Imagine this: You’re the IT director at a fast-growing enterprise, and the CEO just handed you a mission—modernize the company’s infrastructure. The challenge? Do it without disrupting daily operations and while keeping costs under control. This is where the debate around Azure VMware Solution vs. Azure Native Cloud begins.

Your team is split. Some engineers favor sticking with VMware—it’s familiar, dependable, and tightly integrated into your current data center. Others advocate for Azure-native services, arguing that it’s time to go all-in on the cloud.

So, what’s the best path forward?

Should you lift and shift your existing VMware workloads to Azure VMware Solution (AVS) for a smoother, low-disruption transition?

Or should you refactor your applications to take full advantage of Azure’s native cloud services, aiming for greater scalability and innovation in the long run?

Let’s break it down—pros, cons, and everything in between—to help you make the right call.

Path One: Staying with VMware on Azure (Azure VMware Solution – AVS)

Your VMware administrators argue:

“We’ve spent years fine-tuning our VMware environment. Do we really want to throw that away? Why not just move our VMware setup to Azure and keep using what we know?”

That’s exactly what Azure VMware Solution (AVS) offers. It allows you to run your VMware workloads natively on Azure while maintaining vSphere, vSAN, and NSX-T—all the VMware tools your team is already comfortable with.

Key Benefits of AVS

🔹 Seamless Migration with Minimal Disruption
AVS makes it easy to lift-and-shift your VMware workloads into Azure without refactoring applications. It uses VMware HCX to move VMs live, with zero downtime—perfect for businesses that can’t afford interruptions.

🔹 Hybrid Cloud Flexibility
With AVS, you can extend your data center into Azure while keeping on-premises and cloud resources in sync. This is especially useful for companies that aren’t ready to go 100% cloud-native.

🔹 Deep Integration with Azure Services
Even though AVS runs on VMware infrastructure, it still connects seamlessly with Azure services like:

• Azure NetApp Files for storage scalability

• Azure Monitor for real-time performance insights

• Microsoft Defender for Cloud for enhanced security

In short, AVS is perfect for enterprises that want to migrate to Azure while keeping their VMware expertise intact. But what if you want more flexibility, automation, and cost savings?

Path Two: Going Cloud-Native with Azure Services

Your cloud architects counter:

“VMware is great, but we’re trying to modernize. Azure native services give us better automation, lower costs, and more scalability. Why stay stuck in the past?”

Moving to Azure’s cloud-native services means fully embracing the cloud and leveraging Azure’s built-in automation, AI, and scalability.

Key Benefits of Azure Native Services

🔹 Unified Management Across Hybrid Environments
Azure lets you manage on-prem, VMware, and cloud resources from a single dashboard with Azure Arc. This means:

• You can execute VM operations in vCenter directly from Azure

• You get centralized security and governance across all environments.

🔹 Enhanced Monitoring & Security with Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor collects logs, detects security misconfigurations, and automates compliance checks across your environment.

• Get real-time alerts for VM issues

• Use fileless security alerts to detect advanced threats

🔹 Cost Efficiency & Scalability
Instead of running a dedicated VMware infrastructure in Azure, cloud-native apps can dynamically scale based on demand, saving money in the long run.
For companies looking to go fully cloud-native, build new applications, or optimize costs, Azure native services are a better long-term strategy.

Azure VMware Solution vs. Azure Native Cloud : Which Path is Right for You?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Your decision depends on your business goals, existing infrastructure, and cloud strategy: