Microsoft and VMware have collaborated to offer Azure VMware Solution (AVS) in more than 30 Azure regions globally. AVS is a fully managed Microsoft service based on VMware Cloud Foundation, allowing customers to seamlessly migrate or extend VMware workloads to the cloud. Organizations can maintain their existing VMware skills and processes while leveraging Azure cloud services to modernize their applications, including AI innovation.
One customer, Hastings Direct, migrated to AVS and saw a 1.6x performance boost in applications, enabling them to adjust customer quotes faster and gain a competitive edge. They noted that AVS allowed them to move their legacy environment to the cloud, setting them up for further innovation with Azure AI services.
Microsoft and VMware, now under Broadcom, are committed to delivering AVS to customers and supporting them at every stage of their cloud journey. They continue to innovate and enhance AVS, with upcoming features including availability in new regions (Italy North and United Arab Emirates) and Azure Elastic Storage Area Network (SAN) for AVS.
Azure remains the optimal cloud for running Windows Server and SQL Server workloads, including those on AVS. Customers migrating their VMware workloads to AVS receive free extended security updates for Windows Server 2012 or SQL Server 2012, and can save significantly by applying Azure Hybrid Benefit to existing licenses. Multi-year Reserved Instances are also available to secure pricing for AVS.
