Gaining Confidence in Your VMware Exit Plan: Part 3

Tool Selection, Execution, and Cutover with Confidence

At this point in your VMware exit journey, you’ve completed Discovery and Assessment and evaluated both legacy and future IT requirements in the context of your broader hybrid cloud strategy.

With that foundation in place, the final phase of your VMware exit is where planning turns into action.

This phase focuses on tool selection, infrastructure preparation, and cutover logistics, the elements that ultimately determine whether your exit is smooth and predictable, or stressful and disruptive.

Tool Selection: Familiar Is Not Always Better

Ideally, you have selected a single platform that supports both Discovery & Assessment and Migration. This continuity reduces operational complexity, shortens timelines, and avoids duplicating effort across multiple tools.

Many people have some experience with replication tools, most often VMware based.  It's comfortable to select a tool that has the same look and feel as previous tools.  But replication inside a homogeneous VMware environment is very different from migrating to Cloud or across Cloud, or even to just a different on premises hypervisor.  Modern migrations introduce variables that legacy VMware-centric tools were never designed to handle. 

Another mistake is to use a backup tool for your major migration.  Most traditional backup tools were never designed to operate in Cloud or cross Cloud environments.  They focus on data retention and do not have a full Migration workflow which creates a lot of manual work to effect Migrations at any scale.

Newer tools are available today that are designed more specifically for the modern world. They often have a different look and feel, but don't let that deter you from evaluating them.  Replicating to Cloud or across Cloud or to a different hypervisor has very different needs than migration in a homogeneous environment.  

Newer migration platforms are purpose-built for this reality. They often look and operate differently, but they are designed specifically for heterogeneous, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments, not intra-VMware transitions or storage replication.

When evaluating tools, it’s important to look beyond interface familiarity and focus on functional outcomes.

Critical Capabilities Often Overlooked When Selecting a Migration Tool

1. Be Wary of VMDK Transformation tools

When exiting VMware you will most definitely be moving to a different hypervisor.  You want a replication technology that will create the correct most recent machine format in your Target environment and apply the Origin server image to it.  VMDK transformation doesn't always work well for more complex servers or older VMDK formats.  Often it won't work at all.  Even when transformation succeeds, the resulting virtual machines may not align with the native, current machine format expected by the target platform.

While a VMDK copy with transformation may have the same look and feel as with older tool experiences you should consider that the assumptions that you took for granted in a homogeneous environment migration no longer apply. 

Select a Migration tool that does not simply copy legacy disk formats, it should provision the correct, most recent machine type on the target and Migrate the entire server image from the OS up through the application level.

2. Non-Disruptive Testing Is Not Optional

Testing is often underestimated during migration planning.

Even when organizations aim to keep environments “as similar as possible,” differences will always exist, networking, storage behavior, identity integration, performance profiles, and security controls rarely behave identically across platforms.

You should insist on a migration solution that supports non-disruptive testing in the target environment.  This means that production operations in the Origin environment are unaffected by testing in the Target.  Adjustments can be made and retested as needed, as many times as necessary. 

Having a solution that provides non-disruptive testing creates two critical benefits. The first is confidence in cutover with practiced, known steps to result in full operation.  Second, a solution that supports non-disruptive testing will also likely support a built-in easy fallback mechanism if something unexpected occurs in cutover. 

3. Workloads Must Boot Cleanly and Completely

During cutover, time is your most valuable asset.  Any need to manually reconfigure networking, troubleshoot drivers, or repair applications adds risk, cost, and downtime.

There's a lot of detail that is required to make that happen.  A true Migration platform ensures that the correct device drivers are injected and configured, any BIOS <--> UEFI conversion is accurately accomplished, and Target servers are provisioned and configured correctly with storage and compute. 

The ideal Migration solution outcome is straightforward:

• The server boots properly

• Networking and storage configurations are complete and correct

• Users can log in with the same mechanism as the Origin

• Applications start and are functions

Select a tool that has all these characteristics.

4. Replication Alone Is Not Migration

One of the most important distinctions in this phase is understanding the difference between replication technology and a Migration solution.

Replication is only one mechanism and a small part of a fully functional Migration solution.

A migration platform provides:

• Analysis of Origin hardware and software to AutoProvision Target servers

• Support servers in waves or groups

• Boot sequencing so tiered applications boot, initialize, connect to infrastructure and each other

• Testing workflows

• Cutover automation

• Rollback capabilities

• Reporting and visibility

Using replication alone is like buying an engine instead of a car.  A core component exists, but everything required to operate the vehicle safely and efficiently is missing.

When exiting VMware, you need a complete migration solution, not just a data copy engine.

Infrastructure Preparation

Before migrations begin, infrastructure must be in place and operational.  Carpenters have a saying, measure twice and cut once!  So it is with infrastructure preparation and Migration cutovers. 

There are also two aspects to infrastructure preparation, the infrastructure in the Target environment and the networking infrastructure between the Origin and Target sites. 

When engaging in a Migrating project, it's often tempting to update your infrastructure as part of the migration.  This is not recommended.  Migrations are hard, you want to change as little as possible until you are resting comfortably in your new environment.  You already have a blueprint for your Target architecture, it's your Origin environment.  You may need to change things a little, but you want to keep it as close as possible for cutovers.  Best practice is to Migrate as is, you know what works now, and can verify everything is working as it should in the new environment.  Then if you need or want to upgrade your infrastructure do so in the new environment.  This goes for not only infrastructure but also sever and application software.  You always want to upgrade in the new environment. 

The second infrastructure element to prepare for is your network connection between Origin and Target environments.  This may be existing or completely new.  If it's existing, the Migration activities will stress it in new ways and preparing for that will benefit you when data transfers begin.  If the connectivity network is new, experience has shown that this usually takes far more time than people anticipate.    And once connectivity is in place make sure it's thoroughly tested for not only bandwidth but consistency and reliability.

Logistics: Where Success Is Truly Determined

Finally, logistics is vital for cutovers.  Migrations touch every aspect of IT, from networking up through applications.  Making sure all teams and application owners are motivated and available for both testing and, most importantly, cutovers at the appropriate time will ensure overall schedules are kept.

Completing the VMware Exit with Confidence

A VMware exit is not simply about replacing a hypervisor or reducing licensing costs.  This set of blogs tried to expound on an overall plan highlighting many things that are often overlooked that are vital for a successful Migration project.  A well done exit involves:

• Discovery and Assessment of existing resources

• Laying a foundation for a larger Hybrid cloud strategy

• Creating Business Resilience to meet modern business needs

• Proper preparation

• Logistics for execution

With the right framework in place, it becomes a controlled transition, one that positions your organization for the current and future needs.