Maximizing Value from Existing VMware Perpetual Licenses

Maximizing Value from Existing VMware Perpetual Licenses

Although Broadcom has terminated the sale of VMware perpetual licenses, any licenses you purchased before this change remain valid for indefinite use.

In other words, you still own the right to run the VMware software versions you’ve bought on the originally licensed hosts for as long as you need.

The challenge now is maximizing the value of those sunk-cost licenses without breaching compliance, compromising security, or losing leverage in future negotiations with Broadcom.

This guide explains how to strategically use your legacy VMware entitlements on your terms.

Read our comprehensive guide, Termination of VMware Perpetual Licenses: What Enterprises Can Do.

Maximizing Value from Existing VMware Perpetual Licenses

Even in 2025, “perpetual” still means you have time-unlimited usage rights to the software version you purchased.

However, it’s crucial to understand what those rights truly entail post-Broadcom acquisition:

• The right to use never expires: If you bought a VMware license, you can legally run that licensed software version indefinitely. There is no date by which your environment must be shut down just because support ended.
• The right to upgrade or patch does expire: While you may run existing versions, you are not entitled to product upgrades, updates, or security patches once your support contract expires. Perpetual licenses don’t include ongoing updates — those came only with active support (which Broadcom no longer renews for perpetual contracts).
• No involuntary revocation: Broadcom cannot unilaterally revoke your perpetual license rights. You own the software as-is and can continue to deploy it on the licensed CPUs/hosts. However, Broadcom can restrict access to download portals and technical support. You keep what you downloaded and installed, but nothing more.
• Ownership vs. support: The fine line is that owning the software isn’t the same as being entitled to maintenance. You have control of the software you paid for, but you’re on your own for fixes unless you make other support arrangements.

Pro Tip: “Perpetual means time-unlimited rights — not support without limits.” In practice, that means planning to run what you have but not expecting new patches or version updates beyond your original purchase scope.

Understanding What “Perpetual” Still Means in 2025

A perpetual VMware license is effectively a one-time purchase of a specific version.

As of 2025, this still grants you indefinite usage of that version. If your infrastructure is running vSphere 7.0 on perpetual licenses, you can continue running vSphere 7.0 next year, the year after, or as long as it remains technically viable. Time does not invalidate your entitlement.

What does change is the support status. If your support and subscription (SnS) contract has lapsed (and Broadcom no longer offers renewals for perpetuals), you lose access to official updates and patches.

This means you must freeze your environment at its current software levels. Upgrading to a newer major release (for example, vSphere 8.x) would require moving to a subscription license model or having had an active support contract up to that version’s release. Without one of those, upgrading would violate the license terms.

It’s also worth noting that perpetual licenses are tied to your purchased capacity.

You can’t suddenly use more CPU sockets or deploy new hosts beyond what you originally bought licenses for, at least not without breaking compliance.

However, since you still own the license, you can reinstall or move it to new hardware (if the software version supports that hardware)—just keep meticulous records (we’ll cover that in the compliance section).

In summary, your VMware perpetual licenses in 2025 will still allow you to lawfully run your existing VMware environments, but only within the boundaries of the versions and quantities you’ve licensed. There’s no automatic entitlement to future software binaries or fixes.

Where Legacy VMware Still Delivers Value

Just because a VMware environment is no longer getting updates doesn’t mean it has no business value. On the contrary, many enterprise workloads can continue running on older VMware versions without issue.

Here are the “contained, compliant value zones” where legacy VMware deployments excel:

• Stable Infrastructure: Perpetual-licensed vSphere is ideal for static, low-change workloads that don’t need frequent updates. For example, an internal business application running fine for years on vSphere 6.7 doesn’t suddenly need vSphere 8. If the infrastructure is stable and performance is sufficient, an older VMware platform can continue to deliver value without additional spend.
• Test & Development Environments: Non-production labs and testing environments are excellent candidates for keeping on legacy VMware. These environments often operate on tighter budgets and can tolerate a bit more risk. By extending the life of your test/dev lab on existing perpetual licenses, you avoid new costs and can allocate budget to more critical areas.
• Disaster Recovery Sites: Cold standby DR clusters or backup sites can legally reuse perpetual licenses as long as they’re not running active workloads day-to-day. If you have an off-site DR environment that only spins up during emergencies or tests, running it on your old VMware licenses can be a smart way to save money. You maintain a recovery capability without doubling your license costs.
• Edge or Remote Offices: Remote locations or edge deployments (factories, branch offices, etc.) often don’t require the latest and greatest features. These non-core sites can benefit from sunk-cost software – you’ve already paid for the VMware licenses, so keep using them there. As long as the site’s workloads are self-contained and not internet-facing, an older vSphere version can serve reliably.

In all these scenarios, the key is that legacy VMware is deployed in contained roles where its limitations (no new features, potential security gaps) can be managed. Use your perpetual licenses where stability and cost savings matter more than access to new VMware capabilities.

Pro Tip: “Keep legacy where stability matters more than innovation.” In practice, that means using older VMware setups for steady workloads and non-critical environments, while reserving your budget and new licenses for areas that truly need modern features or top-notch security.

Read our VMware Subscription Migration and Cost Modeling Strategy.

The Compliance Guardrails

Running VMware on expired support contracts is legal – you paid for those perpetual licenses – but it comes with strict conditions.

To avoid crossing into non-compliance or triggering vendor penalties, you need to stay within certain guardrails:

• No Patches or Updates Post-Support: Once your support expires, you cannot download or apply any VMware patches, updates, or new releases for those licenses. If you missed an update while you were supported, that’s unfortunate – legally, you’re not allowed to obtain it afterward. Broadcom has clarified that using updates dated after your support lapse violates intellectual property rights.
• Don’t Mix and Match in Production: It’s strongly advised not to mix supported and unsupported licenses within the same cluster or environment. For example, avoid having some hosts on subscription (getting patches) and some on perpetual (no patches) under one vCenter without clear separation. This isn’t a hard legal rule, but mixing versions or support statuses can tempt fate – you might accidentally apply a patch across the board or use a newer feature on an unsupported host. Keep legacy clusters isolated from those under active support to maintain clarity and compliance.
• No Backdoor Upgrades: Resist any temptation to obtain VMware software through unofficial means (like using a partner’s download portal, trial license downloads, or “borrowed” ISOs) to upgrade an unsupported environment. Any upgrade or patch requires a valid entitlement. Broadcom’s enforcement is strict – even if technology allows you to install an update, your lack of a license makes it non-compliant.
• Active Enforcement by Broadcom: Be aware that Broadcom is actively policing these rules. Cease-and-desist letters have been reported: companies running VMware perpetual environments have been formally warned to remove any post-support updates or face legal consequences. Audit threats are real. This aggressive stance is new in the industry, signaling Broadcom will not ignore unsupported use if it drifts out of bounds.

To be safe, institute an internal compliance regimen for your legacy VMware. Treat the license terms like any regulatory requirement, which means documentation and vigilance.

Compliance Checklist: Before you continue operating an out-of-support VMware environment, verify the following:

• License Ownership Confirmed: Verify that you have proof of purchase and entitlement for every perpetual license. Know exactly which licenses (edition, version, and capacity) you own.
• Environment Documented: Document the VMware version and build number running on each host or cluster using legacy licenses. Also note which hardware each license is tied to (or the quantity of CPUs). This creates a clear snapshot of only running what you’re entitled to.
• No Unauthorized Updates Applied: Cross-check that no patches or upgrades dated after your support expiration have been installed. If they have, you must remove them to return to a compliant state. This includes even minor security patches – they count as VMware intellectual property you’re no longer licensed to use post-support.
• Offline Records and Proof: Keep copies of your license keys, contracts, purchase orders, and deployment records offline and secure. In the event of an audit or support portal lockout, your own records are your proof and defense. Don’t rely solely on VMware’s old portal for evidence of what you own.

Staying within these guardrails ensures you operate legally and transparently. If Broadcom or any auditor comes knocking, you’ll be prepared to demonstrate that you’re using your perpetual licenses responsibly and not exploiting any gray areas.

Pro Tip: “In an audit, your paperwork is your perimeter.” Solid documentation can stop an uncomfortable discussion from escalating. If you clearly show what licenses you have and how they match your deployments (with no sneaky patches in play), auditors will have little ground to stand on.

Read – Legal Considerations of End-of-Life VMware Licensing.

How to Secure Unsupported VMware Environments

One of the biggest concerns with using out-of-support software is the security risk. New vulnerabilities in VMware products won’t be patched in your environment, which could expose you.

The solution is adopting a “compensating controls” approach: if you can’t patch the software, you fortify everything around it.

Treat these legacy systems as high-risk assets and put extra security layers in place:

• Isolate Legacy Systems: Run unsupported VMware clusters in a separate network segment or VLAN. Physically and logically isolate them from the internet and your most sensitive internal networks. By containing legacy hosts, you limit an attacker’s ability to reach them or pivot elsewhere if one is compromised.
• Block Internet Access: No reason an ESXi host or vCenter on a legacy setup should access the public Internet. Block all outbound internet traffic from those management interfaces and VMs unless absolutely required. This prevents malware on an unpatched system from calling home or downloading more payloads. It also reduces exposure to direct attacks.
• Tighten Admin Access: Strengthen identity and access management for these systems. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for any login to vCenter or management consoles. Use unique, strong credentials and rotate them regularly. Keep the number of administrators minimal and closely monitored. Ensuring only authorized, verified admins get in reduces the chance of compromised credentials leading to a breach.
• Continuous Monitoring: Deploy advanced security monitoring on legacy VMware environments. For example, use an Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) agent inside critical VMs and an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) on the network segment. These tools can alert you to suspicious behavior (like a known exploit attempt) since you can’t rely on patching to block it. Early detection might be your only warning.
• Harden Configurations: Go through VMware security hardening guides for your version and disable any services or features you don’t need. Close ports, turn off SSH on hosts if not used, remove old VMware Tools versions from VMs, etc. Reducing the attack surface is essential when you can’t apply security updates.
• Frequent Vulnerability Scans: Run quarterly (or more frequent) vulnerability scans against your legacy vSphere environment. Identify which known CVEs apply to your version. For each critical vulnerability found, implement mitigations if possible (for example, a firewall rule to block an exploitable port, or a workaround configuration VMware might have suggested instead of a patch).

While these steps won’t magically eliminate risk, they significantly lower the odds of a successful attack on your unsupported VMware systems. Think of it as wrapping your legacy environment in layers of protection to compensate for its inherent weaknesses.

Remember, if an unsupported ESXi host gets compromised, you likely won’t get much help from VMware/Broadcom. It’s on you to prevent and detect problems proactively.

Pro Tip: “If you can’t patch, you must contain.” In other words, a lack of vendor patches means you take on the responsibility to quarantine and guard those systems as if they were always under siege. It’s not optional.

Extending Lifecycle Through Third-Party or Hybrid Support

Just because VMware won’t support your perpetual-license systems anymore doesn’t mean you have to fly completely solo. Many enterprises are turning to third-party support providers to extend the useful life of legacy VMware environments.

In addition, a hybrid approach – mixing subscription and perpetual deployments – can optimize risk and cost. Let’s explore these options:

Third-Party VMware Support: A niche industry of independent support companies has emerged to fill the gap that Broadcom’s policy change left. These firms (specialized enterprise support vendors) offer services for outdated VMware versions.

What they typically provide is:

• Break-fix assistance: If you encounter a known issue or bug on your legacy VMware version, a third-party support team can help troubleshoot and provide guidance (often drawing on ex-VMware engineers or extensive lab setups). They won’t be able to give you official patches, but they might suggest configurations or workarounds to resolve problems.
• Security advisories and mitigation: When new VMware vulnerabilities (CVEs) are announced, third-party support can advise you on mitigating them in your older version. This could mean providing custom scripts, recommending network changes, or creatively backporting fixes. Since you can’t get official security fixes, they become your knowledge base and consultancy.
• Access to expertise and updates: Even without patches, it’s valuable to have experts on call who know your VMware version in depth. Third-party support often retains documentation and technical knowledge for legacy versions you might lose access to once VMware’s site restricts you. They can also guide you through administrative issues or performance tuning.
• Cost savings: Critically, third-party support is usually much cheaper than renewing official support (had that even been an option). Many organizations see 40–60% lower support costs by going this route. You trade off direct vendor backing for cost efficiency and a degree of self-reliance with expert help.

Hybrid Support Models: Another strategic approach combines subscription and perpetual environments based on workload criticality. Not every system in your VMware estate needs the full premium support.

For example:

• Mission-Critical Systems: High-availability production applications, customer-facing services, or anything under strict compliance might be put on Broadcom’s subscription (or a modern VMware Cloud offering) to ensure you have the latest patches and direct vendor support. This addresses risk where it matters most.
• Secondary/Lower-Tier Systems: Non-critical workloads, internal tools, or archival systems might continue on perpetual licenses without active support (possibly with third-party support as a backstop). If these systems can tolerate more risk or occasional downtime, you save a lot by not converting them to subscription immediately.
• This hybrid approach might also involve using subscriptions for core infrastructure like central vCenter servers or management clusters while letting satellite clusters (e.g., in test labs or remote offices) run legacy perpetually.

The key is intentional segmentation. By dividing your VMware estate into tiers, you apply expensive Broadcom support only where justified, and sweat your existing assets elsewhere. This maximizes ROI on what you already paid for, without recklessly exposing the business.

To help determine where a legacy (unsupported) VMware deployment is viable versus where you should upgrade, consider the following decision matrix:

Decision Table — Legacy Viability

Use cases with a “High” viability can safely stay on perpetual licenses longer, especially if mitigations are in place. The compliance risk remains low as long as you follow the guardrails. As you move to critical or exposed systems, the viability of legacy use drops, and the compliance/security risk rises — those are strong candidates to migrate sooner.

Pro Tip: “Run mixed strategies — not mixed messages.” In other words, tailor your support approach to the needs of each environment, but be clear internally about why.

It’s perfectly acceptable to have a dual approach (some VMware instances legacy, some updated) as long as everyone understands the plan. Don’t let Broadcom’s one-size-fits-all narrative pressure you into unnecessary conversions.

Financial and Strategic Benefits

Continuing to leverage your existing perpetual licenses isn’t just a technical decision — it can be a smart financial strategy. CIOs and IT leaders facing budget constraints are understandably wary of Broadcom’s subscription model, which often means a steep cost jump (turning a one-time CapEx into a recurring OpEx).

By holding onto your perpetual licenses in the near term, you gain financial breathing space in several ways:

• Avoiding OpEx Shock: Broadcom’s new pricing can dramatically inflate VMware costs year over year. Sticking with your paid-for licenses avoids an immediate budget shock. You’re not suddenly paying 100%+ more for the same functionality, which helps keep operating expenses stable.
• Deferring Expenditure: Every month you run on perpetual (unsupported) software, you defer spending on new licenses or subscriptions. This bought time can be crucial if you’re waiting for budget approval, hardware refresh cycles, or simply wanting to stretch your current investment’s value. There’s value in delay when the alternative is locking into higher costs.
• Leverage in Negotiations: If and when you do enter discussions with Broadcom (or any vendor) about upgrades, the fact that you could continue to run your environment as-is gives you leverage. Broadcom knows customers can stay on old versions or even migrate off VMware entirely. By showing that you’re prepared to continue with what you have (securely and legally), you pressure the vendor to offer better terms to win your business. For example, you might negotiate credits for your existing licenses, caps on price increases, or more favorable contract terms in recognition of your ability to walk away.
• Avoiding Rushed Decisions: Financially, using what you already own buys you time to make strategic technology decisions without panic. You can evaluate alternative platforms (cloud, other hypervisors), consider application modernization, or wait to see if Broadcom adjusts its pricing over the next year or two. Not being forced into a quick (and costly) migration reduces the risk of overspending or investing in the wrong solution out of urgency.
• Preserving Business Continuity: Lastly, there’s a non-tangible but important benefit: staying on a known, stable platform can avoid the hidden costs of a rushed migration (like staff retraining, migration consultants, or unplanned downtime). Those factors have budget impacts, too. By transitioning to your timeline, you likely save money by doing it more efficiently later.

Maximizing the life of your perpetual VMware licenses can save significant money in the short term and improve your negotiating hand for the long term. Instead of reacting to Broadcom’s schedule, you maintain control over IT spending.

When to Retire Legacy Systems

No matter how much value you squeeze from legacy VMware, there will come a time when keeping those old systems is no longer worth the risk or effort. It’s important to define clear triggers for when a perpetual-license environment should be retired or migrated.

Watch for these signs that it’s time to modernize:

• Hardware Refresh Cycles: If the physical servers or storage running your VMware environment are due for replacement, it can force the issue. New hardware might not be certified for your older ESXi version, or drivers may be unavailable. For example, if you’re replacing hosts with a next-gen CPU or device that vSphere 6.5 doesn’t support, you’ll have to either upgrade the software (subscription) or retire that cluster. Plan for the end of life of hardware as a natural point to also retire the legacy VMware software on it.
• Security/Compliance Demands: Over time, an unsupported VMware environment’s security posture will degrade relative to new threats and compliance requirements. You might reach a point where known vulnerabilities are unpatched and regulators or cyber insurance auditors flag the environment as unacceptable. If you find yourself investing more and more effort in isolating or mitigating risks for an old cluster, it may indicate that the gap is too wide. Especially for any systems touching sensitive data or governed by strict regulations, there’s a threshold beyond which running unpatched software is untenable.
• Diminishing Internal Expertise: Legacy systems often stick around because someone on the team “knows them inside out.” But as years pass, the IT staff changes. If you notice that expertise in the old VMware version is fading – say, your veteran admin retires or the team is now more skilled in new platforms – that’s a risk. You don’t want critical knowledge of vSphere 6.x operation or troubleshooting to walk out the door. If nobody is truly comfortable managing or recovering the old environment, it’s time to migrate before an incident tests your capabilities.
• Escalating Support Costs (Indirect): While avoiding official support fees, consider the hidden costs of keeping a legacy setup. Are you paying a premium for third-party support year after year? Are the isolation measures and custom security controls consuming excessive administrator time or tools budget? There is a point where the money and effort spent sustaining the old system could be better spent on modern infrastructure that requires less babysitting. When the cost of containment outweighs the savings, the legacy advantage vanishes.

The goal is to recognize these conditions in advance and have a plan. Don’t let an outage or audit be when you realize you should have upgraded. Instead, incorporate these triggers into your IT roadmap.

For example, you might decide: “In 18 months, that edge cluster hardware is end-of-life; by then, we will have migrated it to a new platform.” Or “If a critical CVE hits our vCenter 7.0 and we can’t patch, we will fast-track the move to a supported version.”

Importantly, the retirement of legacy systems should be phased and orderly, not a fire drill. Prioritize upgrades for the systems with the highest risk and plan them in waves. This way, you modernize according to business priorities, not Broadcom’s deadline.

Pro Tip: “Plan your retirement; don’t let Broadcom dictate it.” In other words, decide to retire or upgrade legacy VMware based on your technical and business timeline, not simply because the vendor wants to end support. With careful planning, you’ll transition out of your perpetual licenses when ready, ensuring continuity and minimizing cost spikes.

Building a Controlled Transition Roadmap

You need a controlled transition roadmap to successfully navigate from a VMware perpetual license estate to the future (be it subscriptions, cloud, or alternative platforms). This ensures you remain compliant and secure throughout while preserving negotiating leverage.

Here is a straightforward sequence to follow:

1. Inventory Everything: Compile a full inventory of your VMware environment. List all perpetual license entitlements you own (products, versions, editions, quantities) and map them to the actual hosts or clusters where they’re deployed. Also note support end dates (for historical reference) and any active subscriptions in use. This inventory is the foundation of your plan.
2. Classify by Criticality and Risk: For each system or workload running on VMware, assign a criticality level and assess its exposure. Is it customer-facing or internal? Does it handle sensitive data? What would be the impact if it were compromised or went down? Also consider how frequently it changes or needs updates. This classification will highlight which systems must stay updated and which can safely remain static.
3. Decide a Path for Each Workload: Based on the classification, determine the strategic path for each system:
   • Stay on Legacy: If it’s low-risk, low-change (e.g., a test lab or an isolated tool), plan to keep it on the perpetual license indefinitely or until hardware forces a change.
   • Hybrid Support: If it’s moderately important but you want to delay full migration, consider third-party support or containing it in a way that mitigates risk. This might be a medium-term solution for mid-tier internal apps.
   • Migrate to Subscription/Modern Platform: If it’s high-risk or mission-critical (needing patches or new features), schedule it for transition to Broadcom’s subscription licensing or perhaps to a cloud or different hypervisor if that’s in your strategy.
4. Implement Controls and Support: For those designated to remain on legacy, apply the compensating security controls discussed earlier and engage third-party support if chosen. Essentially, fortify the systems you are keeping. For those who plan to migrate, start the groundwork (test upgrades in labs, engage vendors for pricing). Ensure every system has some form of coverage – technical controls or a support contract – during the transition period.
5. Revisit and Refine Quarterly: This roadmap shouldn’t be static. Review your VMware estate plan every quarter or at least a couple of times per year. Align it with budget cycles and new information (like Broadcom releasing a must-have feature or changing prices). Update the plan as business priorities shift. This disciplined review ensures no legacy system gets forgotten and no migration happens without intention.

By following a structured plan, you maintain full control over the timeline and cost of change. You’ll never find yourself scrambling because a license suddenly went invalid (since perpetual doesn’t expire) or Broadcom surprised you with an ultimatum. Each quarter, you’ll know where you stand and can adjust course proactively.

The above approach reflects a compliance-first mindset: you’re always aware of what’s compliant, and you’re choosing when and how to move to next-generation platforms in a way that balances risk and budget. This methodical planning is far superior to a panicked, vendor-driven migration.

Five Strategic Recommendations

Finally, to summarize and crystallize the guidance, here are five strategic recommendations for any enterprise with VMware perpetual licenses:

1. Segment by Risk, Not by Vendor Narrative: Treat your VMware estate as a spectrum of risk and business importance. Separate the workloads that require the latest support from those that don’t. Don’t feel pressured to migrate everything just because Broadcom says so. By segmenting based on risk, you optimize costs and avoid unnecessary disruption. In short, modernize where you must, and don’t migrate stable systems just to “stay current.”
2. Document Everything Now: Create a central registry of your VMware assets and entitlements. Include what you own, where it’s deployed, and its support status. This documentation isn’t just for compliance – it’s a negotiation asset. In future discussions with Broadcom, you can firmly demonstrate what you have and what it would cost them to replace it. Good documentation is also your shield in an audit, proving that you control your licenses and usage.
3. Adopt a Dual-Speed Strategy: Embrace a two-track IT strategy. On one track, innovate and upgrade where it delivers clear ROI (for example, new projects that benefit from modern VMware features or cloud integrations). On the other hand, extend the life of systems that work fine. This dual-speed approach lets you capture innovation value without discarding stable investments prematurely. It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition – you can be both cutting-edge and cost-conscious by carefully choosing which systems go on which track.
4. Leverage Perpetuals in Negotiation: Your existing licenses have real monetary value – they represent the cost you’d avoid by not buying new subscriptions. Use that to your advantage. When negotiating with Broadcom (or any successor vendor), insist on terms that respect your current investment. This could mean getting credit for your perpetual licenses toward subscription pricing, setting caps on future increases, or aligning renewal terms to avoid lock-in. Make it clear you have options (like staying on legacy or going elsewhere), and extract concessions in return for your commitment.
5. Work With an Independent Advisor: Navigating the post-Broadcom VMware landscape can be complex. Consider bringing in an independent licensing and compliance advisor before you make big moves. A third-party expert can validate your strategy, provide unbiased total cost of ownership (TCO) models, and ensure you’re not buying more than you need. They’ll help you see through vendor sales pitches and focus on facts. This outside perspective often pays for itself by preventing overspend and compliance missteps. It’s like having a seasoned negotiator and strategist on your side of the table.

By following these recommendations, you’ll keep control over your VMware estate’s destiny. The goal is to run VMware legally, securely, and cost-effectively on your terms.

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