Broadcom's VMware licensing changes have created real pressure across New Zealand and Australia. Many mid-sized organisations face steep subscription cost increases, the end of perpetual licences, and the need to modernise infrastructure without massive disruption or budget blowouts.
For ops teams that have traditionally relied on click-ops — manually configuring VMs, networks, and storage through vCenter consoles or Azure portals — the thought of a cloud migration can feel overwhelming. The fear is that moving to Azure VMware Solution (AVS) will either lock you into more manual work or require a complete (and expensive) shift to advanced DevOps practices.
At Coral DevOps, we specialise in bridging exactly that gap. We deliver fast, low-risk VMware-to-AVS migrations while embedding Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform from day one. The result? You get your workloads running in Azure quickly, with a modern automated pipeline that makes future operations faster, more reliable, and less dependent on manual clicks.
Here are two recent examples that demonstrate what's achievable for medium-sized organisations.
📋 Case Study 1: US-Based Retail Services Provider
10,000+ Daily Customer Connections
The Challenge: This organisation operated approximately 300 VMs on-premise, including 100 Citrix Virtual Delivery Agents and 80 RDS session hosts. Their environment supported over 10,000 daily customer connections across nationwide retail services. Rising VMware costs and ageing hardware made staying on-prem unsustainable, but any extended downtime to the Citrix/RDS farms would directly impact revenue and customer experience.
Our Automated Approach: We executed a full lift-and-shift to Azure VMware Solution in a matter of weeks, not months:
- Terraform IaC pre-provisioning: Before moving any data, we used Terraform to fully provision the target AVS environment — clusters, networking, storage policies, and VM configurations — as code. This created an identical, production-ready landing zone in Azure ahead of cutover.
- Custom PowerCLI automation for re-IP: We developed tailored PowerCLI scripts that automatically handled re-IP addressing for all migrated VMs during the cutover window, eliminating error-prone manual updates.
- 24-hour cutover: The actual switch occurred in a single planned 24-hour maintenance window with zero data loss. The Citrix and RDS farms came back online seamlessly for all users.
The Automation Outcome: Post-cutover, the client received fully automated Terraform pipelines. Their teams can now provision new VMs, scale Citrix/RDS farms, or create test environments with a simple terraform apply — replacing repetitive click-ops with repeatable, version-controlled processes.
📋 Case Study 2: US-Based SaaS Technology Provider
Up to 6,000 Concurrent Connections
The Challenge: This provider ran a mission-critical SaaS platform across three environments (Production, QA, and Development) — a total of 180 VMs. The platform handles up to 6,000 maximum concurrent customer connections at peak. They needed a swift exit from on-prem VMware while preserving consistency across environments and avoiding long outages.
Our Automated Approach: We applied the same disciplined, automation-first methodology:
- Full Terraform-driven provisioning of the AVS landing zone prior to migration, ensuring every environment was stood up consistently as code.
- Parallel replication using VMware HCX, combined with our custom PowerCLI scripts for re-IP, DNS updates, and environment-specific configurations.
- A coordinated 24-hour cutover that moved Production, QA, and Development together, maintaining alignment without manual reconfiguration.
The Automation Outcome: The project completed in the same tight timeframe. The client now operates with a single source-of-truth Terraform pipeline that enables self-service infrastructure provisioning across all three environments. What once required multiple team members clicking through consoles can now be done reliably and auditably through Git-based workflows.
Why Automation Matters — Especially for ANZ Ops Teams
Many New Zealand and Australian organisations still lean heavily on click-ops for day-to-day VMware and Azure management. While this works for small, static environments, it becomes risky and time-consuming as scale increases — configuration drift, human error, and slow response times are common side effects.
Our approach delivers the best of both worlds:
- Pre-provision with Terraform IaC — We never migrate into a blank AVS cluster. Everything is defined and deployed as code beforehand, so the environment is consistent, documented, and ready on day one.
- Automated re-IP and configuration — Our custom PowerCLI scripts turn what used to be a manual, weekend-long task into a repeatable, zero-touch process.
- Post-migration automation pipeline — You don't just move your VMs. You receive ready-to-use Terraform pipelines that let your local ops team provision, scale, and manage infrastructure without going back to heavy click-ops. This is a practical stepping stone toward modern practices — no big bang required.
- 24-hour cutovers that succeed — Even complex Citrix + RDS environments with thousands of active connections can move safely when automation handles the heavy lifting.
These projects show that medium-sized businesses can achieve enterprise-grade speed and reliability without the overhead of large consultancies. You keep control, reduce long-term manual effort, and gain a foundation for easier future scaling or modernisation.
Why AVS + Automation Is a Smart Move for NZ and Australian Organisations Right Now
AVS lets you retain your familiar vSphere/vCenter experience while gaining Azure's scale, native integrations (backups, monitoring, networking), and predictable consumption pricing. For ANZ teams, this means:
- Minimal re-training
- Local time-zone support from a New Zealand-based specialist
- Alignment with local compliance and data-sovereignty expectations
Most importantly, embedding Terraform automation during the migration turns a one-time project into lasting operational improvement — reducing reliance on click-ops while keeping things practical for your current team.
Ready to Move Beyond Click-Ops and Escape VMware Cost Pressure?
If you're running Citrix, RDS, or a significant VMware estate in New Zealand or Australia and the Broadcom changes have you exploring options, Coral DevOps can help.
We focus on speed + automation — delivering migrations in weeks with built-in IaC that makes your ops team's life easier afterwards.
Free 30-Minute AVS Readiness Workshop
We'll review your environment and show how Terraform automation could work for you.
No hard sell, just practical advice.
Let's turn your VMware exit into a faster, more automated future — tailored for ANZ operations.