Broadcom's prohibitive VMware prices create a learning "barrier," IT pro says

"When the COVID-19 pandemic forced kids to stay home, educators flocked to VMware, and thousands of school districts adopted virtualization. The technology became a solution for distance learning during the pandemic and after, when events such as bad weather and illness can prevent children from physically attending school. But the VMware being sold to K-12 schools today is different from the VMware before and during the pandemic."

"Ars Technica recently spoke with an IT director at a public school district in Indiana. The director requested anonymity for themself and the district out of concern about potential blowback. The director confirmed that the district has five schools and about 3,000 students. The district started using VMware's vSAN, a software-defined storage offering, and the vSphere virtualization platform in 2019. The Indiana school system bought the VMware offerings through a package that combined them with VxRail,"

"However, like many of VMware customers, the Indiana school district was priced out of VMware after Broadcom's acquisition of the company. The IT director said the district received a quote that was "three to six" times higher than expected. This came as the school district is looking to manage changes in education-related taxes and funding over the next few years. As a result, the district's migration from VMware is taking IT resources from other projects, including ones aimed at improving curriculum."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of public school districts adopted VMware virtualization to enable distance learning and to handle absenteeism caused by weather or illness. The VMware platform now owned by Broadcom carries higher prices and a sales approach that favors large customers. K-12 IT departments confront tight budgets and multiple vendor relationships while trying to meet students' needs. One Indiana district with five schools and about 3,000 students implemented vSAN and vSphere with VxRail but received renewal quotes three to six times higher. The resulting migration away from VMware is consuming IT resources and delaying curriculum-focused technology projects while districts manage changing education-related taxes and funding.

Read at Ars Technica