# EmbedIT Open Infrastructure

> Cut VMware licensing costs by up to 70%. EmbedIT migrates VMware workloads to Proxmox, Xen, OpenStack and KUPL managed Kubernetes. Book a free consultation.

EmbedIT s.r.o. helps enterprises leave expensive VMware licensing behind. This page covers VMware migration consulting and KUPL, EmbedIT's managed Kubernetes platform. Parent site: https://www.embedit.com

This page is also available in Czech: https://openinfra.embedit.com/cs (same content; FAQ in Czech below).

## Why it matters

- Broadcom's per-core VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) subscriptions list at about $350 per core per year, with a 72-core minimum per order since April 2025.
- Gartner reports typical VMware licensing bills rising 300-400% under Broadcom, and expects 35% of VMware workloads to move to other platforms by 2028.

## What EmbedIT offers

- Alternative virtualization (Proxmox VE, Xen, Hyper-V): re-host legacy VMs without Broadcom's price premium. Up to 70% lower licensing cost.
- OpenStack private cloud: API-driven, multi-tenant private cloud for large and compliance-heavy estates.
- KUPL Managed Kubernetes: in-house Kubernetes Platform as a Service with Infrastructure as Code and a GitOps operating model, backed by 10 years of Kubernetes experience, PCI DSS compliant controls, 14 data centers across 7 countries.
- Free 60-minute technical consultation: VMware licensing audit and renewal cost predictions, VM compatibility analysis, KUPL onboarding plans, security and sovereignty planning.

## Page sections

- [VMware challenge](https://openinfra.embedit.com/#vmware-challenge): the cost of staying on VMware
- [Alternatives](https://openinfra.embedit.com/#alternatives): three migration paths
- [ROI calculator](https://openinfra.embedit.com/#roi-calculator): estimate 3-year savings from your core count
- [Case studies](https://openinfra.embedit.com/#case-studies): Home Credit on KUPL managed Kubernetes, and Home Credit Group's VMware to OpenStack migration (two data centres, hundreds of Linux and Windows VMs, Prometheus/Grafana/Loki observability)
- [FAQ](https://openinfra.embedit.com/#faq): VMware pricing, alternatives and migration questions
- [Consultation](https://openinfra.embedit.com/#consultation): book a free consultation

## FAQ

**How much have VMware licensing costs increased under Broadcom?**
Gartner reports that typical VMware licensing bills rise by 300 to 400 percent under Broadcom, which now sells VMware through per-core VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions listed at about $350 per core per year.

**What is the VMware 72-core minimum?**
Since April 2025, Broadcom requires a minimum order of 72 licensed cores for VMware Cloud Foundation and vSphere Foundation, so small environments pay for capacity they do not run.

**What are the alternatives to VMware?**
There are three independent paths: alternative virtualization (Proxmox VE, Xen or Hyper-V) to re-host existing virtual machines, an OpenStack private cloud for large multi-tenant or compliance-heavy estates, and KUPL managed Kubernetes for modern containerized applications. You can adopt one or combine them.

**How much can I save by leaving VMware?**
An Open Hybrid approach, with alternative virtualization for VMs and KUPL for containers, can lower licensing cost by up to 70%. Our ROI calculator estimates your 3-year saving from your core count, based on VMware Cloud Foundation list price. Real savings depend on your estate and exclude one-off migration costs.

**What is KUPL?**
KUPL is EmbedIT’s in-house Kubernetes Platform as a Service. It brings public-cloud efficiency on-premise with Infrastructure as Code and a GitOps operating model, backed by 10 years of Kubernetes experience.

**What does your observability platform cover?**
Our observability platform is built on open-source Prometheus, Grafana and Loki: metrics, dashboards, alerting and centralised logs across virtual machines, Kubernetes clusters and data centres. It is built into KUPL, managed through GitOps like the rest of the platform, and we run it for clients, including after VMware to OpenStack migrations.

**What is OpenStack and when is it the right choice?**
OpenStack is an open-source cloud platform, licensed under Apache 2.0, that pools compute, storage and networking and exposes them through APIs, much like a public cloud running in your own data centres. It suits large, multi-tenant or compliance-heavy estates that want full control without per-core licence fees. EmbedIT has migrated several data centres from VMware to OpenStack.

**What happens in the free consultation?**
In a free 60-minute technical evaluation with a principal cloud-native engineer, we cover VMware licensing auditing and renewal cost predictions, VM compatibility analysis with alternative virtualization platforms and OpenStack, KUPL container onboarding plans, and sovereignty and security planning.

## FAQ (Czech / česky)

**O kolik zdražily licence VMware pod Broadcomem?**
Podle Gartneru rostou typické účty za licence VMware pod Broadcomem o 300 až 400 procent. Broadcom nyní prodává VMware formou předplatného VMware Cloud Foundation účtovaného po jádrech, s ceníkovou cenou zhruba 350 USD za jádro ročně.

**Co je minimum 72 jader u VMware?**
Od dubna 2025 vyžaduje Broadcom u VMware Cloud Foundation a vSphere Foundation minimální objednávku 72 licencovaných jader, takže menší prostředí platí i za kapacitu, kterou nevyužívají.

**Jaké jsou alternativy k VMware?**
Existují tři samostatné cesty: alternativní virtualizace (Proxmox VE, Xen nebo Hyper-V) pro re-hosting stávajících VM, privátní cloud OpenStack pro velká multi-tenant prostředí nebo prostředí s vysokými nároky na compliance a spravovaný Kubernetes KUPL pro moderní kontejnerové aplikace. Můžete zvolit jednu z nich, nebo je kombinovat.

**Kolik můžu odchodem z VMware ušetřit?**
Přístup Open Hybrid, tedy alternativní virtualizace pro VM a KUPL pro kontejnery, může snížit náklady na licence až o 70 %. Naše kalkulačka odhadne úsporu za 3 roky podle počtu jader a ceníkové ceny VMware Cloud Foundation. Skutečná úspora závisí na vašem prostředí a nezahrnuje jednorázové náklady na migraci.

**Co je KUPL?**
KUPL je vlastní platforma Kubernetes jako služba od EmbedIT. Přináší efektivitu veřejného cloudu do vašich datových center díky Infrastructure as Code a provoznímu modelu GitOps a stojí na 10 letech zkušeností s Kubernetes.

**Co pokrývá vaše observability platforma?**
Naše observability platforma stojí na open-source nástrojích Prometheus, Grafana a Loki: metriky, dashboardy, alerting a centrální logy napříč VM, Kubernetes clustery i datovými centry. Je součástí KUPL, spravuje se přes GitOps stejně jako zbytek platformy a provozujeme ji pro klienty, mimo jiné po migracích z VMware na OpenStack.

**Co je OpenStack a kdy se vyplatí?**
OpenStack je open-source cloudová platforma pod licencí Apache 2.0, která spojuje výpočetní výkon, úložiště a sítě a zpřístupňuje je přes API, podobně jako veřejný cloud, jen ve vašich vlastních datových centrech. Hodí se pro velká multi-tenant prostředí nebo prostředí s vysokými nároky na compliance, která chtějí plnou kontrolu bez licenčních poplatků za jádra. EmbedIT už převedl z VMware na OpenStack několik datových center.

**Co obnáší bezplatná konzultace?**
Během bezplatné 60minutové technické konzultace se zkušeným cloud-native inženýrem projdeme audit licencí VMware a predikci nákladů na obnovu, analýzu kompatibility VM s alternativními platformami a OpenStackem, plán onboardingu kontejnerů na KUPL a plánování bezpečnosti a suverenity dat.

## Sources

- [Gartner on typical 300-400% VMware bill increases (The Register, May 2026)](https://www.theregister.com/virtualization/2026/05/12/quit-vmware-and-youll-emerge-with-more-complex-and-less-capable-infrastructure/5238442)
- [Broadcom’s 72-core minimum (The Register, March 2025)](https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/28/arrow_vmware_licensing_change/)
- [VMware Cloud Foundation list price (Redress Compliance)](https://redresscompliance.com/broadcom-vmware-licensing-changes-explained)
- [Proxmox VE subscription pricing](https://www.proxmox.com/en/products/proxmox-virtual-environment/pricing)

Pricing and market figures last reviewed: 2026-10-01

## Contact

- Email: pavel.fenik@embedit.com
- Phone: +420 720 752 549
- Web: https://www.embedit.com