firewall policy, security groups, routing, load-balancer rules, identity integrations or audit controls in the target platform.
A practical migration should proceed in stages.
- Inventory the estate. Record VMs, templates, clusters, datastores, CPU and memory use, storage and I/O profiles, VMware-specific integrations, backup systems, disaster recovery tools and monitoring dependencies.
- Classify workloads. Separate simple lift-and-shift candidates from latency-sensitive systems, databases, licensed applications, security-sensitive workloads and appliances with compatibility constraints.
- Map dependencies. Document DNS, identity, storage, network, firewall, load-balancer, backup and replication relationships. Check for hardware passthrough, specialised drivers and licences tied to VMware APIs or infrastructure identifiers.
- Validate the target hardware. Check server models, firmware, CPU generations, network adapters, storage controllers, GPUs, boot configuration, security settings and Nutanix support boundaries.
- Run a pilot. Move non-critical systems first and test application performance, backup, monitoring, patching, failover and recovery—not just the speed of copying a VM.
- Stage production cutovers. Align changes with application owners and maintenance windows. Set rollback criteria and confirm recovery-point and recovery-time objectives.
- Retire selectively. Keep VMware capacity where technical, contractual or risk considerations justify it. An estate does not have to be converted all at once.
Large enterprises may need a multi-year transition because of hardware depreciation, VMware renewal dates, application dependencies, security-policy redesign, testing, retraining, procurement and change-control requirements.
The cost question: compare total cost, not licence quotes
A VMware renewal quote and a Nutanix software quote may describe different cost structures. Nutanix software is generally sold through channel or OEM partners, and qualified hardware may be purchased separately. A credible comparison should include:
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- Nutanix or VMware subscription and support;
- server, storage and networking purchases;
- migration software and professional services;
- temporary parallel-run capacity;
- staff training and new operational tooling;
- backup and disaster-recovery redesign;
- application certification and testing;
- inter-site networking and potential cloud egress;
- support contracts and hardware lifecycle costs; and
- the cost of downtime or failed rollback.
Nutanix may be attractive when the hardware estate is due for refresh and the organisation wants integrated compute, storage and virtualisation. It may be less compelling when existing VMware infrastructure is recently purchased, heavily customised or still covered by favourable perpetual entitlements.
Nutanix’s own filing also acknowledges subscription concerns, including customer uncertainty about future prices and renewal terms. The strategic lesson is not that one vendor has eliminated subscription risk. It is that buyers now need stronger contract, renewal and portability analysis whichever platform they choose.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Three realistic paths for APAC decision-makers
| Path | Best suited to | Main advantage | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutanix NCI/AHV | Private or hybrid-cloud modernisation with a willingness to change platforms | Integrated HCI and an alternative hypervisor | Migration effort, hardware validation and a new subscription commitment |
| Current VMware offers | Estates with deep VMware dependencies or favourable existing rights | Least operational change | Continued exposure to Broadcom’s licensing and portfolio decisions |
| Azure VMware Solution | VMware workloads moving to Azure with limited application refactoring | Microsoft-managed VMware infrastructure | Cloud operating costs and portable VCF licensing for new deployments |
| Replatforming alternatives | Organisations willing to redesign applications or adopt Kubernetes-centric infrastructure | Potentially greater architectural change and reduced VMware dependence | Compatibility, skills, support, backup and tooling requirements |
When Nutanix is a strong candidate
- Most workloads will remain on-premises or in a private cloud.
- The hardware estate is approaching refresh.
- The organisation wants integrated compute, storage and virtualisation management.
- VMware renewal economics are unacceptable after a full total-cost analysis.
- Applications can be tested and migrated in stages.
- The team can fund retraining and operational redesign.
- Hybrid-cloud portability through NC2 is strategically useful.
When staying with VMware may be rational
- NSX, vSAN, Horizon, HCX or other VMware-specific dependencies are extensive.
- Existing perpetual licences and support remain commercially favourable.
- VMware skills, tooling and certified applications represent a large sunk investment.
- Migration risk exceeds the expected savings.
- The renewal date is too close for responsible testing and rollback planning.
When Azure VMware Solution may fit
Azure VMware Solution is a lower-refactoring route into Azure, not a hypervisor replacement. Microsoft describes it as managed VMware infrastructure on Azure. Under Microsoft’s updated guidance, new AVS node purchases from November 1, 2025 no longer include a VMware Cloud Foundation licence or subscription; new deployments require portable VCF licensing and a licence key. Buyers should confirm the applicable commercial model with Microsoft or their account team.
See Microsoft’s portable VCF guidance and the regional Azure VMware pricing page. Pricing varies by agreement, region, currency, date and configuration, so there is no universal AVS price suitable for every APAC customer.
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Other alternatives worth evaluating
Some organisations may consider Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization, particularly where Kubernetes and application modernisation are central. Proxmox VE may appeal to organisations prioritising open-source virtualisation and lower entry cost, subject to enterprise-support, hardware, backup and ecosystem requirements.
Microsoft-native Azure or on-premises virtualisation may also fit workloads that can be replatformed rather than moved unchanged. The economics are architecture-, usage-, region- and agreement-dependent. These alternatives should not be treated as guaranteed drop-in replacements or as having a universal APAC price advantage.
What the evidence really shows
Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami cited double-digit growth in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. That is a vendor-reported growth claim, and the cited report does not provide a complete regional revenue table or independent market-share analysis.
The strongest conclusion is therefore measured: Broadcom’s licensing and portfolio changes have made some VMware customers more willing to evaluate alternatives. Nutanix is well positioned where those customers want to retain private or hybrid-cloud control, are approaching a hardware refresh and can absorb a phased platform transition.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThat is different from saying that VMware customers are fleeing across APAC or that Nutanix is universally cheaper. The right decision depends on a workload-level business case, contractual timing, security architecture, hardware compatibility, application certification and the organisation’s tolerance for a new subscription relationship.
Quick Recap
A procurement checklist before choosing
- Obtain the current VMware entitlement, renewal and support position in writing.
- Request a like-for-like Nutanix software, hardware, support and services quote.
- Model at least three years of subscription, hardware, migration and parallel-run costs.
- Identify workloads that cannot move without application-owner approval.
- Map NSX, distributed switching, micro-segmentation, backup and disaster-recovery dependencies.
- Confirm target hardware, firmware, GPU and network compatibility.
- Require a pilot with measurable performance, recovery and operational outcomes.
- Define rollback criteria before moving production workloads.
- Check local APAC support coverage, partner capability and escalation arrangements.
- Review renewal, portability, price-adjustment and exit terms for the proposed subscription.
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