What comes next for VMware customers?

The Dutch government steps in

One of the most significant developments came not from a Broadcom announcement but a courtroom in The Hague. After a high-profile dispute between Broadcom and the Dutch government agency Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), a judge ruled that VMware must continue providing support while the agency migrates away from its platform. The ruling made clear that support must be provided at a reasonable cost for up to two years.

Broadcom’s insistence on a sharp pivot to subscriptions and refusal to honour the agency’s request for an extension under its existing model was deemed untenable. In the eyes of the court, forcing an 85% price hike just to keep using the same software was not a reasonable path forward.

It’s a rare moment of legal intervention in what has otherwise been a Broadcom-controlled narrative. And while it does set a precedent, it is by no means a scalable solution. Most organisations can’t rely on a court order to secure the stability they need. And while the ruling has legal force in the Netherlands, Broadcom has given no indication that it will apply the same flexibility elsewhere.

The underlying issue is the same, and it’s not going anywhere - there is no longer a clear or consistent path for perpetual licence holders to retain access to Broadcom’s in-house support. Negotiated renewals, reseller contracts, and patch access - all now fall under Broadcom’s shifting terms.

Shifting the burden onto the channel

There’s also something else at play here. Support pathways that used to lead directly to VMware are increasingly being diverted through distribution partners. In some cases, those partners are expected to absorb the first tiers of technical support, without the depth or direct access required to resolve more complex issues.

This reshuffling of the support model introduces new pressure points. Customers who believed they were paying for VMware-backed assistance may now find themselves relying on channel intermediaries, with longer response times and fewer guarantees.

It’s also bad news for partners, who must now absorb the cost and complexity of delivering technical support at scale, without always having the resources or incentives to do so.

The result is a support experience that varies by geography, partner, and licensing status. It’s less about quality and more about containment. Even for customers who agree to the subscription model, the value of what they’re buying may already be diminished.

Broadcom’s next move - and yours

This is not simply a case of Broadcom asking customers to cough up for more. What’s far more insidious is the balance of power shifting in Broadcom’s favour, with customers having to give up control.

You don’t get to choose when you move. You don’t get to opt out of subscriptions. And increasingly, you don’t get to decide how, or by whom, you’re supported.

The Dutch court decision shows that enforcement is not always the same as execution. But it also highlights how fragile the customer-supplier relationship has become. VMware may comply with the court today, but there’s no guarantee of how that will play out elsewhere. For most organisations, litigation is not a realistic route to stability. This is why more and more are looking for alternatives that de-risk the path forward, whether that’s with or without VMware. Crucially, organisations are looking to achieve this without introducing new uncertainty in the process.

Options remain, but within limits

There are still paths available for organisations that want to avoid a rushed migration away from VMware or a costly subscription agreement. But those paths are narrowing. And increasingly, the decision isn’t about technology, it’s about risk posture.

How much legal exposure are you prepared to tolerate? How confident are you in the clarity of your contracts? How resilient is your current support structure, now that responsibility may fall outside the vendor?

These are operational questions, but they’re also strategic ones. Because even if a system is technically stable, the surrounding environment - support, licensing, enforcement - is anything but.

The case for stability

Third-party support models are often seen as a stopgap - a way to buy time while planning a migration or re-architecting the future. But in the current environment, they’ve become something else: a means of reclaiming control.

With no agenda to drive you into a subscription, no licensing traps, and no hidden enforcement clauses, third-party software providers offer VMware customers clarity. You know what’s supported. And most importantly, you know the rules aren’t going to change halfway through your renewal cycle. When you’re managing critical infrastructure, you can’t put a price on that kind of stability. 

Support isn’t just about resolving tickets. It underpins operational confidence. It shapes planning, investment, and long-term strategy. Without it, even the best-run systems are exposed. Enforcement, pricing, and support models are all moving targets, but stability matters. And right now, stability doesn’t come from Broadcom. It comes from stepping outside that model entirely. 

Iain Saunderson is CTO at Spinnaker Support