Broadcom’s acquisition of and sweeping changes to VMware have caused turbulence across industries, but nowhere is the impact felt more acutely than in higher education. Having served as the Deputy CIO of Arizona State University for more than eight years, I know firsthand that colleges and universities have long relied on VMware to power everything from research clusters to virtual learning platforms. Now, higher education institutions face steep price increases and a loss of flexibility with VMware.
For those already grappling with tight operating budgets, the shift away from perpetual licenses to Broadcom’s subscription-only bundles is especially concerning. Many higher education IT leaders are reporting exponential cost hikes — increases they can’t absorb without cutting into critical investments in learning, research and student success.
To make matters worse, Broadcom has announced it will end support for widely adopted perpetual licenses, including vSphere 7.x, on October 2, 2025. That means institutions holding perpetual licenses are being pressured to abandon them and lock into bundled subscriptions with products they may not need — even if they’re satisfied with their existing estate.
But here’s the good news for higher education IT leaders: You don’t have to give up your perpetual VMware licenses. Between the influx of new hypervisors on the market and the existence of reliable third-party support and security solutions, following the vendor-mandated roadmap isn’t the only option. In fact, this volatile time can be an opportunity for positive change and new gains.
A smarter path forward for higher education IT
Higher education leaders can retain control of their virtualization strategy and IT costs by keeping existing VMware perpetual licenses supported while evaluating future options. This approach buys time, preserves budget flexibility and allows institutions to align infrastructure decisions with long-term academic and research priorities.
In addition, higher education IT leaders have opportunities to:
- Leverage the skills and knowledge of experienced VMware experts who specialize in resolving high-priority, real-world VMware cases quickly and effectively.
- Strengthen institutional security with proactive, zero-day protection across VMware ESXi, as well as Nutanix Acropolis, Proxmox, Red Hat, Citrix and other Linux-based hypervisors.
- Ensure flexibility to enable smooth functionality with alternative solutions and migrate workloads in the future.
What does this mean for your institution? Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware doesn’t have to dictate the future of higher education IT. Universities and colleges do not have to accept forced subscription bundles. Higher education IT teams can keep their perpetual licenses and still receive expert third-party support and security solutions. By doing so, institutions not only safeguard budgets and academic priorities today, but also gain the breathing room to shape a smarter, more flexible path forward—one aligned with long-term student success, research excellence, and institutional resilience.
Higher education in action: University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas is working with Rimini Street as part of its broader IT vision and commitment to delivering rich, impactful student experiences. By choosing Rimini Support™ for VMware and Rimini Protect™ Advanced Hypervisor Security, powered by Vali Cyber®, the University gained the flexibility, control and cost savings needed to fund transformation while ensuring mission-critical systems remain stable and secure.
With eight schools and colleges, more than 150 undergraduate majors and minors, 55+ graduate programs (including AI degrees) and study-abroad opportunities, the University must continually scale IT investments. Rimini Support helps them achieve this by:
- Avoiding vendor lock-in and forced subscription models that would otherwise strain budgets
- Freeing up funding from support savings to reinvest in innovation and next-generation learning initiatives
- Enhancing security with Rimini Protect™ Advanced Hypervisor Security (AHS), enabling proactive zero-day protection without vendor patching or downtime
Most importantly, working with Rimini Street provides the university with a trusted partner that works as an extension of the IT team to guide transformation on the institution’s terms and timeline.
“Rimini Protect for VMware will be a game-changer. Having real-time hypervisor protection will empower us to do more with fewer resources, enhancing our security and confidence while maximizing team efficiency.”” said Laura Thomas, systems engineer at the University of St. Thomas.
Why this matters now in higher education
With the education marketplace expanding and growing more competitive each year, innovation is critical to avoid being left behind. Technology priorities in higher education are shifting rapidly, driven by evolving student expectations and institutional mandates. The strategic imperatives we’re seeing include:
- AI-powered personalization and administration: Helping students succeed with tailored pathways
- AI’s impact on learning and integrity: Balancing innovation with concerns like cheating and plagiarism
- Microcredentials and modular learning: Meeting workforce demands with flexible, short-term programs
- Hybrid and virtual campuses: Ensuring seamless digital and physical learning experiences
- Data-driven insights: Using analytics to guide institutional decision-making and outcomes
The resulting impact on IT leaders is significant, as they’re expected to lead the charge in carrying out such initiatives. These shifts place new demands on IT teams, including:
- Building unified data infrastructures where analytics is a core function
- Driving cross-functional collaboration and digital strategy
- Safeguarding mission-critical data and systems with advanced cybersecurity
- Supporting ethical AI adoption across the institution
- Consolidating platforms, migrating to cloud and addressing talent gaps in an aging workforce
- Maintaining high-performance research clusters — many of which depend on VMware today
With so many competing priorities, the last thing IT leaders need is unbudgeted price shocks that divert funds from strategic initiatives. That’s why it’s crucial for higher education leaders to embark on a new path that circumvents VMware price increases and restrictions.
How Rimini Support for VMware helps higher education
Rimini Street offers a proven third-party support model that enables higher education institutions to maximize the value of their existing VMware environments while freeing up resources to focus on innovation. With Rimini Support for VMware, IT leaders can accomplish the following:
- Stay in control by continuing to run perpetual VMware licenses without being forced into costly subscription bundles.
- Reduce operating costs by avoiding price hikes of 8–15x and redirecting budget toward student experience, research initiatives and digital transformation.
- Receive ultra-responsive support with a guaranteed 10-minute engineer response time for urgent cases — far exceeding traditional vendor models.
- Access deep expertise from a global team of experienced full-time engineers.
- Enhance security with Rimini Protect™ Advanced Hypervisor Security, powered by Vali Cyber®, providing proactive, zero-day defense across VMware and other Linux-based hypervisors, exclusive to Rimini Street.
- Gain flexibility and optionality to migrate at one’s own pace, whether maintaining VMware or exploring alternatives like Nutanix, Proxmox, Red Hat or Citrix.
For higher education, this means more than cost savings — it’s about maintaining stability in critical research systems, protecting sensitive student and institutional data and preserving the freedom to innovate without disruption.
Key considerations for higher education IT leaders
When evaluating the path forward in the wake of VMware pricing and licensing changes, IT leaders should keep these critical considerations and best practices in mind:
- Review business priorities: Ensure your virtualization strategy aligns with your institution’s mission and strategic imperatives.
- Determine the optimal tech stack: Balance current needs with future academic and research requirements.
- Assess compatibility: Confirm that chosen solutions integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure components.
- Evaluate team readiness: Decide whether IT staff members need upskilling or reskilling, particularly if considering self-support or replatforming options.
Need help navigating the new VMware landscape? Rimini Street is here to provide clarity, continuity and control. For more information, please visit us here.
