Amazon Elastic VMware Service: A New Option for Running VMware Workloads on AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the general availability of Amazon Elastic VMware Service (Amazon EVS), which enables customers to run and scale their VMware workloads on AWS without re-platforming or re-factoring their applications. Customers can use familiar VMware tools to control and customize their virtualization stack while realizing the security, reliability, and performance benefits of AWS. Amazon EVS provides flexibility and control for customers to maximize their VMware investment and integrate their VMware workloads with AWS services.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the general availability of Amazon Elastic VMware Service (Amazon EVS), a significant development that enables customers to run and scale their VMware workloads on AWS without the need for re-platforming or re-factoring of applications. This service allows customers to leverage familiar VMware tools to control and customize their virtualization stack while benefiting from the security, reliability, and performance advantages of AWS.

Amazon EVS allows customers to use their VMware Cloud Foundation license portability to run their VMware workloads alongside other applications in AWS, maximizing their VMware investment without the need to change IP addresses, retrain staff, or re-write operational runbooks. The service provides flexibility in terms of self-management or collaboration with AWS Partner Network members experienced in managing and operating VMware Cloud Foundation environments.

Customers and partners, including Alcaldía de Cali, Effectual, Huron Consulting Group, and Aeromexico, are already utilizing Amazon EVS to meet their VMware workload migration and modernization needs. For example, Alcaldía de Cali, the municipal government of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, successfully migrated to AWS in just three weeks using Amazon EVS, maintaining 75% of their workloads on VMware technology. Aeromexico, a global airline, is leveraging the service to modernize applications and adopt the cloud, transitioning their applications without investing in on-premises infrastructure.

The service is available in several regions, including US East (Ohio), US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Europe (Dublin), Europe (Frankfurt), and Asia Pacific (Tokyo), with more regions to be added soon. Customers can deploy a fully functional VMware Cloud Foundation environment using a simple step-by-step workflow in the AWS console, continuing to use familiar features for backup, recovery, and storage.

Amazon EVS integrates seamlessly with AWS's comprehensive suite of services, including analytics, storage, databases, serverless compute, and AI capabilities like Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Q for Business. This integration allows customers to modernize their infrastructure and accelerate innovation with AI.

The service is part of AWS's broader strategy to support VMware workloads, building on its extensive portfolio of cloud services. AWS has continually expanded its services to support virtually any workload, now offering over 240 fully featured services across 117 Availability Zones within 37 geographic regions.

Amazon EVS is expected to provide significant benefits to enterprises looking to migrate and modernize their VMware workloads, offering a straightforward path to the cloud without the complexities of re-platforming or re-factoring.

References:
[1] https://www.stocktitan.net/news/AMZN/aws-announces-general-availability-of-amazon-elastic-v-mware-itgckwh3d2ks.html
[2] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/patterns/rehost-on-premises-workloads-in-the-aws-cloud-migration-checklist.html