Introduction
Azure VMware Solution (AVS) has matured rapidly, offering a powerful path for organisations to run VMware workloads natively in Azure without rearchitecting applications. For many IT leaders, the journey doesn’t stop at migration—it evolves into optimising, integrating, and future-proofing their AVS environment.
As we look beyond implementation and workload migration, the focus turns to advanced use cases, service integrations, and preparing for changes in the VMware ecosystem.
In this final instalment of our blog series, we explore what’s next for AVS—from advanced integrations to emerging roadmap features—helping you stay ahead of the curve and position your hybrid cloud strategy for long-term success.
Extending AVS: Advanced Integration Scenarios
While AVS delivers a fully functional VMware stack, its true power is unlocked when extended with native Azure services. Let’s explore how organisations are pushing the boundaries of AVS:
Scenario 1: Enhancing Security with Azure Firewall and Defender for Cloud
By integrating AVS workloads with Azure Firewall Premium, organisations can apply TLS inspection, threat intelligence filtering, and centralised policy management across both AVS and native Azure networks. Additionally, Microsoft Defender for Cloud enables workload-level security posture management, even for VMs running in AVS.
Scenario 2: Business Continuity with Azure Site Recovery and Backup
AVS does not natively support Azure Site Recovery (ASR) as it does for Azure-native VMs, but integration is achievable via:
- Veeam, Zerto, or Commvault running within AVS or natively in Azure
- Using AVS-native snapshots with policy-driven backups to Azure Blob Storage
- Cross-AVS region replication with HCX for DR strategies
Hypothetical case: A financial services business replicates Production workloads across two AVS private clouds in different Azure regions, using Veeam for granular backup and Azure Traffic Manager for failover orchestration.
Scenario 3: Automating Operations with Azure Arc and Infrastructure-as-Code
AVS supports Azure Arc, enabling centralised governance and policy management for AVS-hosted VMs alongside Azure-native workloads. Combine this with Bicep or Terraform to manage ExpressRoute, NSX segments, and AVS network configurations programmatically.
Best practice: Build automated runbooks with Azure Automation or GitHub Actions to handle AVS expansion, NSX policy updates, or ExpressRoute monitoring alerts.
The Future Roadmap of Azure VMware Solution
AVS is evolving rapidly in response to customer needs and changes in the VMware ecosystem. Here’s what the road ahead looks like:
Anticipated Feature Enhancements
- Support for vSAN Express Storage Architecture (ESA), offering lower latency and higher throughput
- Deeper integration with Azure-native monitoring and backup tooling, reducing reliance on third-party solutions
Responding to Broadcom’s VMware Licensing Changes
The recent licensing model changes introduced by Broadcom have impacted how organisations can access traditional VMware features. AVS provides a predictable and fully licensed VMware stack, including vSphere, vSAN, and NSX-T—helping customers avoid sudden cost spikes or feature loss.
Key advantage: AVS subscriptions are managed by Microsoft, ensuring consistent support and compliance, even as VMware’s commercial model evolves.
Forward-looking recommendation: Evaluate your current VMware licensing structure and consider transitioning to AVS to mitigate vendor lock-in risk while gaining access to scalable, integrated cloud services.
Conclusion
As your AVS journey matures, embracing advanced integrations and anticipating future developments becomes essential. Whether it’s automating infrastructure, enhancing security, or preparing for licensing disruptions, staying agile and informed is the key to long-term cloud success.
Azure VMware Solution is more than a destination for workloads—it’s a foundation for hybrid innovation. The future of AVS is bright, with continued investment from Microsoft and tight alignment with evolving enterprise needs.