No need to fear it! Revolutions are revolutionary. And they are always necessary for progress—in virtualization and in life.

Nay to fear, compatriots, as today is a day for courage. Today, we do not make incremental improvements nor routine product updates, today, we dive in to the subject of VCF 9.0—a true paradigm shift in virtualization itself. For the millions of businesses running VMware infrastructure, the ground has moved—literally and figuratively—towards the future, and towards democratization. With the evolution of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), customers must rethink how they operate, migrate, and modernize. And at OVHcloud, we’re armed and ready to face any opposition.

In fact, we’ve been ready. For over 15 years, OVHcloud has partnered with VMware to deliver high-performance, secure, and trusted cloud solutions to organizations across Europe and beyond. And now, as VMware undergoes one of its biggest transformations in history under Broadcom, OVHcloud is delivering new offers to help customers migrate at scale from A to Z—with a radically simplified stack, transparent pricing, and a uniquely open model. This means that we are ready to arm you for revolution too: after all, to win any battle, we need our allies.

This isn’t just about a product launch. It’s an entire virtualization ecosystem rebooted: new hardware, new software stack, and a modernized architecture that enables organizations to go from bare metal to full workload deployment in around an hour—and not six months, as it once was. Challenging? Yes. Worth it? Without a doubt. Time to suit up and move the troops forward—towards the freedom of the future.

How the field of tech changing—and why it matters

For years, VMware’s legacy architecture required extensive technical know-how and costly certifications. Networking, storage, security—each a specialized field. And provisioning a datacenter? Painfully slow. In contrast, the new era of virtualization is about convergence, automation, and accessibility. VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 was created to democratize access to modern infrastructure. This revolution is to designed benefit the masses!

And this tech change isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about empowering teams to focus on innovation rather than orchestration. With OVHcloud’s support, our customers can now simplify operations, reduce vendor lock-in, and build future-ready infrastructure.

VCF: empowering migration at scale

At the heart of this revolutionary transformation lies VMware Cloud Foundation, the cornerstone of Broadcom’s new strategy. VCF offers a unified, full-stack platform that integrates compute, storage, networking, and management to simplify operations and accelerate digital transformation for small or large enterprises, and their partners.

But while the technology enables unprecedented agility and automation, recent licensing changes have introduced significant challenges for smaller deployments. OVHcloud responded by offering flexible solutions on shared hardware, preserving the accessibility and performance of VMware while optimizing cost efficiency for all.

Yann Meguira, VMware Product Unit Director at OVHcloud, explains:

“Broadcom’s new pricing policy imposes a minimum of 16 cores per license, which makes all small hosts unviable from a price-performance perspective. Our long-term strategy at OVHcloud has been to protect our customers. We therefore wanted to develop an offer on shared hardware to enable customers who wish to continue benefiting from the power of VMware with extremely competitive costs.”

OVHcloud: your trusted VMware partner and ally

We’ve supported organizations of all sizes through their cloud journey—from large enterprises to smaller actors—allowing them to benefit from solutions starting at just €299/month (launch pricing until June 2026). The new Public VCF as-a-Service offerhelps to democratize what was once accessible to only the biggest, strongest players. And to simplify a transition that can be complex, OVHcloud offers VMware ESXi Images, easing deployment and adoption for our bare metal servers.

And OVHcloud ensures full data sovereignty through SecNumCloud, C5, HDS, PCI-DSS and other industry-leading certifications; in fact, in 2020, we were named Leader of Hosted Private Cloud in Europe by Forrester. In 2024, VMware recognized us as Pinnacle Partner and CSP of the Year. Trust is integral when forming an alliance.

Our dedication to the cause goes beyond tech. As a trusted name in tech, OVHcloud builds its own servers and maintains strict control over infrastructure, all this while conserving both energy and costs with our patented water-cooling technology.

Fighting the good fight

Unlike our competitors in the field, we believe in contractual transparency and the freedom to cancel your contract. That means: no hidden fees, no surprise price hikes, and support for our customers’ existing agreements—even through big shifts like the VCF migration. And for those ready to embrace the future? We reward pre-commitment to our new stack with early access, pilot testing, and optimized pricing—currently underway with around 100 strategic partners.

The result? A future-ready, sustainable, sovereign infrastructure that empowers businesses to innovate securely, without compromise. We have your back, and we keep our promises. How’s that for a reliable ally?

A strategic alliance, built to last

Few partnerships in the cloud ecosystem have lasted and evolved with as much resilience and shared innovation as the one between VMware and OVHcloud. Keeping our friends close, we have enjoyed more than 25 years of VMware innovation and 15+ years of joint momentum, continuously delivering solutions of scalability, sovereignty, and simplicity.

This long-term commitment has led to key milestones in our history:

• 2011: Launch of OVHcloud’s Hosted Private Cloud
• 2017: Acquisition of VMware vCloud Air
• 2020: OVHcloud named Leader of Hosted Private Cloud in the EU by Forrester
• 2021: SecNumCloud qualification added to a growing list of certifications
• 2024: Recognized as Pinnacle Partner and Cloud Service Provider (CSP) of the Year in Europe
• 2025: Launch of first VCF-based offer Public VCF as-a-Service

A recognized leader in technology and trust

Our VMware-based solutions are awarded by the powers that be, and trusted by enterprises and public organizations alike:

• Certifications: SecNumCloud, C5, G-Cloud, Agid, HDS, PCI-DSS
• Awards: VMware Cloud Verified, Sovereign Cloud, and Zero Carbon Committed Partner
• A presence that spans Europe, North America, and strategic markets worldwide

Two strategies, one seamless experience

To be prepared for any circumstance, OVHcloud has designed a comprehensive portfolio of Managed VMware solutions:

• Public VCF as-a-Service (Ideal for small and medium customers)

• Entry-level VMware Cloud Foundation at €299/month
• Shared infrastructure, fully managed
• Perfect for development, test environments, or smaller production workloads
• Fast deployment and easy scaling

• Managed VMware vSphere (Ideal for large, regulated, or demanding workloads)

• Dedicated infrastructure with the highest certified cloud offers
• Built-in hyperconvergence, NSX networking, and enterprise monitoring
• Fully compliant (SecNumCloud, ISO, GDPR) and backed by 24/7 support
• Used by governments and large enterprises for secure cloud operations
• Provides professional services and solution architects to build the perfect combination of OVHcloud services

• Private VCF as-a-Service (Coming soon)

• The next generation of Managed VMware vSphere based on VCF 9
• Support for BYOS/BYOL to enable migration of VCF licenses to OVHcloud
• Will exist as a managed stretched cluster on 3-AZ (already in alpha) for business critical workloads
• All the best of OVHcloud expertise on the modern foundations of VCF 9

Access to all OVHcloud’s product portfolio and services

It’s not just a cloud—it’s the cloud of the future

The cloud we’re building is about more than preparation or infrastructure. It’s about empowering transformation for the betterment of us all:

• Dramatically shorter deployment times (from months to hours)
• Full-stack automation and simplified management
• A clear, sustainable Green IT roadmap with 0.20T CO₂e/MWh carbon usage in 2022

This is a new foundation that bolsters the enterprise cloud. Built to support digital sovereignty, environmental goals, and business agility, without compromise on cost or control.

VMware may have changed the rules of tech history—but with OVHcloud, you can now choose how you approach the future. 

Encouraging migration without the battle wounds

We know that migration means more than just moving workloads. It requires retraining teams, rethinking architectures, realigning budgets and maybe losing some good people along the way. That’s why we’ve:

• Simplified the stack
• Kept our lock-in policies
• Adjusted our offer and hardware to conserve the best price/performance ration within the new licensing rules
• Provided professional services and solution architects to build the perfect combination of OVHcloud services

We’re encouraging organizations to make revolutionary leap right now, because the future is already here—waiting for you to grab the horns.

Time to rally the troops

The world of virtualization is changing fast, and it’s not slowing down. With Broadcom reshaping how VMware is delivered and licensed, and with new solutions like VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 and 9.0 becoming the new standard, the path forward is clear: it’s time to modernize, simplify, and migratetoday.

At OVHcloud, we’ve anticipated this shift. We’ve designed a full-stack, sovereign, and sustainable cloud, purpose-built for organizations who want freedom, transparency, and performance without breaking the bank (or the SLA). Whether you’re a small business looking for a solid entry point or an enterprise needing certified infrastructure and 24/7 expertise, we’ve got your back in this fight!

Because let’s face it. When you’re in the trenches, migration can feel complex. So, we’ve removed the barriers to allow for a fair battle:

✔️ Transparent pricing
✔️ No vendor lock-in
✔️ Support for your existing VMware licenses
✔️ Early access and guidance from our expert teams
✔️ Hardware we design and build in-house, optimized for VMware workloads

This is not just about keeping up. It’s about staying ahead—with the right ally, and at the right time in history—with OVHcloud and VMware.

Forward ho!

🔗 https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/hosted-private-cloud/

🔗 https://www.ovhcloud.com/fr/solutions/migration-program/

Crack, splash, boom! In 2024, the VMware ecosystem endured a seismic shift. Broadcom acquired VMware and quickly introduced a controversial change in its pricing model — shifting from a vRAM-based system to one centered on per physical core (pCore) licensing — and shaking the veritable ground users stood upon.

What once allowed customers to pay for what they used (GB of reserved memory) suddenly turned into a fixed core-based cost model of costly uncertainty. This expensive paradigm shift — a complete disruption of customer expense and infrastructure woe — was particularly painful for the SMBs, or small and mid-sized enterprises. With their small configurations (less than 16 cores per host), they had not been using advanced VMware features as NSX, yet were suddenly facing all new requirements to obtain a license.

Innovation, disrupted.

As a solution for these customers over the last 15 years, OVHcloud has delivered the most powerful, certified VMware platform across 3 continents: Managed VMware vSphere, a dedicated and fully-managed VMware service.

Though this change did not impact customers with large configurations and many activated features, OVHcloud customers that were using small hardware configuration of managed VMware vSphere environments were now struggling to find footing on this new shaky ground, as were their service providers. Our Managed vSphere offers were significantly impacted by the rise in cost, a fact that could have a devastating impact on our customers.

Even as many businesses found themselves suddenly uprooted and disoriented, we at OVHcloud were proud to provide a new avenue for migration and choice, while maintaining a trusted continuity of service. The great OVHcloud solution allowed our customers to keep using our services while mitigating this destabilizing change — their building foundations standing strong once again.

A new way forward: OVHcloud migrates you to Public VCF as-a-Service

The idea of “Innovation for Freedom” is at OVHcloud’s very core: we believe in the accessibility of tech for all. As such, we proudly launched a large-scale initiative to propose to the most impacted customers the migration from Managed VMware vSphere to our brand new Public VCF (VMware Cloud Foundation) as-a-Service, sparing them from suffering broken infrastructures, a would-be massive price hike, and the painful bruises of manual migration.

We saw an opportunity to support our customers during a challenging time, rather than leaving them to navigate licensing changes on their own. This situation prompted us to innovate and develop new solutions that would benefit our customers, ensuring they could continue to thrive without disruption.

Why with Public VCF as-a-Service? 

Customers were primarily concerned with the price increase stemming from the change, rather than the product. The transition toward VCF makes sense and bring a lot of good things, and VMware is a strong and efficient solution. So we addressed the price, kept the quality, and included a seamless migration for our customers a key part of the project’s objectives.

• A cost-effective shared infrastructure that absorbs the spike in core-based pricing.
• A seamless transition with no reskilling required, one that mirrors the existing VMware environment.
• A sovereign and trusted cloud — our datacenters are located in Europe and Canada, aligned with GDPR, ISO/IEC 27000, and SecNumCloud certifications.

Customer segmentation: a tailored migration strategy

Our hero strategy? Trying to save as many as we can! To optimize risk-sharing and minimize disruption, we grouped our customers based on their technological context. We started with:

1. Customers with a simple footprint —often without hybrid capabilities.
2. Microsoft-licensed customers — operating with centralized licensing servers.
3. Network virtualized customers — heavy NSX deployments needing precise mapping.
4. vSAN/Hyperconverged environments — complex storage structures requiring careful transition.

How we rebuilt the tech city: fully automated, risk-free migration

Like a city crumbled by disaster, migration at this scale required more than planning—it demanded precision. That’s why OVHcloud built a fully automated orchestration stack (based on Golang — and we used open-source zPod project during the R&D phase). Here’s what that blueprint looked like:

• Pre-checks: Scan for blockers, validate configurations, freeze periods.
• Customer context creation: Networking (VXLAN/VLAN), NFS storage, user access.
• Migration execution: vMotion, IS and billing mapping, end-of-window verification.
• Final validation: Public IP, health checks, affinity rules, segment profiles.

Challenges overcome

We came together on this one — it wasn’t a simple “lift and shift” of the rubble. Among the technical and operational challenges our teams tackled:

• Lifecycle and deployment hardening at scale
• Layer 2 connectivity and VXLAN bridging
• Multi-tenant orchestration with LACP complexity
• Preserving customer-specific network and software topologies

It must be said, these are real-world obstacles were such that only an experienced partner could solve and fix them efficiently. OVHcloud is proud to not have shrunk away from the challenge, and to count this among the wins that will help keep the tech world growing strong.

Why this matters: freedom, continuity, and cost protection

What makes the OVHcloud solution unique? We decided to prioritize the big picture and the every-customer, seeing the future we could rebuild together and not the money we could skim on the side. Innovation, freedom, togetherness. We stand tall in OVHcloud’s values, while even managing to:

• Ensure a price freeze for 9-12 months, despite the VMware price hike, while we migrated the customer to their new “Public VCF as-a-Service” environment
• Not allow a service disruption, and planning migration while running, with “hot” vMotion and real-time storage mapping
• Introduce License Portability (BYOL) coming soon—bring your existing VMware licenses and activate in minutes to Managed VMware vSphere, not weeks.

Power of Choice, Powered by OVHcloud

OVHcloud’s Managed VMware solutions offer businesses a fully managed, enterprise-grade virtualization platform that combines VMware’s industry-leading software with our trusted infrastructure, support, and security.

Current Managed VMware solutions

With VMware’s new pricing model placing pressure on thousands of businesses, OVHcloud didn’t just react—we innovated. We designed a new way forward, delivered it with little cost to you, and scaled a migration model that turns a pricing crisis into a platform evolution that you can rebuild on.

Continuing the transformation

Like heroes who care, we won’t stop here. We will keep on adapting our offering to the need of our customers: 

• New hardware for Managed VMware vSphere, reviewed to better fit the new licensing rules and provide, as always, the best price/performance ratio
• A whole new managed VMware Cloud Fundation solution to give you all that VCF 9 has to offer, including a fully managed stretched cluster version already in alpha
• For those seeking on-premise solutions, with OPCP (On-Premise Cloud Platform) already allows to bring VCF at home

To our customers, big and small: we see you, and we value you. Your freedom to choose, adapt, grow and stay safe, even in the face of disaster—this is our mission that we are proud to uphold.

Up, up and away!

As a developer and video game administrator, you naturally want to protect your code and network infrastructure. However, you are also responsible for ensuring the security of your players’ data and providing them with a good experience.

Why is security important in video game development?

One of the main reasons is the protection of sensitive data;  both the game’s source code and any personal information that can be collected from the community.

Source code is the backbone of any video game,  so it is essential that it remains secure to prevent unauthorised access or tampering. If an attacker can access the source code, they can exploit its flaws, demand a ransom, or publicly release it – all of which are a disaster for the targeted company.

Security is also vital given that video games often collect and store personal information about players, such as their name, age and email address. It is therefore important to implement strong security measures to protect this data against unauthorised access or theft by external parties.

Ignoring the issue of system security as a whole can compromise a development team’s ability to deliver a game in its final version.

The role of cybersecurity in video game development

Cybersecurity plays a crucial protective role when developing video games, and one of the main methods of protection is to use secure coding practices.

This approach involves the use of best practices and clear guidelines when writing code in order to reduce the risk of vulnerability or exploitation. This may include elements such as input validation, error handling, and the use of secure libraries and frameworks.

Another important aspect of cybersecurity in video game development is the use of secure protocols and encryption to protect data as it is transmitted between devices. This is a key requirement for online games, where players can join from anywhere in the world. Strict controls are also essential to ensure that only authorised personnel can access sensitive data and systems. This may include the use of strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and regular audits to monitor access.

Protecting video games during deployment

DDoS attacks have become commonplace for hackers seeking to disrupt online services, with the gaming industry often becoming a target due to the immense popularity of certain game titles.

When a DDoS attack is launched against a game, the flood of traffic can cause the servers to overload. This results in lags and connection loss, making it impossible for the user to play the game. In some cases, the attack can continue for a prolonged period of time, causing frustration for players.

Preventing these types of attacks

It can be difficult to defend against DDoS attacks, as they usually involve a large number of devices spread across several locations. But game developers and hosting providers can implement certain measures to mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks. These include traffic filtering to identify and block malicious traffic, deploying additional servers to absorb excess traffic, and using specialised DDoS protection services.

It’s important for developers to be proactive in protecting their games against DDoS attacks, as the disruptions caused by these attacks can have serious consequences for their game’s reputation and financial success. By implementing measures to prevent and mitigate these attacks, developers can help ensure a stable, uninterrupted gaming experience.

Protecting your game infrastructure: OVHcloud Anti-DDoS Game

A gaming solution designed by gamers

At OVHcloud, we have developed an Anti-DDoS solution specifically designed for video games. Unlike our standard anti-DDoS protection, which is activated on our entire global infrastructure, it specifically targets attacks carried out with the protocols used by video games. This protection is included with our dedicated servers in the Game range.

On this page, you can find out more about how our anti-DDoS protection works, and a current list of games and applications protected by it.

TrackMania Cup 2022 and OVHcloud Anti-DDoS Game

The tenth ZrT TrackMania Cup took place in June 2022, bringing together 15,000 people at the Accor Arena in Bercy, France. The event was also broadcast live, attracting tens of thousands more people, with a peak of 170,000 viewers. OVHcloud was a partner in the tournament, and during the month-long qualifier stage, provided servers from its Game range. Our Anti-DDoS Game solution, combined with the performance of our servers, ensured that participants had smooth sessions with minimal latency. Plus, the organisers had the satisfaction of a tournament that ran without a hitch. Read the interview with Thimotée Malossane, Technical Director at ZQSD Productions, as he talks about their collaboration with OVHcloud during TrackMania Cup 2022.

The fast-moving video game market

The gaming industry today represents a global market of more than $180 billion. The vast variety of video games and the increasing accessibility offered by multiple platforms, including the smartphone, mean that gaming is becoming more and more popular. This accessibility, coupled with improved graphics performance and high-speed Internet, makes online gaming a big attraction for gamers. The video game industry is also benefitting from the growth of streaming, e-sports and other emerging markets.

Skills and budget

Developing a video game is a collaborative process that brings together a range of different roles, and often includes a strict budget. Specialist skills in the development field is costly, so it’s important to let developers focus on what they do best, while automating non-value-added tasks. Developing a game also requires agility to scale it in line with its needs and target, and in line with its established budget.

From development to launch

Before its official launch, a video game goes through different stages of development. Each design phase collects player feedback and/or identifies bugs and improvements. However, the launch of the game does not necessarily mean that the development is over – downloadable content, updates and bug fixes could still be added. During these stages, it is necessary to collect, store and process data in order to be able to use it effectively. This is also referred to as data processing.

Using the cloud to resolve game developer issues

Scalability

The cloud offers concrete solutions for a better use of resources and budget, but can also ensure more flexible development infrastructures and the smooth running of video games.

With cloud computing, you get a scalable infrastructure that can handle any requests – even the unexpected. The infrastructure adapts to development, not the other way around. It is the ideal solution for absorbing an issue such as sudden high traffic to a game server.

Cost control

Rather than provisioning servers or additional resources, you pay only for the resources you need. The cloud billing system helps you manage your budget, so you can allocate it to what matters most in your projects.

Multiple solutions

With the Public Cloud, you get access to a number of solutions, such as storage, computing resources, machine learning, data processing, managed databases, and container orchestration. Use adapted solutions and APIs to automate all the time-consuming infrastructure tasks that are usually carried out by your teams.

Simplified deployment

The cloud facilitates the deployment of games across multiple platforms, such as computers, smartphones and consoles, without the need to maintain a separate infrastructure for each one.

OVHcloud cloud solutions

Using a cloud service provider like OVHcloud brings you large-scale solutions based on a globally distributed infrastructure. This is an essential element, both for international developer teams and for ensuring that users can play a powerful and reliable game regardless of their location.

A cloud solution adapted to every need

If you work in the gaming industry and you’d like to know more about the benefits of the cloud for your business, read our white paper!

At OVHcloud, we are committed to providing you with accessible solutions at the best possible prices. However, we have no choice but to adjust our own prices in line with this increase.

New Microsoft 365 pricing effective from 01 April 2022*

The new pricing grid applies to Microsoft 365 solutions, the details of which can be found below.

*Price increase applicable from 01 March for new subscriptions.

Why did Microsoft decide to do this?

In an article published on 19 August 2021, Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft 365, announced that Microsoft intended to review prices for its office automation services. This solution has grown over the years, with new features that the company now wants to see reflected in its pricing.

As part of the Cloud Solution Provider partner program (CSP), OVHcloud is therefore affected by this change, and is applying a new pricing policy as a result. This price change will enter into effect from April 2022.

OVHcloud office solutions with Microsoft 365

The Microsoft Office 365 suite includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access — and this all-in-one solution is compatible with Mac and Windows.

In addition to hosting your data in our Europe-based datacentres, OVHcloud offers all the advantages of the Microsoft 365 suite.

• With its monthly billing system, you can control your spending while you receive all the benefits of the office automation solution.
• The software is installed locally, ensuring performance and reliability
• Stay connected on-the-go, with access to your applications on Windows, Mac, tablets and smartphones.
• Each tool is automatically updated for enhanced security.
• The licences are multi-platform, ensuring greater flexibility. Each user can have Microsoft 365 on 5 computers, and 5 tablets or smartphones.

Chez OVHcloud, nous avons à cœur de vous proposer, autant que possible, des solutions accessibles et aux meilleurs prix. Cependant, nous n’avons pas d’autre choix que de répercuter cette augmentation sur nos tarifs.

Nouveaux tarifs Microsoft 365 applicables au 1er avril 2022*

La nouvelle grille tarifaire concerne les offres Microsoft 365, dont vous pouvez retrouver le détail ci-dessous.

* Hausse de prix applicable dès le 1er mars pour les nouvelles souscriptions.

Pourquoi cette décision de la part de Microsoft ?

Dans un article publié le 19 août 2021, Jared Spataro, vice-président Corporate de Microsoft 365, annonçait une volonté de revoir les prix de ses services de bureautique. Une offre qui s’est étoffée au fil des années, avec de nouvelles fonctionnalités dont l’entreprise souhaite désormais tenir compte dans ses tarifs.

Dans le cadre du programme partenaire Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), OVHcloud est donc concerné par ce changement et applique ainsi une nouvelle tarification. Et ce, à compter du 1er avril 2022.

Les solutions bureautiques OVHcloud avec Microsoft 365

La suite bureautique Microsoft 365 comprend : Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher et Access. Tout cela en une seule offre compatible Mac et Windows.

En plus de l’hébergement de vos données dans nos datacenters en France, OVHcloud vous fait bénéficier de tous les avantages de la suite Microsoft 365.

• Son système de tarification mensuelle vous permet de maîtriser vos dépenses, tout en profitant de l’ensemble des avantages de la solution de bureautique.
• Les logiciels sont installés en local, assurant performance et fiabilité.
• Votre mobilité est assurée grâce à une disponibilité des applications sur Windows, Mac ainsi que sur tablettes et smartphones.
• Chaque outil est mis à jour automatiquement pour une sécurité renforcée.
• Les licences sont multiplateformes, assurant une meilleure flexibilité. Chaque utilisateur peut disposer de Microsoft 365 sur 5 ordinateurs et 5 tablettes ou smartphones.