VMware to Hyper-V migration
Microsoft Hyper-V migration services
We migrate VMware estates to Hyper-V using your existing Windows Server licensing and Microsoft tooling — with phased cutovers built for production uptime.
Move from VMware to Hyper-V inside the Microsoft stack you already run
Since Broadcom took over VMware, perpetual licences have ended and vSphere is sold only as subscription bundles priced per CPU core. Organisations already licensed for Windows Server are asking why they pay twice for virtualization.
Hyper-V is the hypervisor built into Windows Server. With Failover Clustering, Live Migration and Cluster Shared Volumes, it covers the core of what most vSphere estates use, and it is managed with tools your Windows administrators already know.
We plan and run VMware to Hyper-V migrations for production environments, with a cutover method designed to keep downtime to a minimum.
Why organisations choose Hyper-V after VMware
If your servers are licensed with Windows Server Datacenter, Hyper-V is already included, along with unlimited Windows Server virtual machines on those hosts. Removing the VMware subscription often becomes the largest saving of the migration.
Hyper-V also fits naturally with Active Directory, System Center, Windows Admin Center and Azure services such as Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery and Azure Arc, so your hybrid cloud options stay open.
Hyper-V is not the right target for every estate. If most of your workloads are Linux or you want to avoid Windows licensing entirely, VMware to Proxmox may be a better fit, and we will tell you so during the assessment.
VMware vSphere vs Microsoft Hyper-V at a glance
How the features most estates depend on map from one platform to the other.
| Capability | VMware vSphere | Microsoft Hyper-V |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | Subscription bundles, priced per CPU core | Included in Windows Server; Datacenter covers unlimited Windows VMs |
| Management | vCenter Server | Windows Admin Center, Failover Cluster Manager, System Center VMM, PowerShell |
| High availability | vSphere HA | Windows Server Failover Clustering |
| Live migration | vMotion | Hyper-V Live Migration |
| Shared storage | VMFS datastores on SAN, NFS, vSAN | Cluster Shared Volumes on SAN, SMB 3 shares, Storage Spaces Direct |
| Replication and DR | vSphere Replication, Site Recovery Manager | Hyper-V Replica, Azure Site Recovery |
| Backup | Third-party tools via VADP | Native support in Veeam and other major backup products |
| Linux guests | Broad support | Supported, with integration services built into modern Linux kernels |
What we migrate
A migration is more than copying disks. We cover the whole platform around the virtual machines:
- Virtual machines and their disks, converted from VMDK to VHDX
- Guest integration: VMware Tools removed, Hyper-V integration services confirmed
- Networking: port groups and distributed switches rebuilt as Hyper-V virtual switches and VLANs
- Storage: SAN LUNs presented as Cluster Shared Volumes, or Storage Spaces Direct
- Backup and disaster recovery: Veeam or Azure jobs recreated, with restore tests
- Clustering, VM placement rules, permissions and monitoring
- Documentation and runbooks for your team
Our migration process
The same seven stages on every project, sized to your estate:
Assessment
Full inventory of hosts, VMs, storage, networks and dependencies, plus a Windows Server licensing review. You receive a migration report with target sizing.
Target design
Hyper-V cluster architecture, storage and network design, management tooling and backup strategy, validated with your team.
Build and pilot
We build the Hyper-V cluster alongside VMware and migrate a set of non-critical VMs to prove the conversion, performance and backup path.
Migration waves
VMs move in planned waves grouped by application and dependency. Each VM is converted and restarted on Hyper-V in a short, scheduled window, usually outside business hours.
Validation
Application owners test each wave against agreed checks before the next one starts. VMware stays available as a rollback path until sign-off.
Handover
Administration training for your team, documentation and operating runbooks.
Day-two support
Optional monitoring, patching, backup supervision and ongoing Hyper-V administration under a managed services contract.
Frequently asked questions
Can you migrate from VMware to Hyper-V with minimal downtime?
Yes, with planning. Each VM needs a short restart when it starts on Hyper-V, so it is not a live migration. We schedule those restarts in waves, outside business hours and around your applications' redundancy, to keep downtime to a minimum.
Do we need new Windows Server licences?
Often not. Hyper-V is included in Windows Server, and Datacenter edition covers unlimited Windows Server VMs on a licensed host. We review your current licensing during the assessment so there are no surprises.
How are VMs converted?
VMware disks are converted from VMDK to VHDX with Microsoft or third-party conversion tools, or restored directly to Hyper-V from Veeam backups. We choose the method per workload during the pilot.
Can we keep our existing SAN?
Usually, yes. Hyper-V clusters use iSCSI and Fibre Channel SAN storage as Cluster Shared Volumes. We check compatibility and multipathing during the assessment.
Do Linux VMs run on Hyper-V?
Yes. Common Linux distributions are supported on Hyper-V and include the integration drivers in their kernels. We validate each Linux workload during the pilot.
Can VMware and Hyper-V run side by side during the migration?
Yes, and that is how we work. Both platforms run in parallel until every wave is validated, which keeps a rollback path open throughout the project.
Start with a free assessment
Tell us about your VMware environment. We will review it, check your Windows Server licensing and give you a realistic migration plan and timeline.