For many organisations, moving away from VMware is not a choice they make voluntarily — but it can present an opportunity. This talk explores the journey from VMware-based virtualisation to OpenStack as a powerful open-source alternative. The focus is not only on the technical migration of virtual machines and networks, but also on the conceptual differences between the two platforms: How does OpenStack take a different approach to things compared to VMware? Which familiar concepts, such as vMotion, distributed switches or vCenter, do not exist in the same form — and what alternatives does OpenStack provide?
The talk takes a practical look at migration paths, common pitfalls, and the areas where both administrators and users need to rethink established approaches. The aim is to provide a realistic perspective on what is possible — and what it takes to get there.
