Here’s What Our Experts Are Saying About Your 2026 Virtualization Strategy
If you’re responsible for your virtualization strategy, you’re likely feeling the pressure. Your CIO wants clarity. Your vendors are shifting terms mid-contract. And you’re expected to deliver performance, flexibility, and cost control all at once.
With ambiguity around VMware’s future pricing, contract restructuring, and an evolving business model, many IT teams are questioning what comes next.
In conversations with infrastructure leaders across industries, one thing is clear: the teams that are succeeding aren’t rushing into replacement decisions. They’re stepping back, re-evaluating their environment, and defining the outcomes that matter most.
“It’s not about ripping and replacing. It’s about planning for what’s next,” says leading technology advisor Todd Braunschweig who recently shared real-world guidance with IT teams navigating this moment of virtualization uncertainty. “The stakes are high and so is the opportunity to reset,” he says. Here are the three things he recommends doing to plan for what comes next.
Regain Your Control in a Chaotic Virtualization Market
Many VMware users are reacting to the fact that the terms they initially agreed to were changed mid-game. This is the wrong move. Reacting looks like:
-
- Removing VMware without a migration strategy or deep knowledge of business outcomes
-
- Delaying strategic planning in hopes that things will go back to normal
-
- Renewing VMware contracts that are unaffordable
-
- Outsourcing decision-making to vendors
Instead of reacting, which is easy to do in an emergency, respond with strategic planning to avoid making snap decisions, such as removing VMware without having a solid backup plan.
You can promote successful planning by:
-
- Assessing your dependencies to determine what your company really needs to thrive
-
- Knowing exactly what you are paying for by auditing VMware usage
-
- Exploring transitional licensing strategies or temporary cost containment
-
- Considering sticking with VMware short-term while building long-term flexibility and sustainability
-
- Upskilling your IT team to adapt to any environment
With this foundation of knowledge, you’re ready step out of virtualization instability and define the business outcomes you need to succeed.
Options to Make Your Virtualization Future-Ready
Modernizing virtualization infrastructure and ensuring it meets company needs begins with evaluating and defining your organizational goals. Investing in new technologies and solutions should come after outcomes are clearly defined—not before.
“At Paragon Micro, we don’t start with tech. We start with outcomes,” Braunschweig emphasized.
Once your operational targets are established, evaluate solutions such as Hyper-V, Nutanix, Azure Stack HCI, and cloud-first approaches.
-
- Nutanix – High-performing, boasts an intuitive UI (PRISM), and enables strong cloud integration
-
- Azure Cloud HCI (Azure Local) – Best for large enterprises deeply invested in Microsoft/Azure ecosystems
-
- Microsoft Hyper-V – A cost-effective solution for existing Microsoft environments
Taking a cloud-first approach to reworking virtualization infrastructure should also be considered. Research cloud computing solutions that are appropriately sized for your business needs and supported by free security tools. Cloud solutions can be enhanced to promote and accelerate business transformation through the modernization of virtualization.
Deciding whether to use on-premises or hybrid IT solutions is a crucial part of stabilizing virtualization. On-premises solutions have their benefits. They can be tailored to a company’s needs, put meeting regulatory requirements within reach, and give leaders complete control of security and performance. But they can be equally problematic.
On-premises solutions can demand high upfront costs, create maintenance burdens that IT teams don’t have time to address, and are slower to scale.
Colocation strategies are a solid alternative to on-premises solutions. They are scalable, streamline IT operations, and lower costs related to the maintenance of on-premises infrastructure. Using a data center to house essential equipment and servers reduces the weight of physical infrastructure management.
There are many approaches users can take to update virtualization infrastructure and find their footing. They are shouldering enough and shouldn’t feel that they have to find permanent solutions overnight, especially alone.
Now Is the Time for You to Evaluate–Not Panic
Agile, security-aware, API-driven—this is modern virtualization. Whereas virtualization used to be an arrival point, it is now just a piece of a comprehensive architecture that is cloud-native and dynamic. Changes to virtualization due to Broadcom’s acquisition have made it harder for IT teams to create an infrastructure with these qualities, but it is still within reach.
IT teams facing challenges related to the disruption of virtualization and dealing with a less-than-ideal virtualization infrastructure should not hit the panic button. They should reassess their infrastructure and seek strategic guidance to regain clarity and control.
Let’s talk about what’s next for your virtualization infrastructure, and what a roadmap for your organization could look like.