VMware quietly offers European users extended sales and support for low-end vSphere

VMware quietly extended sales and support for low-end vSphere products in Europe. The company announced vSphere Express, a new low-end product, in a November 4 blog post. A previously unseen paragraph revealed that vSphere Standard version 8 and vSphere Enterprise Plus version 8 will remain available for sale until October 31, 2027, with Extended Support included in active subscriptions until October 31, 2028.

Analyst Michael Warrilow sees this as a positive move for European organizations, potentially giving them up to 12 more months to transition to newer platforms. However, Warrilow urges customers to seek clarification on the specifics of the offer. VMware has promised to provide patches for perpetual license users, but it recently paused patch downloads.

Warrilow believes this concession may be due to regulatory pressure, as European authorities have opened an antitrust investigation into VMware's channel changes. CISPE, a lobby group, feels regulators are receptive to their arguments. The Register understands CISPE is advocating for regulatory action. VMware's decision may not significantly impact users, as it might not even encourage upgrades or migrations.

The company's chief product officer, Paul Turner, attributes the issue to incentives for channel partners, which VMware has since addressed. European users are hoping VMware has resolved the matter satisfactorily.