VMWARE EXIT · REGULATED WORKLOADS · CONFIDENTIAL COMPUTING
Turn your VMware exit into a
secure-by-design platform
Broadcom increased renewal costs 25–49 percent. Regulated workloads cannot move
until the admin access problem is solved on the target platform, and enclaive closes
that gap across VMs, Kubernetes, and cloud.
25–49%
Broadcom renewal cost increase
50–70%
Dual-run cost reduction
<12 wks
To first secured workload
AVALAIBLE ON EVERY MAJOR CLOUD AND CHIP VENDORS
AWS
AZURE
GOOGLE CLOUD
INTEL
AMD
NVIDIA
RED HAT
SUSE
TD SUNNEX
STACKIT
The VMware exit problem
Three security risks travel with
every single workload
Standard infrastructure on every alternative platform leaves these three critical security gaps open.
And that is precisely why sensitive workloads often remain with VMware despite the renewal costs.
In-use data exposure
RAM Data is accessible in plaintext
During processing, data is accessible to anyone with hypervisor or node access. This gap persists on every alternative platform, including managed Kubernetes and public cloud.
3rd state unprotected on every standard platform
Operator access risk
Platform operators can read any workload they run
Infrastructure admins can access workload memory on any platform they operate. Regulated systems cannot move to a platform where this access exists.
100% of standard platforms expose memory to the operator
Audit evidence gap
Regulators require cryptographic proof of control
GDPR, DORA, NIS2, and HIPAA require controls that enforce admin isolation cryptographically and generate verifiable audit evidence automatically.
4+ frameworks demand attestation, not declarations
The migration framework
Four phases from Broadcom lock-in to a
confidential-by-default platform
Each phase delivers a specific outcome, at whatever pace your operations allow.
Phase 1
Migration backlog ready
Assess & Classify
Inventory workloads, classify by tier, identify the first migration wave. No workloads move. CIO can authorize without committing to a target platform.
Phase 2
Customer-held keys in place
Security Foundation
Deploy customer-held key management before the first workload moves. Admins are technically excluded. Your CISO has audit evidence from day one.
Phase 3
Feasibility proof
Migrate First Wave
Move 2–5 critical workloads to your chosen target. Compliance evidence is ready. Decommissioning begins. Three paths run in parallel across different workloads.
Confidential VMs
No code changes
Confidential Kubernetes
For containerizable workloads
Public / sovereign cloud
For cloud-native destinations
Phase 4
VMware retired
Scale to Full Estate
Complete migration for critical and sensitive workloads. Decommission VMware. One security model covers the full estate regardless of infrastructure target.
Control stack view
One security model for VMs, Kubernetes, and
cloud platforms
The target platform can change while the confidential control model stays consistent.
Sensitive and regulated workloads
Core business applications
Data platforms
Internal services
AI and analytics workloads
Same security model across all infrastructure targets.
Multi-cloud confidential control plane
Confidential VMs
Existing VM workloads run in hardware-enforced enclaves with no code or OS changes.
Confidential Kubernetes
Every pod runs inside a hardware-isolated enclave. Teams keep kubectl, Helm, and existing CI/CD.
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Sovereign key custody
vHSM keeps your keys in a vendor-neutral enclave. Vault handles rotation and audit logging.
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Attestation-gated workload identity
Nitride enforces no-attest, no-key: every workload proves integrity before receiving credentials.
EMCP
Any target platform
Choose the platform with the best price-performance ratio, not the one that can reproduce your entire security model.
Public cloud
Sovereign cloud
On-premises
Virtualization
Kubernetes
Choose on cost. Confidential computing keeps regulated workloads protected in use.
Measured outcomes
What a security-integrated migration delivers
A migration that hits schedule but leaves security gaps has moved the problem.
These metrics track security, cost, and compliance together.
<12 wks
Time to first secure workload
Phase 1 kickoff to first Tier 1 workload secured on target
50–70%
Dual-run cost reduction
Security-approved migration compresses dual-run from 18–36 months to 12–18 months
100%
Admin access eliminated
Hardware-enforced across all Tier 1 and Tier 2 workloads
<4 hrs
Audit evidence generation
vs. 4–8 weeks with manual evidence collection today
Additional resources
Go deeper on VMware exit, platform choice,
and confidential controls.
Frameworks and solution briefs for teams planning a VMware exit.
Red Hat Solution Brief: Multi-Tenancy, Secure Cloud Transitioning and Sovereignty with OpenShift and vHSM Key Management
Discover how Red Hat and enclaive enable zero-trust, sovereign Kubernetes with Confidential Computing and externalized key management.
Read articleSolution Brief enclaive Multi-Cloud Platform
Protect your sensitive workloads with maximum security and confidentiality – at the push of a button.
Read articleNext step
Book a Workload Assessment
Bring one workload, one platform constraint, one renewal deadline.
We map the first secure migration wave for your estate.
What it is: A 45-minute conversation with a migration specialist, no commitment required.