VMware is trying to exploit uncertainty among customers of Virtual Iron, the virtualization vendor recently acquired by Oracle, with a new “safe passage” plan that offers Virtual Iron users steep discounts on certain VMware products if they switch.
Specifically, VMware is offering 40 per cent discounts off list price for its vSphere 4 Advanced Edition and Enterprise Plus Edition, as well as vCenter Server Foundation and vCenter Server Standard.
In addition, the vendor will take 10 per cent off the cost of support and subscription contracts for one year on those products. Two- or three-year contracts don’t qualify for the discount, however.
The offer is valid through Sept. 30, according to VMware. Customers must prove they have a current Virtual Iron support contract, and the amount of Virtual Iron sockets listed on that contract must be the same or more than the number of CPUs of VMware product they buy.
VMware isn’t offering other key enticements, such as a fixed-price services engagement for handling the transition to its software.
VMware spokesman Nick Fuentes said via e-mail that the conversion process should be “pretty straightforward.”
Customers would install VMware vSphere 4 and its management tools, then use the no-charge VMware Converter software to change their Virtual Iron virtual machines into VMware formats, according to Fuentes. The company is also providing online technical resources to help with the switch, he said.
Oracle bought Virtual Iron in May to round out its Oracle VM product family. It was specifically interested in Virtual Iron’s dynamic resource management and rapid server provisioning capabilities, according to a FAQ document released earlier this year.