- HPE confirms plans to make its VM subscription free for the first year
- $1 Zerto migration package support for those migrating from VMware and others
- The company also wants to consolidate its partner program to have them all in one place
In an effort to attract VMware customers who may be unhappy with services or pricing following the Broadcom acquisition, HPE has launched an aggressive campaign to provide users with affordable access to both platforms for a year to aid the migration.
Under the initiative, customers can get a free one-year HPE Morpheus VM Essentials license so they don’t pay for two subscriptions during the migration.
Prospective customers will also receive a $1 license to the company’s migration software, HPE Zerto, during the migration period.
HPE really wants to migrate you away from VMware
The scheme was announced at HPE Discovery 2026 in Las Vegas, where the company revealed that one of the biggest barriers preventing organizations from leaving VMware is often the cost. CTO Fidelma Russo described it as the “double bubble cost problem.”
During the event, HPE specifically avoided mentioning VMware, but the program undoubtedly targets customers who have been hit by sharp price increases following the Broadcom takeover. Bundled subscription packages have pushed up costs for companies that wouldn’t otherwise have paid for multiple products, and legacy licensing options were also famously removed during the changes.
“We’re announcing that when a customer goes through this transformation with HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, you don’t pay for the first year of licenses,” Russo said.
HPE also used the event to announce that it will bring the HPE and Juniper Networks partner programs together effective Nov. 1. It would give partners access to resell network, cloud and AI services from one place.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that 86% of VMware customers are still looking to move elsewhere, with 85% worried about rising prices.
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