IT Management & Infrastructure Suppliers

AvePoint

Data management, governance and backup for Microsoft 365 and Teams

AvePoint is one of the largest independent providers of data management, governance and backup for the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. The Confidence Platform includes Cloud Backup, Policies & Insights, Opus (records management), and migration tools. For organisations heavily reliant on SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive, AvePoint is often the de facto choice as Microsoft itself does not offer a complete native backup. The pricing structure operates with per-user or per-GB subscriptions, depending on the product. Contracts typically run for 1 or 3 years and are often linked to Microsoft EA renewals. This results in procurement seamlessly scaling alongside the M365 landscape without a clear moment to revisit the AvePoint strategy.

VMware (Broadcom)

Virtualisation and cloud infrastructure, now part of Broadcom

VMware, part of Broadcom since 2023, is the market leader in server virtualisation and cloud infrastructure. The acquisition by Broadcom has resulted in drastic changes to the licensing model: perpetual licences have been discontinued, partner ecosystems have shrunk, and customers are forced to switch to expensive subscription bundles. For many organisations, the move to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) means a cost increase of 200-600% compared to the previous situation. This has led to a widespread reconsideration of VMware strategy among enterprise customers worldwide.

Veeam is a market leader in backup and recovery solutions for virtual, physical and cloud environments. The software protects workloads on VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure and more. Veeam offers both perpetual and subscription licences, which makes switching between contract types complex. Following the acquisition by Insight Partners and collaborations with Broadcom/VMware, Veeam’s licensing structure has changed further. Customers migrating from VMware to an alternative must also review their Veeam licences.