BEAR Technologies’ Swift 45-Day Transition from VMware to VergeIO
How an IaaS provider faced a licensing deadline and finished its conversion in less than 45 days
Summary
BEAR Technologies faced a VMware licensing change that would push its annual commitment from five figures to seven figures within 45 days. The team researched and tested five alternatives and selected VergeOS for its integrated storage and networking, fast VM migration, multi-tenancy and scalability. BEAR converted its existing servers in place, one at a time, and completed the move in less than 45 days.
A licensing deadline became a faster, simpler IaaS platform.
About BEAR Technologies
BEAR Technologies is a managed service provider (MSP) specializing in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). BEAR delivers comprehensive IT infrastructure services so its customers can focus on the software their business operations depend on. The company also offers on-premises hardware and software for customers who need localized solutions.
As an IaaS provider, BEAR runs infrastructure that dozens of customers share. A single hardware outage can affect many of them at once, so the platform underneath has to be resilient and easy to operate.
A 45-Day Licensing Deadline
At the beginning of 2024, Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware brought a new licensing scheme. Companies like BEAR now had to commit to a minimum purchase of cores. For BEAR, that change meant its annual commitment to VMware would jump from five figures to seven figures within 45 days.
Evaluating Five Alternatives
The price increase prompted BEAR to evaluate five VMware alternatives: Proxmox, Nutanix, Scale Computing, Virtuozzo and VergeIO. The team researched and tested each one against the needs of its IaaS business. Each option had strengths, and BEAR measured them against four requirements: storage and networking integrated with the hypervisor, a fast path off VMware, multi-tenancy and the ability to scale with its customer base.
Choosing VergeIO
After exhaustive research and testing, BEAR selected VergeIO. The team was impressed by how tightly VergeOS integrates storage and networking services into the hypervisor. The fast, seamless migration of VMware virtual machines to VergeOS was another critical factor. The cloud-native design of VergeOS, including multi-tenancy and strong scalability, also played a central role in the decision.
In-Place Migration on Existing Hardware
BEAR set out to use its existing hardware and reached that goal with a few upgrades to storage and memory. The VergeIO technical support team quickly resolved the issues that came up during the proof of concept. BEAR President Yogi Yeager called it “the best vendor technical support he has ever received in the industry.”
From that point, testing proceeded smoothly and BEAR moved VergeOS into production. Using the VergeOS migration capabilities, the team performed an in-place migration, converting one server at a time with minimal downtime. Networking integration was just as smooth, and the converted servers connected to the same switches and VLANs.
Done in Less Than 45 Days
BEAR completed the entire conversion in less than 45 days. For an IaaS provider, removing single points of failure is critical. BEAR uses VergeIO ioGuardian, which maintains a continuously updated third copy of data. If multiple drives or servers fail, ioGuardian delivers the missing data segments inline to the affected VMs.
A Simpler, Faster Platform
Operationally, BEAR has seen significant improvements. With storage, virtualization and networking integrated in one platform, BEAR needs no external applications to maintain high service levels. VergeOS is faster and more responsive, which removes the delays BEAR used to see during complex tasks.
One platform
Storage, virtualization and networking run together in VergeOS, with no external applications to maintain service levels.
Faster response
VergeOS is faster and more responsive, with no waiting during complex tasks.
Built for IaaS
Multi-tenancy and scalability come with the platform, matching how BEAR delivers services.
| Area | Before | After: VergeOS |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Minimum core commitment, five to seven figures | VergeOS licensing |
| Hardware | Existing servers | Same servers, with storage and memory upgrades |
| Migration | Not applicable | In place, one server at a time, minimal downtime |
| Networking | Existing switches and VLANs | Same switches and VLANs |
| Resilience | Single points of failure a concern | ioGuardian third copy with inline recovery |
| Operations | Delays during complex tasks | Faster and more responsive |
Four More Data Centers
BEAR plans to extend the VergeOS rollout to its remaining four data centers. The company will also begin replacing VMware with VergeOS for its on-premises customers.
The Bottom Line
BEAR’s transition from VMware to VergeIO shows how an MSP can respond to a major licensing change and improve service delivery in the same move. With VergeOS, BEAR now runs a scalable, efficient and cost-effective IaaS platform that meets its customers’ needs.
A 45-day deadline turned into a 45-day migration.
See What VergeOS Does for Your Environment
BEAR converted its existing servers to VergeOS in place, one at a time, in less than 45 days. Talk with a VergeIO engineer about what that path looks like for your infrastructure.