The Business Case Is Compelling
If VMware’s recent licensing changes have you rethinking your infrastructure strategy, you’re not alone. Organizations across every sector are discovering that Azure Local is the smart path beyond VMware which offers more than just cost relief—it’s a proven pathway to genuine infrastructure modernization.
Recent enterprise deployments have demonstrated 30% reductions in total cost of ownership over five years when migrating from VMware to Azure Local. These savings stem from three key factors: avoiding VMware license renewals, leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit, and consolidating server footprints by up to 50% with modern, high-density hardware.
The licensing story alone deserves attention. Azure Local costs $10 per core monthly, but drops to $0 with existing Windows Server Datacenter licenses through Azure Hybrid Benefit. For organizations already invested in Microsoft licensing, this effectively makes the platform free from a software perspective.
Beyond VMware replacement, Azure Local modernizes aging three-tier SAN infrastructures with hyperconverged architecture. Organizations reduce power consumption while gaining performance through all-NVMe storage configurations with Storage Spaces Direct, delivering exceptional IOPS for demanding workloads.
Proven Technology, Not Experimental
This isn’t bleeding-edge risk. Built on mature technologies—Hyper-V for virtualization, Storage Spaces Direct for storage, and Software Defined Networking—Azure Local represents over 10 years of development and refinement. The platform already supports 1,000+ customer deployments managing 200+ petabytes of production data.
Gartner has recognized Microsoft as a hybrid cloud leader for three consecutive years, providing independent validation of the platform’s capabilities.
Azure Local scales from 1 to 16 nodes, making it viable for mid-market organizations, not just large enterprises. Whether you’re running a single cluster at headquarters or distributed infrastructure across branch offices, the architecture adapts to your requirements.
Hardware Partners Matter
Dell Technologies offers Azure Local through their APEX Cloud Platform, delivering integrated, validated solutions that streamline deployment. These premier solutions include hardware, deployment services, and integrated support—reducing implementation risk and accelerating time to value. Working with certified partners ensures your infrastructure arrives tested, validated, and ready for production workloads.
Straightforward Migration Path
Organizations are successfully migrating using Azure Migrate with minimal downtime through lift-and-shift approaches. By stretching existing VLANs across environments, migrations avoid complex re-IP addressing projects. The result? A unified management plane across on-premises and cloud environments, using the same Azure Portal, Azure Policy, and Azure Update Manager your teams already know.
Future-Ready Infrastructure
Beyond immediate cost savings, Azure Local positions your infrastructure for tomorrow’s requirements.
Run Azure Kubernetes Service on-premises for containerized applications.
Deploy Azure Virtual Desktop locally for enhanced performance.
Leverage Arc-enabled data services to modernize SQL environments with managed service capabilities
—all while maintaining data sovereignty and meeting compliance requirements for workloads that must remain on-premises.
Ready to explore what Azure Local could mean for your organization?
Contact GCSIT to schedule a no-obligation infrastructure assessment.