As Broadcom continues to reshape VMware’s licensing and support model, many organizations are re-evaluating their IT virtualization strategies. VMware officially marked the end of general support (EoGS) for vSphere 7.x perpetual licenses on October 2, 2025. Additionally, the end of general support for vSphere 8.x perpetual licenses is currently scheduled for October 11, 2027. These developments are prompting IT leaders to consider whether to maintain, migrate some VMware estates to alternatives, or modernize with AI, multi-cloud and containers.
For many IT leaders, maximizing the value of their current VMware vSphere perpetual license environments has proven a strategic move to protect business continuity, optimize costs and maintain roadmap control while preparing for what’s next.
What you need to know about vSphere 7/8 end of general support
VMware vSphere is the architectural backbone of the VMware IT virtualization stack. Any changes to vSphere directly affect the VMware ESXi hypervisor, vCenter orchestration and vSAN storage simultaneously. Case in point, when VMware ended general support for vSphere 7.x perpetual licenses, it also marked the end of general support for VMware products whose functionality depends on vSphere 7.x. These products include VMware ESX 7.x, VMware vCenter 7.x and VMware vSAN 7.x perpetual license versions.
The VMware end of general support announcement for vSphere 7 means customers can continue to use the purchased, perpetual-licensed software they own, but they will not receive ongoing updates unless they transition to a subscription model. VMware may continue to provide technical guidance for a limited period, often two years. However, this technical guidance typically means documentation-level assistance rather than active troubleshooting. In sum, VMware customers are unable to submit new service tickets for any vSphere 7, ESX 7, vCenter or vSAN issues. The same impact will occur once VMware ends general support for vSphere 8.x and dependent ESXi 8.x, vCenter 8.x and vSAN 8.x products.
Currently, vSphere 7 customers are facing pressure to upgrade to vSphere 8 to simply remain on full vendor support. By October 2027, vSphere 8 customers are likely to be pressured to upgrade again from vSphere 8 to the subscription-based vSphere 9 in order to continue receiving full support from VMware by Broadcom.
Upgrading software versions is not just a technical exercise — it’s a costly, time-consuming overhaul that could disrupt critical operations for the organization. Each new installable software version demands extensive planning, testing, retraining and budget allocation.
Rather than moving from vSphere 7 to vSphere 8, then to vSphere 9 and locking into Broadcom’s subscription model, organizations are strategically hitting the pause button and evaluating smarter alternatives. These organizations are choosing to extend the life and value of their existing vSphere perpetual license investments through strategic planning that includes proven third-party support and security solutions from Rimini Street.
Understanding the VMware software lifecycle shift
VMware’s move from perpetual licenses with established CPU pricing to subscription models with per-core pricing marks a major change in how virtualization software is consumed. This shift doesn’t just affect procurement; it reshapes the financial model behind every virtual machine in production.
Budgets that once relied on predictable capital expenditures must now shift to recurring OpEx subscriptions. For organizations running high-core-density hardware, per-core pricing can significantly increase costs. That’s why so many enterprises are taking a “pause and plan” approach — continuing to run vSphere 7 or 8 while reassessing long-term architecture and licensing strategies.
The benefits of maximizing vSphere 7 and 8 perpetual licenses
The choice for organizations is not between staying on vSphere 7 or vSphere 8 perpetual licenses forever, or shifting to vSphere 9 subscription now – it’s about buying time to strategically assess options and maximize existing investments. The proven benefits are:
Cost control and asset optimization: Upgrading to newer versions often triggers full-stack refreshes for servers, storage, network and management tools. By extending vSphere 7 or 8, companies can defer these capital expenses and focus resources on innovation rather than tying them up in maintenance costs.
Stability and compatibility: If your workloads are running reliably, there’s little reason to risk introducing instability with an upgrade. Many third-party integrations and applications remain certified for vSphere 7 or 8, ensuring operational continuity for years to come while avoiding unnecessary re-testing or downtime.
Strategic flexibility: The virtualization landscape is evolving quickly. Maximizing your current environment gives you time to explore alternatives, whether migrating some VMware estates to alternative hypervisors or modernizing with AI and containers. Extending the useful life of your VMware perpetual license investments is not avoidance — it’s about agility and prioritizing business needs over technology.
Skill preservation and workforce readiness: Adopting any new IT virtualization platform requires retraining. A deliberate, phased approach allows IT teams to close skill gaps gradually, avoiding productivity loss or rushed certifications.
How to optimize and secure your VMware perpetual licenses
Extending your VMware perpetual licenses doesn’t mean standing still. IT operations teams can continue to keep their environments operational and compliant with these best practices.
- Use vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) included in vSphere 7 and vSphere 8 to reduce drift across hosts, ensuring that firmware, drivers and ESXi builds remain standardized across the environment
- Verify hardware compatibility against VMware’s Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) to ensure that server firmware, BIOS and OEM management integrations are up to date
- Conduct regular capacity reviews to identify idle or over-provisioned virtual machines (VMs)
- Harden security with network segmentation, role-based access control (RBAC) and Host Lockdown Mode
- Document patch levels and maintain strong backup and disaster recovery (DR) testing
- Engage third-party support providers such as Rimini Street, the global leader of third-party support for VMware, for 24/7/365 global support with zero-day security, vulnerability mitigation and continuous threat protection
With proper governance, your organization can run a secure, high-performing vSphere 7 or 8 estate well beyond VMware’s end of general support — without increasing risk or disruption.
Preparing for the future
Here are some suggested actions your organization can take to take control of its IT virtualization architecture.
- Define your desired end-state early – whether it is to maintain all VMware perpetual licenses, migrate some to alternative hypervisors or modernize with containerization
- Schedule a complimentary session with the Rimini Street Global License and Advisory Services team to understand your organization’s licensee rights and obtain expert guidance
- Engage a trusted leader in third-party support, such as Rimini Support™ for VMware for 24/7/365 global support and a guaranteed 10-minute engineer response with continuous coverage after vendor End of General Support (EoGS) for vSphere 7 and vSphere 8
- Strengthen security posture, maintain compliance and remain supported with proactive zero-day security across your IT virtualization operations with Rimini Street’s exclusive, multi-hypervisor Rimini Protect™ Advanced Hypervisor Security, powered by Vali Cyber®
- Integrate financial forecasting with lifecycle planning by modeling the total cost of ownership for both maintaining all VMware perpetual license estates or alternatives that factors replatforming, reskilling labor, hardware compatibility and risk exposure
- Commission an IT virtualization roadmap assessment from Rimini Consult™ for advisory services, staff augmentation and learn more about ongoing multiple vendor support from Rimini Street
Key takeaways
With the recent end of VMware vSphere 7 general support and the upcoming vSphere 8 end of general support in 2027, organizations should consider all their options deliberately.
Extending the use of vSphere 7 or 8 perpetual licenses is a strategic move that many IT leaders are adopting as an alternative to vendor ultimatums. It allows organizations to control timing, manage budgets and prepare teams for assessing the right strategy forward— without compromising performance, vulnerability protection or compliance.
The key is proactive management. Secure the VMware estates you have, support them intelligently and plan your next steps with confidence. Success will come from working with trusted partners like Rimini Street, who are committed to developing a tailored and long-range approach with solutions that align your IT virtualization technology with business outcomes.
If you’d like to learn more, I encourage you to review our comprehensive eBook, “Maximizing the Value of VMware vSphere Perpetual Licenses with Rimini Street.” You will understand how to maintain operational stability with elite-level third-party support, remain secure with zero-day proactive security and receive tailored, strategic guidance while keeping your vSphere 7 or vSphere 8 investments operating smoothly. We will also be announcing a webinar on this topic soon, so please stay tuned.
