Western Union zaps VMware and moves to Nutanix
Summary
Western Union has begun migrating from VMware to Nutanix, citing difficulties partnering with Broadcom and concerns over VMware’s revised licensing and Cloud Foundation direction. The financial-services firm is roughly six months into a migration that covers between 900 and 1,200 applications running on a 3,900-core server estate.
Western Union’s tech lead described the Nutanix relationship as “symbiotic,” noting contractual continuity assurances and technical benefits such as greater flexibility for workload placement — important for an organisation that must run apps in-country across more than 200 jurisdictions. The migration is early-stage and involves refactoring, replatforming or retiring older apps as required.
Key Points
- Western Union is migrating 900–1,200 applications (about 3,900 cores) from VMware to Nutanix.
- The move was driven by challenges partnering with Broadcom and concerns over VMware’s licensing/Cloud Foundation costs.
- Nutanix offered continuity assurances during negotiations, reducing concerns about potential acquisition risk.
- Technical advantages cited include more flexible workload placement to meet in‑country deployment requirements.
- The migration involves expected headaches: app refactoring, replatforming or decommissioning older software.
- Other customers, such as South Korea’s Everland theme park, have also moved off VMware; Nutanix claims it could be an option for many of VMware’s current customers.
Why should I read this?
Because if you manage enterprise infrastructure or worry about vendor lock‑in and licence bills, this is one of those stories that says: “Heads up — people are voting with their feet.” Western Union is a big name; its move shows the licence and partnership fallout with Broadcom is prompting real migrations, not just talk.
Context and Relevance
This story sits in a wider industry shift: post‑Broadcom, many organisations are reassessing VMware due to new licensing terms and cost increases. Nutanix and other alternatives are pitching flexibility and predictable commercial terms. For IT leaders, the article highlights practical migration realities (refactoring and pruning old workloads) and the strategic importance of supplier relationships and contractual assurances when choosing a new platform.