VMware Migration to AWS: Modernize Your Workloads with VSTECS KU

VMware Migration to AWS: Migration & Modernization for VMware & Microsoft Workloads

On 25 April 2025, the AWS Malaysia Office at Midvalley The Gardens hosted a dynamic half-day workshop where VSTECS KU, AWS, and Trainocate shared hands-on insights into modernizing enterprise workloads on AWS. Attendees experienced live demos, data-driven planning tools, and expert discussions—leaving with clear, actionable steps to transform their infrastructures.

VMware to AWS: Modern, Cost-Efficient, and Scalable

The session on “VMware to AWS” stole the spotlight with a live walkthrough of Amazon Elastic VMware Service (EVS). Engineers demonstrated how easily a complete VMware Software-Defined Data Center—vCenter, NSX, and vSAN—can spin up on EC2 bare-metal hosts inside an AWS Virtual Private Cloud. No heavy refactoring, no lengthy migrations; in just minutes, participants saw production-grade clusters come online with the same tools they already use.

VMware Migration to AWS | 25 April 2025

Key takeaways:

Zero refactoring required: Legacy applications run unchanged, preserving existing investments and operational processes.
On-demand scalability: Instantly add or remove capacity, turning traditional capital expenses into predictable operating expenditure.
Seamless tooling integration: Continue managing workloads with familiar VMware consoles while tapping into AWS networking, storage, and security services.

Watching EVS deploy in real time gave everyone confidence that moving VMware to AWS can be both frictionless and cost-effective.

Microsoft Workloads to AWS: Escape the Legacy Trap

Next up was a hands-on exploration of migrating Windows Server and SQL Server workloads away from aging on-premises infrastructure. The “Escape the Legacy Trap” session focused on strategies to lift and shift critical applications, then evolve them using AWS managed services.

Highlights included:

Lift-and-shift best practices: Use AWS Server Migration Service to replicate servers with minimal downtime, then cut over seamlessly.
Post-migration modernization: After migration, adopt services like Amazon RDS for SQL Server to eliminate patching overhead and improve resilience.
Licensing optimization: Leverage Bring-Your-Own-License models and Savings Plans to minimize costs and maintain compliance.

Participants left inspired by real-world case studies showing companies that reduced their database maintenance burden by over 50% and reclaimed IT staff time for strategic projects.

Accelerating Cloud Migration with AWS Migration Evaluator

No migration is complete without a solid plan—and that’s where AWS Migration Evaluator shone. In interactive lab groups, attendees discovered how to automate on-premises inventory collection, analyze performance data, and generate detailed cost comparisons between Bring-Your-Own-License and fully licensed AWS options.

What made this segment stand out:

Rapid discovery and analysis: From installation to report generation took less than an hour—rather than the weeks typical of manual assessments.
Clear TCO insights: Side-by-side comparisons revealed where lift-and-shift made sense versus when to replatform or refactor.
Prioritization guidance: Built-in dashboards helped teams rank workloads by migration complexity, business impact, and cost savings.

Armed with these data-driven reports, attendees gained the confidence and business case they needed to secure executive buy-in and accelerate their migration roadmaps.

This workshop made it clear: modernizing VMware and Windows Server workloads on AWS isn’t a theoretical exercise—it’s a practical, achievable strategy that drives agility, cuts costs, and unleashes innovation.

By combining EVS’s seamless virtualization, proven Windows migration patterns, and the powerful insights of AWS Migration Evaluator, organizations can chart a clear path from legacy data centers to a fully modern cloud environment.

Stay tuned for our next series of events, where VSTECS KU, AWS, and Trainocate will continue to share the latest tools, techniques, and real-world stories to help you succeed in the cloud.