It had been a few weeks since a new Broadcom decision affecting partners who still leverage VMware solutions for clients. So, naturally, that had to change, and Broadcom stirred the pot yet again, announcing a significant reduction in the amount of partners eligible to continue servicing customers directly.
Why confusion, anger, and fear don’t have to inform business planning for impacted partners
Last week, on July 15, Broadcom began notifying partners that it would discontinue its current VMware Advantage Partner Program, effective October 31, 2025. The program that takes effect on November 1 is an invite-only approach that has significantly reduced the total number of authorized partners available for VMware solutions.
As with other changes to program eligibility made by the powerhouse, this recent action caught partners by surprise and left many reeling with a looming deadline. With MSPs worldwide scrambling to determine next steps for their clients (and their own practices), it’s easy to see the confusion and panic spin out into anger online.
And while that’s probably necessary for a moment in time, there’s a potential silver lining here: demonstrating to clients just how important a partner is by resolving this situation effectively.
TJ Houske, CEO of MSP OTAVA, knows the balance between emotion and action well. As a longtime VMware and now Broadcom partner, the last two years have been a rollercoaster, but one that is ultimately worth staying on for the company.
OTAVA has confirmed it is still an authorized partner following the program reorganization.
For its part, Broadcom told ITPro the changes are part of ongoing efforts to streamline the way the company works within the channel and go deeper with select partners.
“Recent changes to this ecosystem are consistent with this strategy. Broadcom is focusing more and going deeper with the VCSPs who have demonstrated commitment to their cloud services built on VMware,” the spokesperson added.
Houske also sees much of the anger and frustration shared online as understandable but ultimately unhelpful for customers, who are often watching this unfold without clarity around how it will impact their organizations.
“There’s a lot of noise, and customers and partners have more access than ever before to sharing things, so news hits the streets much faster than it used to,” Houske said. “That noise, though, ends up blurring fact and fiction, and then customers end up saying, ‘I’m hearing a lot about this but I don’t know how it affects me,’ and that’s where we need to make that clearer.”
Of course, when Broadcom (and any other vendor) drops significant announcements impacting potentially thousands of customers without much warning, it’s easy to jump into panic and try to just talk your way out of those emotions.
As Houske and other partners who remain authorized within the program work through what it all will mean, he acknowledges the uncertainty while also focusing on the actions partners can take up until the Oct. 31 deadline.
Why Houske wants to ensure affected partners have a partner of their own to turn to
Houske has said publicly, and reiterated to Channel Insider, that he has an “open-door policy” when it comes to fellow solutions and service providers who need to determine how to best support their VMware customers moving forward.
“The position I’m taking is that we’re going to be a partner to partners, and I see that as a real responsibility,” Houske said. “I want to be here to listen, of course, but I also want to help partners find the practical next step here. Let’s look at this all and say okay, now how can we partner together to keep customers supported.”
“Nobody needs to reinforce fear, and while this affects me too in other ways, I get to give some clarity and give partners options in the ultimate spirit of partnership here,” Houske continued, noting that he wants partners to remember the rest of their businesses have not changed just because of the Broadcom-specific components.
Houske and the OTAVA team are now focused on working with their peers to establish new ways of working together ahead of the deadline, aiming to minimize disruption and enable partners to keep their customers’ non-VMware services within their remit.
A blog post on the OTAVA website from last week emphasizes that the MSP wants to partner with, not compete against, its peers as they identify the next steps in a new Broadcom world.
Recent round of changes serves as one more reason to consider tech carefully
For partners who will not remain with Broadcom after the Oct. 31 deadline, questions remain about whether customers will prefer to work with a new provider or migrate entirely off VMware technology. When and where migration is the preferred move, customers have more choice available than ever before, according to Kevin Dattolico, Regional CEO, Americas for Syntax Systems.
“It really feels like this is the best time something so disruptive could have happened, because there’s never been so many options for customers,” Dattolico said in a recent interview with Channel Insider. “We have a lot of options when it comes to licensing and hosting, and the hyperscalers and other major players are evolving. You don’t necessarily need to consume VMware the way Broadcom wants you to.”
As Houske says, though, VMware was a dominant force in the market for decades because so many organizations found the technology useful. Now, he hopes partners can find the best solution for each of their customers and move forward productively.
“It is an established and proven product. People are talking about the business decisions made by Broadcom, but they aren’t talking about the VMware solutions themselves, because those remain popular,” Houske said.
When migration isn’t the preferred option, partners will need to work with peers who Broadcom still authorizes to integrate the necessary VMware capabilities while maintaining their relationships with customers through other offerings.
If you are a partner considering all of the options available to your customers, consider our guide to the top VMware alternatives.